Residents press jury on RV park fencing and no-wake rules as jury weighs local state of emergency over drainage and spill

Residents speaking during the April 13 Cameron Parish Police Jury voting session pressed the panel for clearer fencing requirements for RV parks and for stricter recognition of no-wake rules on parish waterways, while jurors discussed drainage damage and a BG spill and voted to pursue consideration of a local state of emergency.

At the public-comment portion, Hadley Dyson identified herself and urged that ordinance language emphasize a 'no wake' rule rather than a numeric 5 mph speed limit, arguing that some boats still produce wakes at lower speeds and that wake is a function of water displacement. Later commenters raised concerns about RV parks sited next to homesteads. Ryan Jordan, who said he has built and managed parks, told jurors fencing should not be a blanket requirement for every park but that it should protect adjacent homeowners when needed; Brian Bennett, a nearby resident, urged mandatory fencing where parks border primary residences to protect privacy and child safety.

Jury response: for pending permits for Barrett Park LLC, Verret Park LLC and Hackberry RV Park, jurors approved permits with stipulations that owners provide fencing and comply with ordinances and state law. Jurors agreed that, where applicable, a letter of no objection from the adjacent landowner should be requested to verify neighbor acceptance; they emphasized a case-by-case approach and noted that if parties cannot agree the permit would return to the jury.

On environmental and drainage concerns, jurors discussed reports of marsh impacts and private-property drainage problems; one juror noted this was nearly a year since CPRA activity was first mentioned and urged public acknowledgment so remediation can proceed. The jury voted to add consideration of declaring a local state of emergency on drainage and the BG spill to the agenda and later agreed to draft a letter urging the governor's office to back local action, to be reviewed at a future meeting.

What happens next: permit approvals will include fencing stipulations and instructions to the permit department; jurors directed staff to prepare draft policy changes and to draft a proposed letter regarding the drainage/spill for review at the next meeting.

Representative quotes: Hadley Dyson: "This I'm talking about the speed limit where you have a no wake zone ... So, it it can only be no wake." Brian Bennett: "I believe any one of them, if they're next to a adjacent land owner that lives there like me, that's my main homestead ... I believe that in my case for sure."