Butte La Rose

Bonjour!
Election run offs will be Dec. 6. We’ve come this far making our voices heard. But it’s not over. Don’t take anything for granted thinking we might not need to go vote because everyone else is doing so. The other voters might be thinking the same of you and you both not show up. Remember the saying it isn’t over till the fat lady sings. (So I don’t get any feedback on that comment, I am talking about my fat.)
Ever notice some of these politicians all run for office and promise to change our world. But do they promise to make it better?
Volunteer Fireman Blake Menard and his pretty wife Dawn had the Butte La Rose fire station all cleaned up and had tables and chairs all in order for us when we walked in for election day morning. That was so generous of them to do that for us. Blake said they decided to do this the previous day when he came by to check on the fire station equipment. Thanks y’all!
We are asking the parish or state to install cameras at the pontoon bridge to take pictures and catch the over loaded dirt and gravel and shell trucks crossing it. We have seen three different company dump trucks passing back and forth on this road and running that old pontoon bridge. Maybe DOT could also inspect these trucks for possibly altering the tongues on their buckets to be able to pass under its 9.5 feet height.
It is a shame that our situation has come to this. This is a miserable hardship. We were told after the construction is completed on the bridge at Bayou Mercier in Catahoula that had been shut down to one lane in this mess, the Durand crew will then start on ours. And it will take another month of work before we can use ours again. Every piling has to be changed.
Closure of the pontoon bridge for any length of time while it is being repaired also hurts Henderson’s economy as well as the inconvenience it causes to the Butte people. There is plenty traffic goes through Henderson especially on weekends when camp owners come to their camps at the Butte. The commercial and sports fishermen depend on the local stores to buy their supplies. And so do the hunters. These people depend on Hebert’s for groceries and other supplies. Weekend camp owners cross that bridge to come eat at the Henderson restaurants. This issue is not an open-and-shut situation.
To say our situation here is a serious problem. If an accident happens on I-10 that would shut us down. While our bridge is out if we’d have an emergency here in our corner for those of us who live by the bridge, we would be in trouble. There is no evacuation route.
Know the saying, out of sight, out of mind? We’ll complain about our problem bridge here to make sure it will be resolved sooner than later. The bridge tenders know the deteriorating condition of the bridge, but inspecting the bridges are not their jobs. I will keep a progress report on Facebook and my column.
My granddaughter Bridget got married Nov. 1 in Mesquite, Texas. It was a fun trip and a fun wedding. Another one, Maria, married earlier this year in New Orleans. I am responsible for 26 grandchildren on this earth.
Tamra had a baby shower Saturday and she will bless me with being great-grand mother to my 14th. She had beaucoup family and friends with lots of wonderful gifts. Everyone brought a dish. I loved every bite of each!
Plus tard et bonsoir! –Cousine Helène
(337) 290-1988
helenboudreaux@juno.com.