Washington Parish once again comes up short

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Bogalicious

Perhaps it’s laconic irony that a tortoise apparently played a role in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determining a route that would be eligible for permitting for the much-maligned Louisiana Highway 3241 project.

Considering the project was originally hatched in 1989, clearly the speed of the process matched that of the watery critter.

But the mere suggestion that a gopher tortoise, which is considered an endangered species, could stonewall economic growth across two parishes is sadistic commentary on the absurdity shrouding this project since its inception when legendary state Sen. B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn was still at the zenith of his reign.

The Corps’ announcement that less preferred Route Q was the one eligible for permitting for the highway, which if ever completed, would provide a four-lane road from Washington Parish to Interstate 12 in St. Tammany Parish, stupefied elected officials as well as the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

The discouraging news, discouraging because many believe the selection of Route Q over the preferred Route P effectively kills the project, was devastating in Washington Parish in particular because for years leaders have been heralding Highway 3241 as the economic elixir for an area mired in financial doldrums.

Washington Parish President Richard Thomas said he was disappointed with the decision and had what he called a “gut feeling” the highway would not be completed.

On the positive side, U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise enthustically welcomed the news and said he would hold all involved accountable for eventually finishing the road. Of course, Scalise is the same politico who two years ago sat in Thomas’ office and said, in response to a question from a Daily News reporter, that parish residents would be driving on the new Highway 3241 within five years. Not likely.

Realistically, the chances are slim the project, which had morphed into nothing more than a dustball on the Corps shelves, will ever be constructed for myriad of reasons. Consider that Route Q, which follows an abandoned railroad track near Slidell and travels north to Talisheek, is 4.5 miles longer than the preferred Route P, which ran through a largely undeveloped area of St. Tammany, before connecting with Louisiana Highway 21 near Bush.

Cha-ching.

Because the process has been so lengthy, development has already occurred on Route Q, and as it stands now the road would run through an animal shelter and a relatively new coroner’s office. Obviously modifications will be required, adding to the tally.

Route Q also displaces 19 residences, compared to 5 for Route P, fueling the meter even more. Factor in mitigation and other costs, and let’s not forget about our tortoise, and the project becomes cost prohibitive.

Thomas was correct in his assessment when he said Route Q made no sense.

So who’s to blame?

Naturally, it starts with the Corps. Bureaucratic morass delayed the project far too long and had not Scailse intervened two years ago it would have landed in the agency’s wastebasket.

Those same delays allowed for development, both residential and commercial, which never would have been an issue if the process had been speedier. The Corps through the years also never seemed to deliver straightforward answers for the delays; rather they spoke in bureaucratic gobbly-gook and scheduled endless public hearings.

Legislators as a whole must also shoulder some of the blame. They should have been more vocal throughout the process, especially as the other projects approved in the 1989 bill came to fruition while 3241 gathered mothballs.

And finally some residents of St. Tammany deserve to be taken to the woodshed, for their behavior toward the residents of Washington Parish during a public hearing in September was arrogant and demeaning. While taking a pious attidue about new development destroying the charm of St. Tammany Parish, many of these same morose individuals previously caused similar disruptions during their own migration from New Orleans during the past two decades.

As usual, Washington Parish comes out on the short end of dealing with a governmental agency. And St. Tammany residents once again manipulate a favorable outcome.

So what’s new?

Original post:
Washington Parish once again comes up short

DOTD optimistic about 3241 completion: Funding may force construction in phases

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Bogalicious

With the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announcing Route Q as the preferred route through St. Tammany Parish for the proposed Louisiana Highway 3241, the focus now shifts to the state of Department of Transportation and Development, which was the original applicant.

What’s the next step?

DOTD spokesperson Jodi Conachen said the department will simultaneously address a number of issues, including route engineering, wetlands mitigation and displacement concerns.

It’s important to note several officials have said Route Q has not been permitted but only is eligible to be permitted through the Corps. Now it’s up to the DOTD to satisfy those requirements.

“We are ready to move the project forward and will move as quickly as we can,” she said. “We are focused on our potential investment (in St. Tammany Parish).”

Conachen said pre-construction should be competed in no more than four years, with funding available through DOTD. However, funding Route Q, which carries an estimated price tag of $225 million, may be a challenge once it comes time to put shovels in the dirt.

“If we are permitted, we must find the funding,” she said. “We still have to find a lot of dollars.

“It’s what we call a mega project but has potential for timed funding.”

Perhaps that’s where the irony lies for Washington Parish residents. Highway 3241 was originally part of a transportation bill that included several other road projects approved by legislators in 1989. The bill was funded by a statewide four-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax, so it qualified as timed funding.

During the years the other projects, with the exception of an abandoned bridge proposal on St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans, were completed while Highway 3241 languished.

In 2006 the money needed to complete those projects was bonded out, Conachen said, with the four- cent tax in question now being used to pay off the bond. As a result, Highway 3241 is out of the loop and must scrounge for money in a state where budget cutbacks and governmental layoffs are annual occurrences.

Conachen raised the possibility of building the highway in phases, with one lane in both directions originally opening and as funds allow completing the four-lane project.

No timetable has been established for actual construction because Conachen said the availability of funds would determine how much of the work is to be completed at one time.

Despite the obstacles, she remains optimistic motorists will eventually have access from Bogalusa to Interstate 12 via a four-lane highway.

“There is a lot of support from elected officials and a lot of momentum,” she said. “As long as the momentum continues and it continues to have the support of elected officials I don’t see any reason why it can’t be built.”

Originally posted at The Daily News:
DOTD optimistic about 3241 completion |Funding may force construction in phases

St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister says Corps of Engineers made wrong choice on new highway path

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Bogalicious

Saying the choice for a route to link Interstate 12 and Bush in northeastern St. Tammany Parish “couldn’t be worse,” Parish President Pat Brister nonetheless said Friday that she will work with the Army Corps of Engineers to see the highway to fruition. “It is a bit disconcerting that a federal agency can determine where a highway is built in this parish,” Brister said a day after the corps revealed it had chosen a route known as Alternative Q for the future, four-lane Louisiana 3241. “But we will continue to work with the corps. We have no other choice.”

The corps chose Alternative Q because officials believe it’s the most practical route that causes the least amount of damage to the environment. It will destroy 305 acres of wetlands and require the least amount of bridges and culverts, whereas the route preferred by the parish and the state would have impacted 358 acres.

Brister said the lack of balance between the concerns for the environment and the realities of the situation is troublesome. She cited as another recent example of her concerns the recent decision by the corps to switch to a new method for calculating impacts to wetlands, which is multiplying the cost of mitigation to public agencies and private developers.

“You sometimes have to put the human need in the mix, not just the environmental need,” Brister said, calling the highway a “lifeline” for the people who travel between Washington Parish to I-12. “I just don’t see that coming from the corps.”

The 19.8-mile Alternative Q begins at the intersection of Louisiana 21 and Louisiana 41 in Bush, follows an abandoned railroad corridor, then continues southeast, takes a jog southwest and connects with Louisiana 434 near Lacombe.

Brister said the chosen route is the worst one for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it runs directly though the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office’s brand-new, $4 million building, which sits on Louisiana 434 between I-12 and Louisiana 36. Coroner Peter Galvan did not return a call Friday for comment.

The route also travels a path that takes it through a large section of the parking lot for the Louisiana Heart Hospital on Louisiana 434, as well as a park-and-ride facility that is under construction by the parish, she said.

Further, it runs through a piece of property owned by the St. Tammany Parish School Board that is designated for a future school and property owned by Weyerhaeuser that is slated for future residential development, Brister said.

The parish, as well as the state Department of Transportation and Development, had preferred a route known as Alternative P, which would have run 17.4 miles through the center of St. Tammany Parish.

It was to begin at the intersection of Louisiana 40 and Louisiana 41 in Bush, follow the railroad corridor for a few miles to Talisheek, turn southwest for 13 miles and connect with I-12 at Louisiana 1088 near Mandeville.

Officials had believed the shorter route would have provided greater traffic relief, particularly from Louisiana 21 and Louisiana 59. Yet, the highway department also has pledged to work with the corps to get the road completed.

“(The department) is disappointed that our preferred alignment, option P, was not selected,” said Dustin Annison, a DOTD spokesman. “But, after two decades of delay we are ready to move forward. We are committed to protecting and preserving St. Tammany Parish’s investment in new facilities along the corps-approved route. We have already begun discussion with the corps to adjust the alignment to bypass the parish’s new facilities.”

Brister said she understands that the state can modify the route to avoid the facilities, but the plan then would have to return to the corps and possibly go through another round of public hearings, causing even further delay in a project more than two decades in the making and still another 10 years from a possible construction start.

The project still requires environmental permits before the state can build it. The state Department of Environmental Quality must issue a Water Quality Certification and a wetland impact mitigation plan that meets the approval of the corps.

Route Q selected for Highway 3241: Corps decision disappointing to elected officials

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Bogalicious

After more than 20 years of being mothballed and entangled in a bureaucratic labyrinth, a route for the long-delayed Louisiana Highway 3241 has been given tentative approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

But the selection of Route Q has staggered elected officials to the point of questioning if the project will ever emerge from the planning cocoon.

On Thursday, the Corps announced Route Q would be the least environmentally damaging and thus would be a candidate for permitting.

Highway 3241, which traces its roots to a legislative bill approved in 1989, would connect Washington Parish to Interstate 12 if completed.

Route Q, which was the least preferred route of St. Tammany and Washington parishes and Louisiana Department of Transportation Department officials, and even Sen. David Vitter, connects with I-12 at Exit 74 near the Louisiana Heart Hospital in Lacombe. From there, the highway would divert to the northwest and follow more of a northerly course along an abandoned railroad corridor before coming in south of Talisheek.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily News, Corps engineer Brenda Archer said Route Q was chosen because it was determined to be the most environmentally friendly.

“We are obligated by law that if we (do) permit, permit the least environmental damaging, “ Archer said. “We evaluated the environmental and cultural resources (including number of residents to be displaced, historical sites, schools, and more than 20 additional factors) on each of the alternatives.”

Also impacting the decision, she said, was the discovery of gopher tortoises along the preferred Route P, which joined with I-12 at the Louisiana 1088 exit and wound its way through a largely uninhabited area of St. Tammany before joining up with the four-lane portion of Louisiana Highway 21 near Bush.

She said the existence of the tortoises was revealed during a public hearing in September in Abita Springs and had a “strong impact on the analysis.”

“Definitely hadn’t heard that,” Washington Parish President Richard Thomas said of the tortoise revelation. “We’ve heard different things but it just doesn’t make any sense they are in the one area.”

That disappointment was echoed by DODT spokesperson Jodi Conachen, who said Route P offered the department an avenue to improve traffic flow along I-12.

In a 51-page report, the Corps said Route Q was “identified as having the least amount of direct wetlands impacts, least impacts to quality wetlands, less of a disruption to surface hydrology and fewer segmentation of habitats. Because (Route) Q impacts fewer wetland areas of lower function quality, (Route) Q has less of an impact on the functions and values determined to public interest.”

However, Route Q is not without its own cache of problems, including it being 4.5 miles longer than Route P. Also, because the proposed routes were developed so long ago, a St. Tammany Parish coroner’s office and animal shelter now sit directly in Route Q’s path, although Corps officials said DODT has the opportunity to modify the original route and resubmit those modifications for additional study and approval.

Additionally, Route Q would cause the displacement of 19 residences, where Route P would have caused five houses to be relocated.

Although Route P carries the higher price tag, according to Conachen ¬— $267 million to $225 million for Route, Q — many believe the chosen route will ultimately be a money pit. In fact, during a recent conference call, Vitter told Corps officials that most people believe Route Q would never be built.

Several parcels of property were also purchased by the state along Route P whereas much more property will have to be purchased on Route Q. Additionally, officials said moving the 19 residences will be costly, as well as modifications to avoid the coroner’s office and animal shelter.

“I’m disappointed Route Q was chosen,” Thomas said. “It doesn’t make any sense. I can’t see where Route Q (would be better).”

“Just a gut feeling that it won’t be built,” he added. “Hopefully this will work out.

“I hope they are able to build it. We would be happy for just about anything. Beggars can’t be choosy.”

The selection concludes an arduous journey that began in 1989 with the Louisiana Legislature passing a bill approving several road projects to be paid for with a four-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax. Highway 3241 and a bridge project in New Orleans, which has long since been abandoned, are the only two not to have been constructed.

Highway 3241, which Washington Parish officials have called critical for economic development in the eastern end of the parish, was dormant and appeared to have fallen off of the Corps’ radar even with Gov. Bobby Jindal telling Washington Parish residents during a town hall meeting in October 2008, “you have my commitment, we’re going to build that road. I’m going to fulfill the contract that was made.”

Despite Jindal’s commitment, the project appeared to have moved to the Corps’ chopping block until two years ago when U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, who still represented Washington Parish at the time, said in a Daily News interview that he was applying pressure to put the project on the fast track.

He even guaranteed parish residents they would be driving on the new highway in five years.

During the public hearing this past fall, when the number of alternatives was trimmed from five to two, emotions ran high from opponents, who were all St. Tammany residents, and proponents, which included a gumbo of St. Tammany and Washington residents. Many St. Tammany residents expressed anger about the need for the highway and some even hurled verbal insults and degrading comments toward the people of Washington Parish.

However, Corps officials maintained that although the comments were considered and incorporated into the Environmental Impact Study, which was released this past spring, the Corps’ fundamental mission is to protect the environment.

“By law we are required to look at the analysis itself,” said Corps engineer Ricky Boyett. “We are held to find the least environmentally damaging (option).

“(Comments and preferences by officials and residents) are (part of the process) but not so much (of a factor).”

Conachen said the DODT would move forward with the pre-construction process, which would take up to four years to complete. She added that construction could ultimately occur in phases, with one lane in each direction being initially completed before finishing the four-lane road at a later date.

Go here to see the original post at The Daily News:
Route Q selected for Highway 3241 | Corps decision disappointing to elected officials

Army Corps of Engineers settles on highway route between I-12, Bush

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Bogalicious

Highway 3241 Route Q

The plan for a new four-lane highway between Interstate 12 and Bush now has a route to call its own. It’s known as Alternative Q, and the Army Corps of Engineers chose it because it’s the most practical route that causes the least amount of damage to the environment.

The 19.8-mile route begins at the intersection of Louisiana 21 and Louisiana 41, follows an abandoned railroad corridor, then continues southeast and connects with Louisiana 434 near Lacombe.

The state Department of Transportation and Development preferred the route known as Alternative P, which would have run 17.4 miles through the center of St. Tammany Parish. It was to begin at the intersection of Louisiana 40 and Louisiana 41 in Bush, follow the railroad corridor for a few miles, turn southwest for 13 miles and connect with I-12 at Louisiana 1088 near Mandeville.

The chosen route will destroy 305 acres of wetlands and will require the fewest bridges and culverts. The state’s preferred route would have destroyed 358 acres, though it would have provided more traffic relief, primarily from Louisiana 21 and Louisiana 59.

The Corps of Engineers also considered three other options: a route to the east, one to the west and no road at all.

Boyett noted that the general route might be set in stone, but that doesn’t mean that the state can’t modify the plan. For example, the state can alter the path slightly to avoid buildings that stand in the way.

The plan to build a highway between I-12 and Bush has been in the works for more than 20 years. Even though a route is now in place, it has been estimated that it would be another 10 years before construction begins.

Thomas optimistic about 3241 decision

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Bogalicious

Washington Parish President Richard Thomas said he is optimistic a favorable decision regarding the future of the proposed Louisiana Highway 3241 will be forthcoming.

Thomas was part of a conference call Monday with Sen. David Vitter, St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister, Col. Ed Fleming of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and officials from the Louisiana Department of Transportation.

According to Thomas, Vitter told Fleming the uncertainty has lingered an excessive amount of time and that the people have paid for the road. Vitter, Thomas said, endorsed Route P, which is the preferred route of Washington and St.Tammany Parish officials.

Vitter, Thomas said, also told Fleming that if Route Q is the one permitted, then it ultimately will not get built because of prohibitive costs. Vitter said he has been hearing Route Q is the route the corps is preparing to permit.

The long-delayed project would establish a four-lane highway linking Bogalusa to Interstate 12 in St. Tammany Parish. Reportedly, the corps is considering two routes: Route P, which would begin in St. Tammany at the Louisiana Highway 1088 exit at I-12 and wind its way through rural areas of the parish before linking up with the four-lane portion of Louisiana Highway 21 near Bush.

Route Q would follow an abandoned railroad track closer to the Slidell area and run through Talisheek.

Route P is considered to be the less expensive and intrusive option.

“(Brister) gave all kinds of reasons why she did not want Route Q,” Thomas said. “I feel a little better because I know we have a United States senator saying his opinion today. He said he wanted Route P and he said it has gone on too long.”

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” he added. “The Corps does what it wants.”

Elected officials view the highway as a necessity to help stimulate economic development in the eastern side of Washington Parish.

The project was first approved by the Louisiana Legislature in the late 1980s as part of a gasoline tax bill that funded several road projects. Highway 3241 is the only active project still not built, although one has been abandoned.

Thomas estimated parish residents have coughed up nearly $40 million through the gasoline tax but have nothing to show for their investment.

The Corps has delayed the decision on numerous occasions, several coming within the past few months. The agency’s latest promise of an announcement was for late April or early May, which has long since passed.

Read the original post from The Daily News:
Thomas optimistic about 3241 decision

Another Highway 3241 delay – Boyett: ‘Hoping for something soon’

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Bogalicious

In what has become a familiar song with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers only with a different verse, Washington Parish residents will have to wait a little longer to learn the fate of the proposed Louisiana Highway 3241.

Corps engineer Ricky Boyett said no decision has been made regarding the much-delayed project, which would connect Washington Parish to Interstate 12 via a four-lane highway through St. Tammany Parish.

“We are hoping for something soon,” Boyett said. “I don’t know, unfortunately.”

The most recent timetable called for a decision to be made in early May, after a mandatory 30-day evaluation period which allowed the corps to analyze data from comments submitted from the release of the Environmental Impact Study in April. The EIS evaluated the impact of five proposed routes, with each running through relatively uninhabited areas of St. Tammany Parish.

Washington Parish officials are hoping a route that slices through a rural area near the Louisiana Highway 1088 exit off of I-12 is the one selected. However, Boyett warned of the possibility that none of the routes would be selected, which may effectively kill the project.

“What a record of decision will do is identify if a permit can or can’t be issued and if it can be issued, what route would be selected,” he said. “If a permit proffered, the route will be identified. That’s probably what most people are looking for.”

The proposed highway project was originally hatched in 1989 through a bill that included a gasoline tax to pay for several projects throughout the state. Only a since-scrapped project in Orleans Parish has yet to be completed.

The countless delays by the corps have been particularly frustrating for parish officials, who laud the project as a boon to potential economic development, especially on the eastern end of the parish.

Washington Parish President Richard Thomas estimated parish residents have paid more than $35 million in the gasoline tax with no return on their investment.

Many St. Tammany residents spoke out against the proposed highway during a public hearing this past fall.

Read the rest at The Daily News:
Another Highway 3241 delay | Boyett: ‘Hoping for something soon’

Highway 3241 decision coming in early May

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Bogalicious

Washington Parish residents will have to wait a little longer to learn the fate of the much-delayed Louisiana Highway 3241, a proposed roadway that is seen as critical to economic vitality in the Bogalusa area.

Ricky Boyett of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said a decision regarding the highway should be released in early May. Boyett added the corps is evaluating the latest round of public input, which recently closed.

Although no specific numbers were provided, Boyett said quite a number of responses were received in the final 30-day public comment period, which began in March and ended earlier this month. Parish officials made a big push encouraging residents to contact the corps about the roadway.

Boyett has previously stated the corps is evaluating two options for the permitting of the highway, which, if built, would connect Bogalusa to Interstate 12 in St. Tammany Parish via a four-land roadway. Route P, the most popular among Washington Parish elected officials and business leaders, as well as some St. Tammany residents, begins at the Highway 1088 exit off of I-12, runs north through a wooded area, and comes near the Oak Knoll and Golden Oaks subdivisions before eventually hooking up with the current two-lane section of Louisiana Highway 21.

It is the shortest and most direct route and much of the land required has already been purchased.

The corps is also evaluating Route Q, which runs along the old Gulf Mobile and Ohio Railroad line, before turning south and joining up with I-12 in Lacombe, near the Louisiana Heart Hospital.

Another option is a “no bill,” which would deny both routes for permitting, essentially killing the highway.

The project was originally proposed in 1989 when the Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development program was created by the legislature and approved by voters. Legendary Sen. B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn was the driving force behind the bill.

Nearly $5 billion was approved for highway improvements throughout the state including Highway 3241, and many of the projects have long since been completed. But Highway 3241 has remained in neutral, stymied by a series of delays, with the corps being identified as the major culprit.

Washington Parish President Richard Thomas estimates parish residents have paid from $35 million to $40 million in gasoline taxes for a highway that has never begun. If denied, Thomas said he is considering petitioning Gov. Bobby Jindal for parish residents to receive that money back via a tax break at the pumps.

Follow this story at The Daily News:
Highway 3241 decision coming in early May

Parish President speaks on current issues: Richard Thomas visited Rotary Club Tuesday

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Bogalicious

Parish President speaks on current issues|Richard Thomas visited Rotary Club Tuesday | The Daily News | Bogalusa, LA

Washington Parish President Richard Ned Thomas was the speaker on Tuesday at the Bogalusa Rotary Club meeting, held weekly at Bogalusa Country Club. As members and guests finished their lunches, Thomas stepped to the podium with eyeglasses in hand.

The president brought with him a list of current topics to talk about and started off with the latest information on the Louisiana Highway 3241 project.

“Everybody’s for it,” he said. “Every congressman from (Governor) Jindal to (U.S. Sen. David) Vitter to (U.S. Rep. Steve) Scalise are all for it. All are on record,” he said. “The governor has said at least three times that he is for it.”

And his predecessor, Toye Taylor, actually told George Bush about it, Thomas said.

“Scalise stated to The Daily News that the road will be finished in five years,” said Thomas with a laugh. “Maybe he didn’t know about the politics involved.”

Thomas went on to say that the Department of Transportation and Development has bought properties on the route (Route P is the preferred route). He also said he has just sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pressuring them for action on the project.

Speaking about the DOTD, he said that right now the department is at the forefront in pushing the project. “They know,” he said, “that it should have been built a long time ago.”

“When you help Bogalusa, you help the parish. Now I feel so much better about this,” he continued, saying he had spoken with Rep. Rodney Alexander who indicated that next week he will be meeting with Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sen. David Vitter and others in Washington, D.C. in an effort to move the project along.

“I know one thing about Washington Parish — I know everything about Washington Parish,” he said with a smile. “When you start talking about tax dollars, people start listening.”

In addition, Thomas noted that the people of Washington Parish have been paying a 4-cent-gallon tax (to pay for Highway 3241) for the past 22 years. And now, he says, “I’m much more optimistic than I was three weeks ago,” he noted. “It takes people getting together.”

Washington Parish timber and permits was next on Thomas’ agenda. He noted that there is more timber cutting going on now than in the past, even after instituting a permit requirement of $100 per 100 acres, with an increase of $1 per acre after the first 100.

“We can’t afford the roads being torn up and our ditches being left full (of debris.) Now, with the permits, it’s a lot better,” he said. “The roads aren’t getting torn up.”

Following his agenda, Thomas spoke about “a lot of people moving into Washington Parish.” He said that recently, in the last several months, there have been between 30 and 35 housing starts each month. That’s very unusual, he said.

Local contractors, Thomas said, have told him they are busy drawing up new plans and blueprints.

Although optimistic about what’s happening in the parish now, Thomas said that, like the country as a whole, the biggest problem is jobs.

“We need more jobs,” he said.

A new four-lane highway will help, he said. And while things change, Washington Parish is growing, “causing me more problems,” he said, “but I’m proud of what’s going on here.”

In closing, he listed a number of projects going on, including roadwork in Bogalusa, work at Pool’s Bluff and at the Choctaw Landfill, and more.

“They call me the roadman,” he added, “but that’s only about 15 percent of my job.”

In closing, Thomas asked everyone to contribute their thoughts and ideas.

“I need ideas from everyone,” he said, and then gave an interpretation of what an idea is.

“An idea is stuff in your mind. If you leave it there, it will go away. Ideas can’t function in solitary confinement,” he said.

Thomas ended his prepared remarks with, “I’m working that this (Highway 3241) happen now — and maybe in my lifetime.”

There were several questions from the audience, one on the Bogalusa City School System.

“Something has to be done,” he said. “I see Bogalusa alive a little more every day. We can’t be ‘east side’ or ‘west side.’ We’re all in this together — we have to work together.”

Visit link to The Daily News:
Parish President speaks on current issues|Richard Thomas visited Rotary Club Tuesday

Residents Have Final Say With Corps

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Bogalicious

Washington Parish residents will soon know if the proposed Louisiana Highway 3241 turns into a dead end or a four-lane injection of much-needed economic relief to an impoverished community.

At least citizens have one final say before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers renders its opinion to permit either one of two options currently under consideration or the “no bill” all option, effectively deep-sixing a project parish residents have already pumped in an estimated $35 million to only to see no return on investment.

The deadline to vote on the Corps’ two proposals, Q and P, is today, and all parish residents are urged to weigh in with their opinions. And since this is Louisiana, follow that time-honored tradition of voting more than once; only this time it is legal and encouraged.

Clearly, the best option for all concerned is Option P, which will allow motorists to exit Interstate 12 at Louisiana Highway 1088 and wind their way through rural and isolated areas of St. Tammany Parish and eventually hooking up near Talisheek for the final stretch to Bogalusa. This route provides the most direct access to Bogalusa and is the least intrusive regarding St. Tammany wetlands and neighborhoods.

Option Q is the less desirable, and if approved seems as if the parish would be receiving a Smart car when hoping for a Bentley. But for a region that has been waiting more than 20 years for this project to blossom, even a Smart car can seem like a chariot of gold. More importantly, a chariot of hope for a brighter future for a region facing the challenge of dwindling population, crime-infested neighborhoods and a failing education system.

Washington Parish’s fate, at the very least the eastern end of the parish, currently lies in the end of the Corps. Given its striking record of incompetence of protecting New Orleans from floods during a major hurricane, perhaps the odds do not look too good.

At least this time maybe the Corps will get right.

Let your voice be heard.

Comments on Highway 3241 can be directed to James A. Barlow Jr., PhD, project manager, New Orleans District, Corps of Engineers, by email at I-12toBush@usace.army.mil. Comments can also be sent by email to james.a. barlow@usace. army.mil or brenda.a. archer@ usace.army.mil.

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Residents have final say with Corps

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