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Thibodaux issues discussed at community meeting

The Courier - 9/28/2018

Sept. 28--Drainage, the new parish jail and traffic were among topics discussed tonight at a community meeting in Thibodaux.

Thibodaux Councilwoman Constance Johnson sponsored the quarterly event, focusing on building relationships in the community.

Officials in attendance included Thibodaux Chief of Police Bryan Zeringue, Lafourche Parish Councilman Jerry Jones, Lafourche sheriff's Lt. Valerie Martinez, Thibodaux Section 8 Housing Director Jannice Landry Tregre and Lafourche School Board members Brooke Huddleston and Donald Johnson.

With heavy rains this week testing the city's drainage, Jones said there's been some significant improvement since the completion of the Westside Drainage project in the Barbier Street area.

There was some flash flooding Wednesday around Tiger Drive, he said, but overall, water was draining well in the area.

"The water's moving now," Jones said.

One resident in attendance said Eclair Drive saw massive improvements.

"We used to have so much water everywhere," he said. "When I got home yesterday, I was shocked."

Stagnant water in the Abbey Road area is also being resolved. Jones said a private sewage company was not maintaining the system, and the state health board and Department of Environmental Quality are working to resolve the issue, possibly imposing serious fines.

The Sheriff's Office is continuing work on domestic violence awareness.

Martinez has been traveling throughout the state ahead of the Oct. 1 enactment of a new state law to take weapons out of the hands of domestic violence offenders. Domestic violence awareness events are being planned throughout the month of October, including the annual candlelight vigil at the Lafourche Visitors Center in Raceland on Oct. 16.

As the new jail moves toward an opening date later this year, Martinez said the Sheriff's Office plans to continue diversion and training programs to lower recidivism rates in the parish.

"We are very fortunate to have a sheriff who is looking at this facility as more than a jail," she said.

The city's housing department is preparing to open up applications for the wait list for housing choice vouchers, one of its most sought-after programs, Tregre said.

This year the city was awarded a record $1 million to help people find affordable housing, but the wait list can only hold 200 names at a time. Applicants are chosen for the list via a lottery system about once a year.

Tregre's office also oversees the city's Community Development Block Grant program, which receives about $100,000 a year for low-income projects.

Recent projects include the extension of sidewalks on South Barbier Avenue, lights at Martin Luther King Park and a new park planned for Government Circle near Barbier Avenue.

In 2019, Tregre said she plans to use the money for new playground equipment at Martin Luther King Park.

The Thibodaux Police Department is continuing efforts to install new, brighter signage and create a cohesive plan for city street speed limits, Zeringue said.

Reducing the speed limit in some areas has already helped slow down traffic, he said.

New signs placed in the post office zone are now more distinct and will soon be paired with overhead flashing lights instead of the existing movable signs mounted on used tires.

Similar methods are being used to help divert large trucks onto Jackson Street, instead of up North Canal Boulevard, Zeringue said.

While facing an officer shortage, the city has reinstated the housing unit, assigning three officers to work with the Thibodaux Housing Authority to build community relations, Zeringue said.

"We really want to work hard to build our community, and the police department, to be better together," he said.

Staff Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliaArenstam.

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(c)2018 The Houma Courier, La.

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