SOUTH TANGIPAHOA PARISH PORT COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2026 9:00AM
CITY HALL ANNEX BUILDING - 110 W. HICKORY ST., PONCHATOULA, LA
The regular meeting was held on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at the City Hall Annex
Building, located at 110 W. Hickory Street, Ponchatoula, LA. President Daryl Ferrara
called the regular meeting to order at 9:00 A.M.
The invocation was given by administrative assistant, Robyn Pusey, followed by the
Pledge of Allegiance led by Secretary Rhonda Sheridan.
Commissioners present: Daryl Ferrara, Tina Roper, Tim DePaula, Rhonda Sheridan,
Logan Davis, Brandon Schanzbach
Commissioners absent: William Sims
President Ferrara welcomed everyone to the meeting. Others in attendance included
Patrick Dufresne, STPPC Executive Director; Robyn Pusey, Administrative Assistant;
Andre Coudrain, Cashe Coudrain and Bass; Lee Barends, ITL Accounting; Brandi
Fontenot, GIS Engineering, LLC; Richard Meek, Action 17 News.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES
It was moved by Vice President Roper and seconded by Treasurer DePaula that the
South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission approve the regular meeting agenda for
August 12, 2026, as presented. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula,
Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims
President Ferrara told the commissioners that the meeting minutes from July 8, 2026
were in their meeting folders. After a brief review, a motion was made by Treasurer
DePaula and seconded by Vice President Roper to adopt/approve the minutes
from the regular meeting on July 8, 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper,
DePaula, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims
TREASURER’S REPORT
Today there are two months of financial reports to be reviewed as port accountant
Lee Barends had been out of town for the last STPPC meeting. Ms. Barends started
with the June “Compared with Budget” financial report and said the income for
June (rounded) was $147,453.00, expenses were $75,900.00 with a net income
of $71,553.00. She said the year-to-date income through June net profit was
$563,983.00. She said at that time the checking account balance was $459,308.00
and the assets were listed on the balance sheet as well.
Ms. Barends said the in a couple of months there will be a need to make a proposed
amended budget to address some overages with professional contracts and
engineering. Also to be amended include membership and dues, office supplies, and
any income expenses regarding any of the projects currently going on. There were no
questions regarding the June financials. A motion was made by Treasurer DePaula,
seconded by Vice President Roper to accept and approve the financial reports from
June 2026 as presented by port accountant Lee Barends of ITL Accounting. Motion
passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0
Absent: 1 Sims
Ms. Barends continued with the July 2026 financial reports, starting with the
“Compared with Budget” report, stating that revenue for July (rounded) was
$141,386.00, and the expenses were $320,076.00 due to a big insurance payment.
She said the insurance will be another line item to be addressed, as it was slightly
over the budget, however, is paid in full. This leaves is a negative balance for the
month of $178,689.00 but the year-to-date profit is $385,293.00. She said at the
end of July the bank balance was $271,355.00 and she did not recommend making
a transfer of funds this month. There were no questions regarding the July financial
reports. A motion was made by Treasurer DePaula, seconded by Vice President
Roper to accept and approve the financial reports from July 2026 as presented by port
accountant Lee Barends of ITL Accounting. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper,
DePaula, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims
President Ferrara noticed the Edward Jones account portfolio had increased and
asked if one of the CD’s had been transferred into the account. There was a brief
discussion about the due dates of the CD’s to be transferred, and it was noted that
one CD was transferred in June and one at the end of July.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Warehouse Buildings #2 & #3 – lease agreement and inspection update
Spreadsheet review
Resolution
Port director Patrick Dufresne said the updated maintenance repair spreadsheets had
been forwarded to the commissioners. Vice President Roper stopped Mr. Dufresne
and said she did not receive the spreadsheet until late in the day before the meeting.
She said she had asked Mr. Dufresne for a plan of action with a prioritized repair list to
review before obtaining bids. Mr. Dufresne had obtained three bids which were sent
to the commissioners before the spreadsheets were sent. Vice President Roper told
Mr. Dufresne she wanted him to speak with the maintenance people at the port and
get them to make a prioritized list of repairs, because items on the spreadsheet were
not in any particular order. Mr. Dufresne commented that he was the maintenance
person. Treasurer DePaula questioned Vice President Roper if she meant how to
determine the order that repairs should be done, and said he felt the only way to figure
this out would be to speak with the person who would do the repairs, or an engineer.
She did not think an engineer was necessary. Vice President Roper said when she
had received the bids she had no clue what was being bid on, because they did not
specify the repairs. Mr. Dufresne said that the bids were determined from the Arcane
inspection report of the warehouses, which included everything to be repaired. He
said that was the basis for the bids and then suggested hiring a professional engineer
to complete the repairs. Vice President Roper didn’t think hiring a professional
engineer was necessary and suggested going back to Arcane and have the top ten
repairs prioritized. She said that the list should be more prioritized and she wanted to
see something more specific before agreeing to expensive repairs. She said that this
was just her opinion and not the rest of the board. Mr. Dufresne said he could ask the
inspection person with Arcane to provide his top ten repairs.
President Ferrara asked Mr. Dufresne, based on the lease, if the repairs are the
responsibility of the port, or the tenant. Mr. Dufresne said in his opinion the port is
responsible for the repairs in warehouse building 2 because it was in need of repairs
when the tenant moved in. Port attorney Andre Coudrain told the commissioners that
during the lease discussions, the tenant would look at the data and determine what
they think represents some sort of gentleman’s agreement; that they would complete
the repairs without an acknowledgement that it was their legal responsibility to do so.
He said as part of the lease discussion, that they will likely go back and look at some
of the items that they think is their responsibility.
Treasurer DePaula said he assumed the inspection report had been provided to
the bidders, and Mr. Dufresne confirmed that it had. Treasurer DePaula suggested
attaching the repair schedule to the bid documents. A lengthy discussion followed
among the commissioners about how the repairs should be prioritized, whether each
item on the spreadsheets required repair, the need for cost breakdowns, and whether
the work should be overseen by a contractor or an engineer. Treasurer DePaula said
there were two separate issues: first, whether all repairs on the list were necessary,
and second, in the act of selecting the bid, that everything the commission wants done
encompasses everything stated in the bids. He said this could be easily reviewed with
the contractor. Commissioner Davis asked whether Mr. Dufresne would handle quality
control for the projects. Treasurer DePaula said he did not believe Mr. Dufresne was
qualified for that role and that, ideally, a qualified engineer should oversee the work.
Vice President Roper said she did not want to pay $135 per hour for an engineer and
suggested that someone such as a general contractor could certify the work. The
spreadsheets showed repairs to be done by both the port and tenant, and were not
prioritized. She said she wanted a spreadsheet showing only the port repairs to be
completed and said the bids should be based directly on that repair spreadsheet. Mr.
Dufresne said the electrical components had been removed from the spreadsheet
report. Commissioner Davis asked whether a certain number of repairs had to be
completed to avoid the port breaching any obligation. Mr. Coudrain said there was no
indication of a breach unless a repair clearly within the port’s responsibility made the
premises untenable. Discussion continued. Vice President Roper said she wanted a
clear itemization of the repairs so the commission could see exactly what would be
fixed. Treasurer DePaula said he thought the bidding contractor should be asked to
itemize the work. Vice President Roper said that, when the maintenance report was
first issued, she had asked Mr. Dufresne to discuss it with the Arcane inspector and
prioritize repairs based on what could be completed when funding was available and
what needed to be addressed immediately to maintain the building. Mr. Dufresne
referred to a “top 10” list, and Vice President Roper said the number could be 25 or
50, but she did not know. She said the commission needed a starting point before
seeking bids, so that bidders could itemize and price their responses, rather than
submitting a general bid up to a certain amount. She said she felt the spreadsheet
report needed to be narrowed further before moving forward. Mr. Dufresne said he
would do so. President Ferrara asked Vice President Roper for a motion. She said
the motion would be to table the resolution and have Mr. Dufresne obtain an itemized
and prioritized list so contractors would know exactly what they were expected to
bid on. She also told Mr. Dufresne to revise the spreadsheet to show only the port
repairs. Mr. Coudrain said there was no certainty at that point about which repairs
were the tenant’s responsibility but said we can work off the list and have further
discussion about it if needed. Treasurer DePaula asked who made the determination
of the port and tenant repairs, and Mr. Dufresne said he did. Mr. Coudrain said they
made the determination with the tenant, however, the tenant questioned some of the
repairs, and while they agreed to fix it, they did not want this to be an admission that
forever this kind of repair is their responsibility. More discussion was had about some
of the repairs on the spreadsheet. Vice President Roper asked if the electricals would
be bid out separately, and Mr. Dufresne said yes, separate.
A motion was made by Vice President Roper, seconded by Treasurer DePaula, to
table the resolution for today and for port director, Patrick Dufresne to obtain an
itemized and prioritized list of the maintenance repairs to be reviewed for bids. Motion
passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0
Absent: 1 Sims
Mr. Dufresne said he could not guarantee that he would have the information by the
next meeting. If that happens, Vice President Roper said that would be fine, that he
should let the commission know he is still working on it. She asked Mr. Dufresne to
speak with the Arcane inspector to get his recommendations for the top repairs to be
completed from the list.
2. LA-DOTD Port Priority Program Application - Projects - update
Mr. Dufresne introduced Brandi Fontenot of GIS Engineering. Ms. Fontenot said they
are currently in the preliminary design and permit phase of the projects, that there are
2 separate teams working on site drainage improvements and culvert replacement,
and another team working on the 3-slip boat house. She gave a brief overview of
these projects and their current status to the commissioners. She said the culvert
design at the port entrance is completed and they are working on how to sequence
this as to not to close the driveway or shutdown operations for the tenant. President
Ferrara and Vice President Roper asked what the plan is if this happened, would it
be a few days or over a weekend. Ms. Fontenot said she wasn’t sure that it could be
done over a weekend if done with concrete, that they are going to try and sequence
it so that only half of the drive is closed off, and the tenant can use the other half
while they wait for the concrete to cure. She reviewed a design worksheet with the
commissioners, showing the work being done and the preliminary plan for the next 6
-9 months. She said they are working to expedite everything as quickly as possible.
Ms. Fontenot reported that YKH is working on the fire suppression system for
warehouse building 2 and said they may need 5 weeks to get through their study and
report phase to give their system recommendations. President Ferrara asked if the
boat launch would be expanded, and Mr. Dufresne said yes, it is being doubled in size.
She said they are making progress, and if there were any questions to let her know.
3. Barge dock repair project – update
Mr. Dufresne said there was another invoice today from the project engineer. He said
this invoice will put the port over the current limit of $215,000.00 for the services, and
there are a couple more invoices due. Port attorney Andre Coudrain said some of the
fees involve the litigation and recommended it to be discussed in executive session.
There were no questions.
4. 5-Year Master Plan – update
Mr. Dufresne said since the last STPPC meeting he met with Dr. James Richardson
to discuss the Master Plan update. Dr. Richardson told him that preliminary research
had begun, and that they (Dr. Stephen Barnes, Dr. Anna Osland and himself) would
be attending the meeting on September 9th. Mr. Dufresne said the administrative
assistant would advertise the meeting, and Vice President Roper suggested posting
this on the STPPC website, as well as getting the parish and Ponchatoula chamber to
post information on their social media accounts. She said she would like to see more
people attend than just the dedicated few that show up.
5. Employee handbook manual – update
Vice President Roper said that Commissioner Sims was supposed to investigate
getting someone to help with the handbook, however Commissioner Sims is absent
today. She said at the previous meeting it was suggested to find an HR group that
could go through the handbook and see what the governor’s orders are (and how
they apply to the STPPC). Mr. Coudrain said the way the commission is set up, the
governor’s order is not binding and explained briefly why it doesn’t apply. He said
the commission is then available to negotiate whatever is reasonable. Vice President
Roper said she would get with Commissioner Sims to find a company who can
manage the HR manual. Secretary Sheridan said there is a company in Baton Rouge
that did the city’s manual around 2 years ago and she would forward their information
to her. Vice President Roper said we need to be sure that we are not missing any
federal regulations or any state regulations that needs to be in the manual.
6. Bayou Signs – lease update
Mr. Coudrain said that at a prior meeting, the commission approved assignment of
the Bayou Signs lease subject to his review. He said Bayou Signs wants to assign
the lease to The Lamar Companies; however, we want to be sure Lamar affirmatively
agrees to assume the obligations of the lease. He said this opened a discussion as
to whether the Bayou Signs lease is a market lease and is there an opportunity to
adjust the rate now, and if so, would Lamar require an extension of the lease. He
said he was told by Lamar representatives that the current rate is the market rate,
and they wouldn’t be interested in paying more just to extend the term of the lease.
Mr. Coudrain said he didn’t think there was more rent to be obtained. He will have
Lamar Companies sign a revised form of the agreement that states Lamar specifically
assumes the obligations of the Bayou Signs lease. There were no questions.
7. Invoice Payment Approval
The following invoices for payment were presented today for approval by Treasurer
DePaula:
Cashe Coudrain & Bass
Services rendered through July 31, 2026
Inv# 134136 Matter # 4623-1
Amt. $ 1,736.64 STPPC General
Inv# 134137 Matter # 4623-13 Amt.
$ 7,981.00 STPPC vs. Wilco Marsh Buggies
Inv# 134250 Matter # 4623-0014
Amt. $ 420.00
Lease with Bayou Diesel – Building’s 2 & 3
___________________
Total Amt. $ 10,137.64
After reading the first invoice, Treasurer DePaula made a motion to approve.
Secretary Sheridan asked if each invoice for Cashe Coudrain & Bass would be
approved separately. Treasurer DePaula said normally he wouldn’t approve each
invoice separately; however, he thought the litigation invoice should potentially not
be made public. Mr. Coudrain agreed and said that sometimes the invoice billing
description may have litigation strategies in the notes. He suggested once the
commission privately reviews the invoice then the text could be redacted as far as a
public record. Treasurer DePaula made a motion to approve Cashe Coudrain & Bass
invoice #134136 in the amount of $1,736.64 and invoice # 134252 in the amount of
$420.00, both seconded by Secretary Sheridan. Treasurer DePaula said again he
does not want the litigation invoice to be part of the public record. Mr. Coudrain said,
for example, if the port was to receive a public records request, the text description
could be redacted (from the invoice). Treasurer DePaula said, “because it’s attorney-
client”. It was agreed to move discussion of invoice # 134137 to executive session.
Ragland Aderman & Associates
Inv# 492023021.26.3
Amt. $ 34,230.00
Professional Engineering Services Apr 1 – May 31, 2026
Structural engineering services for confirmation of Barge Dock 2
Corps of Engineers permit & prep of construction drawings for
dock repairs and improvements
Mr. Dufresne said this invoice puts the port over the limit (for engineering). Mr.
Coudrain said that the port’s engineer has been asked to provide what he reasonably
projects to be his work in the litigation. Treasurer DePaula said this would be
discussed (in executive session). He said as far as this invoice is concerned, this
money is owed to Mr. Ragland, and Vice President Roper said the invoice description
was not as specific as the litigation invoice. Treasurer DePaula recommended paying
the invoice and discussing it further in executive session. A motion was made by
Treasurer DePaula, seconded by Commissioner Schanzbach to approve payment
for the invoice presented today for Ragland Aderman & Associates in the amount of
$34,230.00. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims
Vice President Roper questioned if the invoices for Cashe Coudrain & Bass were
going to be approved, as she didn’t think any motion was made. Treasurer DePaula
stated he said that the port should pay the 2 invoices (that were not litigation), and
Secretary Sheridan said she had seconded the motion. It was unanimously agreed by
the commission to approve invoice #134136 in the amount of $1,736.64 and invoice #
134252 in the amount of $420.00 to Cashe Coudrain & Bass. Invoice #134137 will be
discussed in executive session.
GIS Engineering, LLC
Inv# 70021127
Amt. $ 2,035.00
Engineering services in accordance with Task Order No. 3
Treasurer DePaula made a motion to approve the invoice presented today for
payment from GIS Engineering, LLC in the amount of $2,035.00. The motion was
seconded by Vice President Roper. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper,
DePaula, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims
CN Illinois Central
Inv# 9500287571
Amt. $3,000.00
Rent – Private Road Crossing 8/1/26 – 7/31/27
Mr. Dufresne said this was an annual invoice for the gate crossing. Motion was
made by Treasurer DePaula, seconded by Commissioner Schanzbach and Secretary
Sheridan. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims
Southeastern Overhead Door Inc.
Inv#23174
Amt. $4,780.00
Furnish and install new Genie N4GH101L5 Electric Operator
Mr. Dufresne said another door motor recently broke down (in warehouse building
3) and he will have to order another motor. He said the motors may go down at the
same time, as they are all around the same age. Vice President Roper asked how
many doors there are and how many he thought may need to be replaced. He said
there are 4 doors in building 3 and 5 doors in building 2. Treasurer DePaula made a
motion to approve the invoice presented today for payment by Southeaster Overhead
Door, Inc. in the amount of $4,780.00. The motion was seconded by Commissioner
Schanzbach. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims
Vice President Roper suggested to Mr. Dufresne that he look at the motors and if
they are in bad shape replace them and “get ahead of the game.” Mr. Dufresne said
Premier Chemicals is repairing the motors as needed to get the most use out of them
and are replaced when they can’t be repaired anymore. Treasurer DePaula asked if
the port was paying for the repairs, and Mr. Dufresne said no.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business today.
LITIGATION UPDATE
South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission vs Wilco Marsh Buggies, Inc.
Docket# 20240004367
Executive Session
Mr. Coudrain recommended that the commissioners go into Executive Session to
discuss the litigation between the Port Commission and Wilco Marsh Buggies. A
motion was made by Vice President Roper, seconded by Treasurer DePaula to
enter into Executive Session to discuss the litigation, South Tangipahoa Parish Port
Commission vs Wilco Marsh Buggies, Inc. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper,
DePaula, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims. The guests were
asked to exit the meeting.
Approximately 39 minutes later a motion was made by Vice President Roper,
seconded by Secretary Sheridan to return to the open session of the regular meeting.
Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach
Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims.
Mr. Coudrain said in furtherance from the executive session there will be some
necessary litigation expenses that will be required to be incurred, and he asked for
approval to authorize him to engage persons as necessary and to incur litigation
expenses in accordance with his recommendations in Executive Session. Vice
President Roper made a motion, seconded by Treasurer DePaula to approve and
authorize the port’s attorney, Andre Coudrain to engage persons as necessary and to
incur litigation expenses in accordance with his recommendations made in Executive
Session. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims.
REMARKS
There were no remarks today.
President Ferrara asked for a motion to adjourn the regular meeting. Treasurer
DePaula made the motion to adjourn the regular meeting, seconded by Vice President
Roper. Motion passed.
The meeting adjourned at 10:20 AM.
Rhonda Sheridan, Secretary STPPC Daryl Ferrara, President STPPC
Cost of notice:$126.00