Baja St. Martin

It’s official now. The notice has been published. The Department of Natural Resources Office of Conservation will hold a public hearing on the FAS application for a wastewater transfer structure.
The hearing will be in the Belle River fire station on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Come if you can and hear a variety of people speak, both pro and con on this topic. Understand, please, that following this hearing, the DNR will decide either to give FAS a structure permit or not give them one.
Either way, the DNR has no authority to tell FAS they can build (or not) on the Belle River levee. That decision is up to St. Martin Parish which has already told FAS they (the parish) would not change the zoning from residential to heavy industrial. If matters reach this point, the parish has vowed to take the company to court.
Nevertheless, at the Feb. 26 hearing, lots of us who live on Hwy. 997 will speak as long as we’re allowed, each of us hopefully giving our objections to this FAS plan. If, heaven forbid, FAS ever builds its proposed transfer site on the levee here where they want, our two-lane highway will have 40 to 70 loaded tanker trucks a day, seven days a week. We’ll also have the noise of the site, the air pollution, the possible accidents, the destruction of our road, the traffic to deal with. I shudder to even think about what this road would be like during crawfish season with hundreds of fishermen heading to and from the landing along with all the trucks. A disaster waiting to happen.
There is nothing good about this FAS proposal for anyone except them and possibly for Jeanerette Lumber and Shingle Company which is willing to lease a piece of the levee to FAS so they would get some money from that.
Do try and attend the Feb. 26 hearing if possible. We’re advised that the outcome of this hearing, the decision of the DNR Office of Conservation will have state wide influence and the more people who speak up or at least write their feelings the better it will be.
Now to another subject. I am going to take my aging cat to the vet tomorrow to have his toenails clipped. He is about 17 years old and for the past year he pretty much sleeps all the time so his toenails have grown unimpeded. I am ashamed to admit I really didn’t pay much attention until I noticed the cat getting his claws caught in the blankets, in the throw rug and, ouch, when he kneaded in my lap. I was able to visually check and was shocked to find the nails are curving around something awful. I clip my dogs nails regularly but never the cat.
I asked the vet how they do this and was told to “scruff” him! I pictured terrible things until I realized scruff meant hold the cat by the scruff of the neck (like its mama once did), get someone to hold kitty’s legs and another to clip the nails. I couldn’t find two friends (or enemies) who were willing to help me with this project so I made an appointment at the vet.
I am so tired of gloomy, cold weather, but at least we’re not having freezing temperatures. My sisters have both reported 4 degrees for the high and now they’re getting snow. One said it was really pretty but miserably cold. A friend recently told me she thinks mold is growing on her skin from the dampness and gloom! I haven’t been for a dog walk in several days because of rain, but tomorrow we’re heading out no matter what. I have a nice bright umbrella (so the hunters will see me) and I’ll just bundle up.

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