WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2024 9:00AM
CITY HALL ANNEX BUILDING - 110 W. HICKORY ST., PONCHATOULA, LA
President Daryl Ferrara called the regular meeting to order on May 8, 2024 at 9:05 AM. The
meeting was held at the City Hall Annex Building, located at 110 W. Hickory Street,
Ponchatoula, LA.
The invocation was led by Administrative Assistant Robyn Pusey, followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance led by Commissioner William Sims.
Commissioners Present: Daryl Ferrara, Jimmy Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Timothy DePaula, William
Sims.
Commissioners Absent: William “Bill” Joubert, Tina Roper, Rhonda Sheridan
President Ferrara welcomed attendees to the meeting. Others in attendance included Patrick
Dufresne, STPPC Executive Director; Robyn Pusey, Administrative Assistant; Andre Coudrain,
Cashe Coudrain & Bass; Lee Barends, ITL Accounting
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES
It was moved by Commissioner DePaula and seconded by Commissioner Sims that the South
Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission approve the regular meeting agenda for May 8, 2024, as
presented. Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula, Sims. Nays: 0
Absent: 3 Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
President Ferrara announced that the minutes of the regular meeting on April 10, 2024, had
been sent to the Commissioners by email for review, and a copy of the minutes had been
placed in their meeting folders. After a brief review of the minutes, a motion was made by
Commissioner Schliegelmeyer, Jr. and seconded by Commissioner DePaula to adopt/approve
the minutes from the regular meeting on April 10, 2024. Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara,
Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula, Sims. Nays: 0 Absent: 3 Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
TREASURER’S REPORT
Prior to the meeting today the financial reports for the period ending April 30, 2024, had been
emailed to the Commissioners for their review. Commissioner/Treasurer Schliegelmeyer, Jr. told
the Commissioners that the total revenues for the month was $120,193.75, the total expenses
for the month were $26,894.05, and the net income was $93,299.70. There were no questions
about the expenses. President Ferrara reminded the commissioners that it was previously
agreed to keep a minimum in the operating account and move any overage amount to the
Edward Jones money market account. He said that port accountant Lee Barends spoke to
financial advisor Shaun McArthur of Edward Jones and asked him to move $200,000.00 out of
the operating account to the money market account. Ms. Barends confirmed that this had been
done, saying the money market account pays a little more interest and it can be moved back to
the operating account when needed. Commissioner DePaula and Commissioner Sims asked
questions about the interest on the money market account. Ms. Barend reviewed copies of the
most current Edward Jones statement with the Commissioners and said the interest from the
money market was combined within the statement. Commissioner DePaula asked if she could
just get the money market income. Ms. Barends said now that she has access to the Edward
Jones account, she will send the Edward Jones statement to the administrative assistant, to be
forwarded to the Commissioners with the rest of the monthly meeting information. There were
no additional questions.
President Ferrara called for a motion to approve the financials. It was moved by Commissioner
Sims and seconded by Commissioner DePaula that the Commission accept/approve the
financials for the month ending April 30, 2024. Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara,
Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula, Sims. Nays: 0 Absent: 3 Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
OLD BUSINESS
1. LA-DOTD Port Priority State H. 011927 – Transload Improvements – update
Truck scale container update and electrical update.
Executive Director Patrick Dufresne stated he is very happy to report that the truck scale is fully
operational, operating as designed and that the tenants are very excited and happy that the
project is finally completed. He said the truck scale is working, and he tested it himself.
President Ferrara asked if the truck scale electrical equipment is better protected now than it
was during the last hurricane. Mr. Dufresne said the truck scale container is on an elevated
platform, and the truck scale equipment housed inside should be protected from any flooding.
He said the platform had been refurbished and came out very nice. President Ferrara wanted to
know what the fee is to use the scale, and Mr. Dufresne said the fee is included in the lease and
would be addressed during negotiations at the time the leases are renewed. He said the truck
scale would be available for use by all tenants. President Ferrara asked for an electrical
update, and Mr. Dufresne said that this was the last thing they had been waiting on to complete
the project. He said Micelli Scales came to the port and installed the actual equipment, they
tested the equipment, and everything worked. President Ferrara asked about money received
from FEMA. Mr. Dufresne said FEMA had given us some money originally. He also said that
the LA-DOTD was very cooperative and understanding about the electrical difficulties that made
it longer than expected to get this project completed. President Ferrara thanked Mr. Dufresne for
his hard work on this project.
2. Warehouse Building #3 - evaluation & maintenance schedule update
Mr. Dufresne said that per the updates he had sent to the Commissioners, the sheet metal in
the northeast corner had been replaced, and the steel beams inside the building had been
reconditioned by cleaning and coating them. He said port attorney Andre Coudrain will be
following up with the tenant to discuss the next steps in this repair process. Mr. Coudrain said
work is progressing, but there are a few more things to repair, such as rust and corrosion on
shelving, electrical equipment damage, exposed wires and some non-functioning lights. He
said he asked the tenant to provide him with a report once all the work is done. Mr. Coudrain
said that Mr. Andy Parker of Premier Chemicals told him that going forward they will provide a
routine maintenance schedule for the upkeep in Warehouse Building #3. Mr. Coudrain
recommended that once Mr. Parker notifies him that all the work has been completed that the
Commission make their own inspection to ensure that the repairs have been done to their
satisfaction.
3. Prospective Tenant(s) – update
Mr. Dufresne said the port had been contacted by Manson Construction Company, a dredging
company that is doing some work in the Spillway area of Lake Ponchartrain. They inquired
about doing some transloading and storage operations using the small vessel barge dock and
adjacent shoreline at the port for the balance of this year. Mr. Dufresne said he would like
approval to negotiate with Manson Construction Company and have a signed agreement in
place before the next STPPC meeting. Mr. Coudrain said he would prepare the lease using a
standard form agreement and advised that the motion would be to authorize the Executive
Director to enter into a lease agreement with Manson Construction Company for transloading
and storage through the end of the year at current market rates.
A motion was made by Commissioner Schliegelmeyer, Jr. and seconded by Commissioner
DePaula to approve and authorize Patrick Dufresne, Executive Director to enter into a lease
agreement with Manson Construction Company for transloading and storage operations at the
port through December 31, 2024 at current market rates. Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara,
Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula, Sims. Nays: 0 Absent: 3 Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
4. Insurance coverage FY 2024 – 2027, update
Mr. Dufresne told the Commissioners that the RFP advertisement continues, and there had
been several inquiries for information which had been facilitated by the administrative assistant.
He said the bids are due on May 31, 2024 and would be reviewed and discussed at the STPPC
meeting on June 12, 2024.
5. Invoice Payment Approval
The following invoices for payment were presented by Commissioner/Treasurer Schliegelmeyer,
Jr.
1. Cash Coudrain & Bass
Services rendered through April 30, 2024
Inv# 128023 Matter # 4623-13 Amt. $ 580.66
Inv# 128022 Matter # 4623-4 Amt. $ 160.00
Inv# 128021 Matter # 4623-1 Amt. $ 380.00
Total Amt. $1,120.66
2. LWCC
Workers Comp Policy Period 5/21/24 – 5/21/25
Inv# 6372525 Installment #1 Total Amt. $1,619.00
3. Ragland Aderman & Associates
Structural engineering services regarding dock repairs Feb – Apr 2024
Inv# 492023021.24.1 Total Amt. $32,532.50
Mr. Dufresne said the invoice from Ragland Aderman & Associates is the first invoice of the
$135,000.00 agreement with Mr. Ragland for the work he is doing for FEMA. Mr. Dufresne said
he told Mr. Ragland that he would be paid when we receive our first reimbursement from FEMA,
and the total would be determined by the repair option chosen by FEMA. There are 3 options
for the barge dock repair, with the third option being amended to include additional repair
information regarding the barge dock incident that happened in January 2024. This option
Includes more mitigation and further justifies FEMA’s initial investment to the rest of the barge
dock. Mr. Dufresne said once a decision has been made by FEMA he will forward the invoice for
payment, and FEMA will pay 90%. Ms. Barends said the budget will need to be amended once
that information is available.
A motion was made by Commissioner DePaula and seconded by Commissioner Sims that the
Commission approve payment for the invoices presented today for Cashe, Coudrain & Bass,
LWCC and Ragland Aderman & Associates (which will be held temporarily pending
reimbursement from FEMA). Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula,
Sims. Nays: 0 Absent: 3 Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
6. Budget FY 2024 – update
a) Executive Session
President Ferrara recommended this agenda item be tabled until all Commissioners are in
attendance. He also said the Commission needs to move forward with this agenda item and
wants to review at the next meeting with Commissioner Sims in attendance, who is working on
the request from the Executive Director for a salary increase for himself and the Administrative
Assistant. The commissioners agreed and the session was tabled.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Barge Dock Damage Incident Report
Mr. Dufresne told the Commissioners that he had recently received a report regarding an
incident at the port that happened back in January 2024. The report stated there were several
barges parked on the side of the dock by one of the tenants, and another tenant came in for
transloading on the side and bumped the parked barges into the dock. He said it took a while to
get the report, as it had to go through “the chain of command” in two companies before it was
released. Mr. Dufresne said he forwarded the report to President Daryl Ferrara and also to port
attorney Andre Coudrain. He said the report basically described what the contracted company
had observed on the day of the incident.
Mr. Coudrain said that Air Products had released the report to us, and that Wilco Marsh
Buggies was our tenant at the time of the day in question. He said he contacted the president
of Wilco Marsh Buggies to discuss and was asked by the president to provide some evidence
that Wilco Marsh Buggies had been involved in the incident. Mr. Coudrain said we are not
authorized to release the incident report at this time, but there are photographs and statements
to indicate Wilco Marsh Buggies was involved in this incident. He said that Mr. Dufresne is in the
process of obtaining permission from Air Products to release the incident report to Wilco Marsh
Buggies, and if they don’t give permission, there are photographs and “some other things” that
can be released.
Mr. Dufresne said there is a documented baseline of damage to the barge dock that was done
before and after the incident obtained by structural engineer, Jim Ragland. He said he was told
by Mr. Ragland that he believes there is more damage to the barge dock than the incident
report indicates. Mr. Coudrain said as a result, we need to determine who is the responsible
party, provide proof, and then assess what damage was done to the barge dock from the
incident. Commissioner DePaula and Mr. Coudrain discussed whether the Commission should
go into Executive session, and Mr. Coudrain said it was not necessary today. Mr. Coudrain said
the next step would be to obtain approval from Air Products to release the report to Wilco Marsh
Buggies and then send them our assessment showing the damage to the dock before and after
the incident. He said we must show that the action by Wilco Marsh Buggies caused this
damage. Mr. Dufresne suggested that Mr. Ragland evaluate the damage to the dock, as he has
done research on this dock before and after the incident. He said going forward, we will need
authorization for Mr. Ragland to assist with the damage assessment of the barge dock, that Mr.
Ragland’s assessment of this incident will be different from the FEMA project. Mr. Coudrain
said the Commission should allow Mr. Ragland to complete an initial report for a sense of any
new or different damage costs. He said the motion should be to authorize Patrick Dufresne to
engage Mr. Jim Ragland to assess and evaluate potential damage to the barge dock that was
caused by the January incident. Commissioner DePaula suggested that this authorization
should be managed by the port’s attorney instead of the executive director.
The motion was made by Commissioner DePaula and seconded by Commissioner
Schliegelmeyer, Jr. to authorize the port’s attorney, Andre Coudrain, to engage the engineering
services of Ragland Aderman and Associates for assessment of potential damages to the large
vessel barge dock at the port caused by the incident on January 25, 2024.
Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula, Sims. Nays: 0 Absent: 3
Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
2. Official Journal of Record – RFP
a) Resolution
Before discussing this agenda item, President Ferrara had questioned the large amount of
money spent last month for publishing that was posted under marketing expense in the general
ledger. The Tangi Times invoice from last month was $2,214.06, which included a fee of
$1,205.10 for publication of the Port Insurance RFP (Request For Proposal) 2024 – 2027; the
balance of the invoice was for publication of meeting notices and minutes from February, March
and April 2024. Port accountant Lee Barends said the RFP was required publication in the
Tangi Times, and that she may be able to move this item to legal expense instead of marketing
expense. Mr. Dufresne said we hope to get a more competitive bid for the Official Journal of
Record from the RFP this year. A brief discussion was had by the Commissioners, Ms. Barends
and Mr. Coudrain regarding the different options, fees and the terms for the official journal
before the resolution was read by Commissioner DePaula.
Moved by Commissioner Sims seconded by Commissioner Schliegelmeyer, Jr., that the
Commission empowers and executes any and all documents pertaining to advertising of its
Request for Proposals for an Official Journal of Record for the period beginning August 1, 2024
and ending July 31, 2025. Requested information will be as follows: 1) Circulation; 2) Length of
time in business; 3) Copy of Standard Rates; 4) A minimum of eight (8) point print for clarity of
readership; 6) Any other information you deem appropriate. Proposals must be received no
later than 5PM on June 30, 2024, at 163 W. Hickory St., Ponchatoula, LA 70454.
Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula, Sims. Nays: 0 Absent: 3
Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
REMARKS
Mr. Dufresne thanked everyone for attending the meeting today and reminded the
Commissioners for the final time that the annual Louisiana Board of Ethics Tier 2.1 Financial
Disclosure forms are due by May 15, 2024. President Ferrara wanted the Commissioners to
know that he had attended a meeting in Mandeville where Commissioner Sims was a guest
speaker, and that he did an excellent job.
Having no further business, a motion for adjournment was made by Commissioner
Schliegelmeyer, Jr. and seconded by Commissioner DePaula. Motion passed. Yeas: 4 Ferrara,
Schliegelmeyer, Jr., DePaula, Sims. Nays: 0 Absent: 3 Joubert, Roper, Sheridan
The meeting adjourned at 9:53 AM.
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Tina Roper, Secretary STPPC Daryl Ferrara, President STPPC