Henderson culverts will be replaced

One of the last spans of outdated 12-inch culverts here will soon be replaced with piping at the recently-mandated minimum 18-inch diameter. Town officials expect the change to alleviate recurring drainage problems along Patin Street and the surrounding neighborhoods.
In his report at the Monday, May 8 town council meeting, Councilman/Street Commissioner Bill LeGrand said efforts in the past weeks by St. Martin Parish crews to clear culverts and ditches in town revealed that the Patin Street culvert is completely blocked.
Tree roots, LeGrand said, have caused a joint to separate, making clearing the culvert impossible. The 100-150 foot span will be replaced and brought up to the new 18-inch code. Mayor Sherbin Collette said the parish will provide the equipment and crew and the council gave its approval to procure the culverts and any other materials needed so the work can be started as soon as the parish is ready.
In other business, the council agreed to a resolution transferring funds into the town’s enterprise account, which handles expenses and disbursements from water and sewer department operations. Councilman Jody Meche offered the resolution to restore a safe “cushion” to the account, after disbursements of matching funds for recently-completed sewer upgrades.
A one-time transfer of $20,000, plus an ongoing deposit of $500 per month, will be made from the sales tax account. The council voted last year to allow more flexibility in the use of sales tax funds, which were formerly limited by ordinance for use on road maintenance.
Finally, a resolution was approved accepting a continuance of the existing property tax millage of 1.79. Collette said that, while more funding is needed to finance capital projects planned for the coming years, Henderson residents are not in the financial position for a tax increase at this time.
He added that new sources of funding are expected to materialize as a result of the annexation north of I-10 and commercial development, which should reduce the need for tax increases.