St Landry Road, Gonzales
<<StLandry.doc>>
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To: hmarchand@ascension.par.la.gov
Cc: Ascension Citizen (E-mail); Ascension Parish CAO (E-mail) Ascension Parish
Council c/o R Loupe Ascension Parish Public Works (E-mail) Ascension Parish
School Board (E-mail) Ascension Parish Secretary(E-mail) Ascension Parish
Sheriff Department (E-mail) Bill & Stephanie
Subject: StLandry.doc
Sent: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 13:00:49 -0500
was delivered to the following recipient(s):
Harold Marchand on Sat, 15 Jul 2000 13:04:45 -0500
Randall Anderson on Sat, 15 Jul 2000 13:04:45 -0500
Red Loupe on Sat, 15 Jul 2000 13:04:45 -0500
Bill Roux on Sat, 15 Jul 2000 13:04:45 -0500
Patricia Cook on Sat, 15 Jul 2000 13:04:45 -0500
July 15, 2000
Mr. Harold
Marchand
Ascension Parish President
208 East Railroad Av
Gonzales, La. 70737
Re: Notice of unsafe road conditions existing at St Landry Road, Gonzales
Sir:
Senate Bill 858 was passed into law by governor Foster in the 1999 regular session. My interpretation of the act, in laymen’s terms is, that just because a road does not comply with standards set by federal guidelines does not mean it's unreasonably dangerous. It must be proven that the failure to meet the standard requirements was the proximate cause of an accident because of it resulting in an unreasonably dangerous condition
It is also my understanding that because of this law, that the state, and/or parish must be put on notice before they can be held liable for property damage, injury, or death due to safety discrepancies that exist for that particular road in a court of law.
With receipt of this letter, consider the Parish of Ascension put on notice as to the unsafe conditions existing on St Landry Road in Gonzales using the pictures and descriptions attached.
Be advised the dirt, mud, and gravel deposited on St Landry road by vehicles entering and exiting the convention center construction site renders that part of the road in a very dangerous condition to traffic that could cause loss of control. This is especially true when the road is wet.
While I point out only certain areas of the road for particular safety issues, be advised that there are numerous safety hazards the entire length of St Landry Road, E.g., lack of painted lines, warning signs, reflectors, guardrails, and shoulders to name a few. The complete extent of the hazards for St Landry Road need to be investigated by the Ascension Parish Department of Public Works to insure that all safety hazards be found and repaired with all possible haste.
In my opinion, the safety hazards I point out here will require a joint effort of Ascension Parish D.P.W., The Ascension Parish Sheriff, and the contractor.
With regards to the contractor:
Ø Apply immediately for and the installation of adequate warning signs.
Ø Maintaining St Landry Road in a safe condition every day, and if necessary on an hourly basis.
With regards to the Ascension Sheriff Department:
Ø To immediately issue the contractor a citation for rendering St Landry Road in an unsafe condition, and to issue a citation for each day the signs are not installed at the maximum the law will allow.
Ø To monitor the road daily insuring that the contractor is complying with safety standards, and if not to issue a citation for each infraction at the maximum the law will allow.
With regards to the D.P.W. :
Ø To install the required warning signs as soon as possible, and to follow up periodically to make sure the signs are kept in good condition.
Be advised, if there is any property damage, injury, or death after the date of this notice, I will do my utmost to bring this notice to the attention of those involved and their attorneys.
This letter and its attachments have been published to the web site http://inascension.com on the “Our Roads Page”.
Chuck Le Mieux
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Looking North
Mud, dirt, and gravel from construction vehicles entering and exiting convention center construction site. |
| Looking North
Infrared picture showing various degrees of mud, dirt, and gravel from construction vehicles entering and exiting convention center construction site. |
 |
 |
Looking North
No warning signs indicating the entering and exiting of construction vehicles in either direction. |
Cc/Fax to:
Mr. Anthony Falterman Ascension Parish District Attorney
Mr. John (Juba) Diez Louisiana State Representative
Mr. Harry Robert Insurance Agent for Ascension Parish
Ms. Jean Payne of Gallagher Bassett Insurance Services
Channel 9 TV
Channel 33 TV
Cc/email to:
Mr. Harold Marchand Ascension Parish President
Ms. Patricia Cook Ascension Parish Secretary
The Ascension Parish Council c/o Mr. R. Loupe
Mr. Bill Roux Ascension Parish Public Works
Mr. Doyle Mitchell Ascension Parish Public Works
Mr. Jeff Wiley c/o Mr. Tony Bacala Ascension Parish Sheriff
Ms. Jennifer Sheffield Channel Two Road Patrol
Ms. Keisha Lacour Channel 2 Two On Your Side
Mr. J. Connelly Channel 2 News Room
Mr. John MacMillan The Advocate’s River Parish Office
Mr. David Young The Gonzales Weekly
Mr. David Young The Community Mirror
Mr. David Young Ascension Parish TV
The Ascension Citizen
Mr. Ronald Carter D.O.T.D.
