SOUTH TANGIPAHOA PARISH PORT COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2026 9:00AM
CITY HALL ANNEX BUILDING - 110 W. HICKORY ST., PONCHATOULA, LA
The regular meeting was held on Wednesday, February 11, 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 9:08 A.M.
The invocation was given by Administrative Assistant Robyn Pusey, followed by the
Pledge of Alle-giance led by Secretary Rhonda Sheridan.
All commissioners were present: Daryl Ferrara, Tina Roper, Tim DePaula, William
Sims, Rhonda Sheridan, Logan Davis, Brandon Schanzbach
President Ferrara welcomed the attendees to the meeting. Others in attendance
included Patrick Dufresne, Executive Director, Robyn Pusey, Administrative Assistant,
Andre Coudrain, Cashe Cou-drain and Bass, Lee Barends, ITL Accounting, Richard
Meek, Action 17 News, and Brandi Fontenot of GIS Engineering, LLC.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES
It was moved by Vice President Roper and seconded by Commissioner Sims that the
South Tangi-pahoa Parish Port Commission approve the regular meeting agenda for
February 11, 2026, as pre-sented. Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula,
Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
President Ferrara told the commissioners that the minutes from the January 14, 2026
meeting had been sent to them electronically by the administrative assistant. There
were no changes to the minutes. After a brief review, a motion was made by Vice
President Roper and seconded by Commissioner Davis to adopt/approve the minutes
from the regular meeting on January 14, 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferrara,
Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Ab-sent: 0
TREASURER’S REPORT
Port accountant Lee Barends reviewed the January 2026 financial reports with the
commissioners. She first reviewed the income statement, and said the total revenues
were $232,915.26 and ex-penses were $63,397.89. She said the membership for PAL
had been previously approved and the line item for membership/dues would need to
be adjusted for the budget. She said she would “build this in for this year and future
years.” She said a few other things may need to be “tweaked” but said it was a little
early to make changes to the budget, that this could be done at a later time. There
were no questions about the income statement.
Moving on to the balance sheet, she said the balance in the operating account was
a little under $250,000.00 so there would be no transfer this month to the investment
account. There was a brief review of the general ledger. Ms. Barends said she printed
the entire Edward Jones report for the commissioners. President Ferrara said it was
agreed that financial advisor Shaun McArthur would come every so often to speak
with the commission. He asked Ms. Barends about the working rela-tionship between
her and Mr. McArthur, and Ms. Barends said “it’s a good team.” On a side note, Vice
President Roper asked Mr. Dufresne if he had received an email from the state asking
how much money the port had and he said yes. There were no additional questions.
A motion was made by Treasurer DePaula and seconded by Vice President Roper s
to approve the financial reports from January 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferrara,
Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sher-idan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
OLD BUSINESS
1. Warehouse Buildings #2 & #3 – lease agreement and inspection update
a) Spreadsheet review
Mr. Dufresne said positive responses from Mr. Coudrain’s letter were received from
both roofing contractors of warehouse buildings 2 & 3. The building 2 contractor
is going to replace approxi-mately 100 screws in the area that was indicated in the
inspection report at no charge to the port. The building 3 contractor is going to come
to do an inspection of their work within the next 2 weeks. Mr. Dufresne said he should
have a report for the commission at the next STPPC meeting. Presi-dent Ferrara
asked Mr. Coudrain if he had any concerns about the work from the contractors then
versus now. Mr. Coudrain said the challenge for the port was the repairs had been
inspected and the repairs passed the inspection. He said one issue could have been
warranty related, the other is less clear, so he wants to hear what the contractor says.
Mr. Coudrain said he forwarded the inspection spreadsheet to the tenant and
discussion was ongo-ing. He said the first round progressed very well. The second
round requires the tenant to hire a contractor for some of the repairs. Mr. Coudrain
said he and Mr. Dufresne went through the in-spection report again and identified
some other corrosive type of damage that could arguably be related to the tenant’s
use of chemicals in the building and may take an expert to identify. He sent a second
round of concerns to the tenant and identified (per item from the inspection report) the
concerns to be discussed. He said he had not yet heard back from the tenant. He
said going for-ward, this would be an interactive process with the tenant and if the port
determines some repairs are the port’s responsibility, he hopes to coordinate with the
tenant to get a contractor to do these repairs at the same time. He said this is still in
the discussion phase, and that things are progress-ing.
2. LA-DOTD Port Priority Program Application - Projects - update
Mr. Dufresne introduced Brandi Fontenot of GIS Engineering, LLC with an update to
the revised en-gineering proposal for the LA-DOTD Port Priority Program application.
There was a brief discussion regarding when the port would see reimbursement for
the projects. Ms. Fontenot said if the state continues with the $39.4 million dollar
funding every year, she is anticipating that Port Manchac would receive a portion of
their funding in 2028, from $1.5 to $1.35 million. She said the commis-sion could
move forward today with the projects and when under agreement with the state, the
state would reimburse the STPPC once that money is in their accounts. Discussion
was had re-garding the projects. Treasurer DePaula asked about a fire suppression
system in warehouse building 3 and said that the tenant had previously stated
they were unsure if a fire suppression sys-tem is good for their products that are
stored there, and there is a risk that a fire suppression sys-tem could damage their
products. He asked if there had been a study or discussion about the need for a fire
suppression system or what kind that should be installed. Mr. Dufresne said a dry
hydrant system was being looked at, and he explained how it worked. He said a fire
truck would be utilized to pump water into the building. There was a brief discussion
about the dry hydrant system, the kind of chemicals being stored in the building and
possible water damage that could occur. Treas-urer DePaula said he wanted to be
sure the right system is being looked at, that he didn’t want to spend a lot of money
on an incorrect system. Mr. Dufresne said this could be re-clarified and dis-cussed
again with Fire Chief Stormy Joiner. Ms. Fontenot said GIS Engineering would work
with the tenant and do their due diligence with the tenant on exactly what is being
stored in the building. More discussion was had regarding the comment from the
tenant about the fire suppression sys-tem. Secretary Sheridan said the goal was
to get the projects prioritized so that one or two of the projects could get completed
this year and work towards the two-year mark to be reimbursed. Commissioner Sims
asked if the proposal included the GIS Engineering fee and Ms. Fontenot said yes.
She added that the project list was broken down to be done individually, however if
the com-mission decided to do the entrance culvert, the drainage improvements, and
asphalt paving, the projects could be advertised for bid together with one contractor,
one contract and one set of doc-uments to the state. If so, GIS Engineering would
probably reduce the fee if the projects were grouped together. Treasurer DePaula
asked about the engineering fees, and Mr. Dufresne said the port is responsible for
100 percent of the engineering fees. Treasurer DePaula asked for a timeline with GIS
Engineering and Ms. Fontenot asked if there was a signed agreement with the state.
Mr. Dufresne said yes for the application reimbursement agreement but not for the
project agreement, that the LA-DOTD would need to be notified and project number
would be assigned. Ms. Fontenot said this would take between 30 - 45 days, possibly
longer, however GIS Engineering has an MSA in place and they could get started right
away on the plans, drawings and specifications. There were no questions.
3. Barge dock repair project – update
Mr. Dufresne said there was no update today. He said the final design plans for the
dock are under way and the project engineer will try to accomplish this as soon as
possible. There were no ques-tions.
4. 5-Year Master Plan – update
A copy of the group proposal from Dr. James Richardson, Dr. Anna Osland and
Dr. Stephen Barnes was reviewed with the commissioners. Mr. Dufresne said per
Commissioner Sims recommenda-tion an economic impact study by the group
was added to the proposal and adds around $10,000.00 to the total project cost of
$57,465.00. Treasurer DePaula asked if the commission agreed to the proposal, was
there a timeline for when it would be completed. Mr. Dufresne said in the agreement
the initial draft would be submitted sometime in April. A brief discussion about the
proposal was had among the commissioners. A motion was made by Treasurer
DePaula and se-conded by Commissioner Sims to approve the Master Plan update
proposal by Dr. James Richard-son, Dr. Anna Osland and Dr. Stephen Barnes. A roll
call vote was taken: Logan Davis – yes. Tina Roper – abstain. Daryl Ferrara – yes.
William Sims – yes. Brandon Schanzbach – yes. Rhonda Sheridan – yes. Motion
passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0
Absent: 0 Abstain: 1 Roper
President Ferrara and Vice President Roper thanked Mr. Dufresne for his work getting
this done, and Vice President Roper suggested to Mr. Dufresne that he notify the
group of the port priority pro-jects discussed today.
5. Invoice Payment Approval
The following invoices for payment were presented today for approval by Treasurer
DePaula:
1. Cashe Coudrain & Bass
Services rendered through January 31, 2026
Inv# 132897 Matter # 4623-1 Amt. $ 200.00
STPPC General
Inv# 132759 Matter # 4623-7 Amt. $ 160.00
Lease with Air Products
Inv# 132757 Matter # 4623-11 Amt. $ 400.00
L King re: warehouse #2 repair
Inv# 132898 Matter # 4623-13 Amt. $ 743.00
STPPC vs Wilco Marsh Buggies
Inv# 132899 Matter # 4623-0014 Amt. $ 403.20
Lease with Bayou Diesel (Bldgs. 2 & 3)
__________________
Total Amt. $ 1,906.20
Treasurer DePaula said all the tasks were relevant to work done by Cash Coudrain
& Bass and rec-ommended approval for payment. Motion made by Treasurer
DePaula, seconded by Secretary Sheridan to approve payment for all invoices from
Cashe Coudrain and Bass. Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sims,
Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
2. Fontenot Benefits & Actuarial Consulting
Inv# 5097 Professional services rendered in 2026 -
Actuarial valuation of post-employment benefits to comply with GASB 75
__________________
Total Amt.$ 1,750.00
Mr. Dufresne said this invoice was related to the annual audit, and Ms. Barends said
this is normal for the audit procedure.
A motion was made by Treasurer DePaula and seconded by Secretary Sheridan
to approve the in-voice presented for payment from Fontenot Benefits & Actuarial
Consulting. Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
NEW BUSINESS
1. Air Products project update -
Mr. Dufresne said recently there was a meeting with Air Products manager Jeff Belleo,
President Daryl Ferrara, port attorney Andre Coudrain, and himself. A summation
sheet from the meeting was placed in the commissioner’s folders for review. Mr.
Dufresne said the initial agreement with Air Products was a 4-year term that was
going to expire this June, with two 1-year options. He said essentially the first 1-year
option with Air Products had been turned into two 6-month options. President Ferrara
explained the 6-month options to the commissioners, saying that Air Products would
like a 6-month lease from July to December 2026, and that they would notify the
STPPC within 90 days if they would extend from January to June 2027. He said Air
Products is waiting on one permit and expected to be gone by December 31, 2030 or
as soon as June 30, 2027. Treasurer DePaula commented that the proposal doesn’t
extend the agreement, just breaks it down into dif-ferent options. Mr. Coudrain said
yes, for the most part, that Air Products was to notify the STPPC in January of their
decision and they missed that target date, so they came back with this “re-working” of
the agreement. Commissioner Sims asked if there were any terms that would be ap-
plicable to have Air Products sign a one-year lease. Mr. Coudrain said that during the
meeting with Air Products it was stated that this matter went all the way up through the
ranks of the company, at the highest level, and that for the STPPC to come back now
with something different could delay negotiations. Discussion continued. President
Ferrara said Air Products had not been working at the Port for the last few months,
however, should they return, they may have issues with the dock and with parking
at the port. A motion to accept the amended agreement was suggested by Treas-
urer DePaula. Mr. Coudrain said the motion could be that the commission is voting
to accept the proposed lease amendment terms with Air Products subject to final
approval of any other terms requested.
Treasurer DePaula made a motion, seconded by Vice President Roper to accept
the proposed lease amendment terms with Air Products for the renewal period of
monthly rent subject to final approval of any other terms that may be requested by Air
Products. Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferra-ra, Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
2. Insurance update – FY 2026
President Ferrara introduced Paula Sziber with Jackson Vaughn Insurance Agency,
who provided an update for the port’s insurance this year. The official renewal date
is June 20th. She said during talks with the underwriter she was told they expect a
little bit of a property decrease that is indus-try-wide, that the market is softening. She
said this could be an opportunity for the port to consider wind and hail coverage as
an option. Currently the port does not have wind and hail coverage. She said the
underwriter notated seeing decreases with property rates, and that the average was
5 – 7 percent. She also asked for quotes after the $1.5 million dollar improvement
to the dock, and the underwriter agreed to mimic the contractual requirements on
the insurance, that wind, hail, flood, storm surge and wind driven water for the dock
(only) would add approximately $35,000.00 to the premium annually. Treasurer
DePaula commented to Ms. Sziber that the port would not receive any credit for a fire
suppression system, and Ms. Sziber said not with the current carrier, that the carrier
liked the rate for this risk now. Ms. Sziber said she would “shop around” approximately
45 - 30 days prior to renewal and said that this is the window the carriers like. She
said insurance quotes are good for 30 days and that the carriers won’t guarantee
pricing outside of that period. Discussion was had regarding the previous premiums.
Ms. Sziber said the spreadsheet she pro-vided today was a snapshot of where the
premiums are now and where they may be. Additional discussion was had regarding
the premiums, deductibles and clarification of the spreadsheet pro-vided by Ms.
Sziber. Also discussed was the possibility of moving the STPPC meeting in May to
accommodate the timing of the insurance proposal. President Ferrara asked if there
were any ad-ditional questions, and there were none. The commissioners thanked
Ms. Sziber for the update.
3. Rail Track Repair estimate
Mr. Dufresne said the most recent rail inspection at the port indicated that the track
ties needed repair near several switch areas. A proposal received from Rail Technical
Services for the repair work was $12,985.00. A copy of the proposal was provided
to the commissioners. After a brief discussion, a motion was made by Treasurer
DePaula, seconded by Vice President Roper to ap-prove the proposal from Rail
Technical Services for repairs to the rail track at the port in the amount of $12,985.00.
Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
LITIGATION UPDATE:
South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission vs Wilco Marsh Buggies, Inc.
Docket# 20240004367
a) Executive Session
The port’s attorney, Andre Coudrain, said that some discoveries had been received
that may re-quire some amended pleadings. He proposed having a more thorough
discussion in executive ses-sion at the next STPPC meeting, so that he may bring
everything up to date for the commission. He said, “As you know we can’t quantify
a loss yet, so we are not in position to resolve the litigation.” He said they are
requesting a 1442 deposition of the port, and that things are starting to “ramp up a bit.”
Mr. Coudrain said he would discuss this in more detail at the next scheduled Executive
Ses-sion.
REMARKS
Commissioner Sims questioned if the commissioners had decided on the work to be
done by GIS Engineering, LLC. Ms. Fontenot said there was an MSA in place with
the port, and that a simple task order would be sent to be signed, and that it would
be their notice to proceed on whatever projects the commission would like them to
handle. She sent an email to Molly Burgoyne with the LA-DOTD to confirm if the port
had a CEA in place or if the port needs to start moving on that pro-cess. She said
the port needed to decide which projects they would like GIS Engineering to start
with. Discussion about the projects was had among the commissioners and included
the dry hy-drant system. Treasurer DePaula said he would propose starting with 3
projects and move forward with the dry hydrant system, holding the fire suppression
project until further discussion is had about the system. Ms. Fontenot said looking into
what type of fire suppression system is needed in the building would be part of their
preliminary design.
Treasurer DePaula made a motion to move forward with following projects: the boat
house/boat launch, replacing the entrance culvert, drainage improvement and asphalt
paving, and to combine these into one project to use one contractor to possibly
reduce some engineering costs, and move forward with the fire suppression system
understanding that there would be some sort of study done about the type of system
needed, and at minimum will move forward with the dry hydrant system. The motion
was seconded by Secretary Sheridan. Motion passed. Yeas: 7 Ferrara, Roper,
DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
Mr. Dufresne reminded the commissioners that the next STPPC meeting is March
11th. President Ferrara asked about the next PAL conference and Mr. Dufresne said
an email had been sent, and that the registration deadline was February 16th. The
conference dates are February 23rd and 24th.
Treasurer DePaula suggested moving the May meeting to May 21st or May 27th to
accommodate the timing of the insurance proposal. It was decided by the commission
to move the May meeting from Wednesday May 13th to Thursday May 21st. Mr.
Coudrain said a vote was not necessary.
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. Yeas: 7 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 0
The meeting adjourned at 10:00 AM.
____________________________________
Rhonda Sheridan, Secretary STPPC
_____________________________________
Daryl Ferrara, President STPPC