Baja St. Martin

If you go to the Belle River public landing now, you will get a laugh out of all the pipe rails and signs the Atchafalaya Basin Levee Board has erected lately.

The pipe rails, which are painted bright yellow, border every driveway on the spillway side of the levee and the parking lot itself. It resembles a maze like the kind I used to make for a pet hamster. At one end there is a gate assembly in the rail fencing so the grass mowers can pass. This gate is closed with a chain and padlock. I’m not sure what the mowers do on the other end because there is no gate there.

Along these rails, posted on them, beside them, between them – everywhere – are signs announcing EXIT, EXIT ONLY, ENTRY, ENTRY ONLY, DO NOT ENTER, NO PARKING, NO PARKING BY THE BATHROOMS, NO PARKING BY THE GATE, DO NOT PARK, NO FISH CLEANING UNDER THE PAVILION, NO OVERNIGHT PARKING, et al. I think there are more but can’t remember what they are right now.

Suffice it to say, the ABLD does not want people to park anywhere on any grass unless it’s across the levee, where, of course, nobody wants to park because it’s too far from the boat ramps.

I have to wonder a little that the ABLD is so concerned with protecting the grass at the landing, but what is their feeling about the possibility of having a portion of the levee zoned for industrial use? That would certainly affect the grass!

There will be a fisherman meeting in the Belle River Fire Station on April 22 at 7 p.m. Dean Wilson, an Atchafalalya Basinkeeper, will be there. Probably reps from the LCPA (Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association) West also.

Also present will be one of our Belle River residents, Lee Hines, who will explain to all present just what is going on with the FAS attempt to have the levee rezoned for heavy industrial and all the ramifications of that possibility.

Local residents continue their opposition to the rezoning issue. We’re keeping things in the local news as much as possible, meeting with experts on environmental health threats, basically doing our best to educate and inform the public, which, for the most part has been kept in the dark about this whole issue until very recently. It’s truly heartening to find how much local support is out there. The days of blind acceptance are no more. We’re not resting easy until June 3 when the Parish Council votes and maybe not even then since we’re told FAS can sue and/or appeal if the decision goes against them.

Our immediate worry regarding the possible rezoning is, of course, the effect on those closest to the specific area. It’s our road that will be destroyed, our air and water that could be polluted, but we’re learning a lot of really scary stuff about the disposal of wastes from other states. The Bayou Corne sinkhole just a few miles away certainly doesn’t inspire confidence in public entities or big business.

On April 24, Food for Seniors will be distributed and on that same day in Belle River only, Mr. Paulma Johnson from St. Martinville will be on hand to offer electricity assistance to those who qualify. (He was in Stephensville for the same purpose on April 16).

Also, on Apr. 24 in both food distribution sites, people from the St. Martin Council on Aging will be present to sign up seniors for the future lunch program in Baja St. Martin. If you’re 60 or over, no matter whether you get commodities or not, come to the sites and get signed up. We need 20 people at a minimum.

If you can’t come on the 24th, call (337) 332-3063, and ask for Cara or Delores. If you could let me know that you called, I would appreciate it so I can keep track of the numbers.

Teche News’ Lower St. Martin correspondent, Linda Cooke, can be e-mailed at lcooke9417@bellsouth.net.