AP Government welcomes Daniel Helms as Chief Transportation Engineer

Ascension Parish Government is thrilled to announce the recent hiring of Daniel B. Helms, PE, PTOE, RSP2I, as the new Chief Transportation Engineer. Mr. Helms officially assumed his role on July 10, 2023, and brings an impressive 22 years of experience managing transportation projects and programs in the public and private sectors. In his new […]

Gonzales sued for excluding companies disloyal to Police Chief

The City of Gonzales has been sued by two towing companies eliminated from the list of providers approved by the police department, arbitrarily doing so according to the petition filed by Southern Towing & Transport and Gonzales Towing and Repair.  Plaintiffs are seeking “triple damages” envisioned by Louisiana’s anti-monopoly statutory scheme, along with attorney fees […]

Search for Drainage Director going nowhere, Cointment administration weighs in

On October 18 an agreement was approved by EA Drainage Board which retained President Clint Cointment’s services and participation in drainage matters.  It also imposed certain obligations on President Clint Cointment. Parish President shall contract and work with a qualified subject matter consultant to create an organizational structure, delineate search criteria for a Drainage Director […]

Lawler explains EA Drainage discussion of municipal standards, and threat to cease drainage works

This morning we posed a series of questions to Councilman Aaron Lawler and three of his colleagues who sponsored a discussion during Monday’s EA Drainage meeting about: f. Discussion of requiring all municipalities on the Eastbank to have development drainage standards that are at least equal to Parish standards under possibility of cessation of drainage […]

23 years later, the Vessel family remembers those cherished loved ones lost

23 years ago this week tragedy visited a family in the City of Gonzales, and every one of its citizens when Shon Miller, Sr. murdered four people at a local church.  As dark a day as any in local history, the victims were Miller’s wife and 2-year old son, and his mother-in-law. Senseless horror which […]

Citizen’s “smoking gun” exposes Lawler’s “bum deal” with Willow Lake residents

Willow Lake Subdivision’s lakes continue to suffer intrusion of silt from Oak Grove Townhomes‘ development to the north.  A regrettable situation which should never have occurred…and would not have if Dantin Bruce Development, LLC was a better corporate neighbor and Willow Lakes’ elected representative had not engineered its plat approval.  Councilman Aaron Lawler was called […]

Commissioner Ken Firmin changes vote to approve (once denied) Delaune Estates

What has changed since Antebellum Pointe subdivision was denied by a 4-3 vote of Ascension’s Planning Commission on March 11, 2020?  Enough to garner approval of the re-branded Delaune Estates, the same 237 lots planned west of Hwy 73, south of White Road in Prairieville.  A roomful of residents went home unhappy on Wednesday when the one-vote denial […]

Bill Roux: “Drainage should be a department…under the Parish President”

Bill Roux was brought on to head up Ascension Parish’s Department of Public Works by his friend, and newly-inaugurated President Harold Marchand in 2000.  With the position came the responsibility to oversee East Ascension Drainage works pursuant to a longstanding Intergovernmental Agreement whereby the District contracted for services from the parish, paying a 4% fee for […]

Lawler’s version of events means someone is NOT telling the truth

NOTE:  EA Drainage’s Vice Chairman, Chase Melancon claims to have known nothing about the effort to oust President Clint Cointment as de facto Drainage Director while Councilman Aaron Lawler claims to have been working on it for 3.5 years.  Someone is not telling the truth.  Lawler’s social media post from yesterday: Professionals, not Politicians. Drainage […]

A tough night for Melancon as Commission holds firm on Riverton and Buzzard Roost

“If you actually watch the (March 9, 2016) meeting it’s not confusing at all,” assured Planning Commissioner Aaron Chaisson about Riverton Subdivision’s 780-lot preliminary plat approval.  “I don’t know why we’re even discussing it.” Riverton’s developer, the Grady Melancon-owned SLC, LLC, was still negotiating with the parish on the morning of the plat’s consideration five years ago, ultimately […]