SOUTH TANGIPAHOA PARISH PORT COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2026 9:00AM
CITY HALL ANNEX BUILDING - 110 W. HICKORY ST., PONCHATOULA, LA
The regular meeting was held on Wednesday, June 10, 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 9:09 A.M.
The invocation was given by administrative assistant, Robyn Pusey, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by STPPC Secretary, Rhonda Sheridan.
Commissioners present: Daryl Ferrara, Tina Roper, William Sims, Rhonda Sheridan, Logan Davis, Brandon Schanzbach
Commissioners absent: Tim DePaula
President Ferrara welcomed the attendees 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; Paula Sziber, Jackson-Vaughn Insurance Agency; Shaun McArthur, Edward Jones; Brandi Fontenot, GIS Engineering, LLC; Richard Meek, Action 17 News. Secretary Sheridan introduced her spouse, Mike Sheridan who was in attendance today.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES
It was moved by Vice President Roper and seconded by Secretary Sheridan that the South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission approve the regular meeting agenda for June 10, 2026, as presented. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
President Ferrara told the commissioners that the meeting minutes from May 21, 2026 had been sent to them electronically by the administrative assistant and she confirmed there were no changes. After a brief review, a motion was made by Secretary Sheridan and seconded by Vice President Roper to adopt/approve the minutes from the regular meeting on May 21, 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
TREASURER’S REPORT
Port accountant Lee Barends reviewed the financial reports with the commissioners. She said that the balance at the end of May in the general operating account was $396,404.00. She said on the income statement the total revenues were $143,670.00 and the total expenses were $40,236.00, leaving a net income of $103,434.00. She said everything looks right on track for year to date and the month of May. She said there was no transfer last month from the operating account to the Edward Jones account because of the insurance premium due this month. There were no questions.
A motion was made by Vice President Roper, seconded by Commissioner Schanzbach to approve the financial reports from May 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
EDWARD JONES REPORT
President Ferrara introduced financial advisor Shaun McArthur of Edward Jones. Mr. McArthur reviewed the account statement with the commissioners. He said today the total balance between the two accounts is $6,112,365.00, and that $338,500.00 is in a separate account that was created for the Capital Outlay Funding project. He said the investments have been averaging 4% since he took over, and that the year-to-date investments for 2026 have been averaging 3.5%, as the rates have gone down since last year. He wanted the commissioners to know that $720,000.00 is coming due between July and November, and that two of those are CDs that have been waiting to fall off the balance sheet. He said that one CD is due June 30th, and the other CD is due July 28th, both coming due for $100,000.00 each. He said there are also a couple of T-bills rolling off, and a few other things that will come due in October and November totaling approximately $720,000.00. He said that any time something comes due he notifies the president and STPPC financial persons. He asked for clarification that the project account with a balance of $338,428.00 (to be exact), is sitting in cash because this is what was advised, and the port director and port accountant verified this. He asked the commissioners if there was anything going on in the next 6 months, and Vice President Roper said there were a lot of engineering projects coming up. He said the money market account is almost $2.2 million, that the interest rates have changed, and he is expecting the interest rate to trickle down some, however he believes that everything will remain “status quo” over the next year. He said durations for the next 5 years that were locked in at a high 4 – 5 percent. The port accountant reminded the commissioners that the money market is fluid.
President Ferrara asked the commissioners if they wanted to approve today the two CD’s coming due in June and July while Mr. McArthur is present or wait until the next meeting to approve. Commissioner Sims asked about the expenses, and Ms. Barends said, “we should be fine.” Mr. McArthur confirmed that the amount of each CD is $100,000.00.
Motion was made by Vice President Roper, seconded by Commissioner Sims, to approve recommendations from financial advisor Shaun McArthur of Edward Jones for the investments of funds as per the STPPC financial guidelines. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
OLD BUSINESS
1. Warehouse Buildings #2 & #3 – lease agreement and inspection update
a) Spreadsheet review
Port director Patrick Dufresne reported that the maintenance program is proceeding, and when the tenant is finished with this series of improvements the spreadsheet will be updated. He said things look much better, but it is taking some time because the tenant is doing all the repairs themselves. The port’s attorney, Andre Coudrain said there has been no movement on the lease. He said in review, warehouse building 3 is under lease until 2038, with options to extend, and the lease on warehouse building 2 is basically 6 months and would like to combine both into one lease. He believes the driver of the lease is the maintenance and repair issue. So far, the tenant has been cooperative. Mr. Coudrain said both parties need to decide who is responsible for maintenance and repairs. Discussion was had regarding the total amount for the combined lease. Vice President Roper said to “stay strong” on the ask, due to the increased insurance because of what the tenant is doing in the buildings. Commissioner Sims wanted to know the recommendation for the long-term lease, and Mr. Coudrain said $25,00.00, however the tenant wants $23,000.00. Mr. Coudrain said discussion about the lease has been going on for a long time. The commissioners continued to discuss the increase amount for the lease.
Mr. Dufresne told the commissioners that the motor for the garage door in warehouse building 3 needed to be replaced. Vice President Roper asked when Mr. DuFresne was notified about this, and he said about a month ago, right after the previous STPPC meeting. She asked to see the quotes and the administrative assistant left the meeting to obtain the information.
2. LA-DOTD Port Priority Program Application - Projects - update
Mr. Dufresne introduced Brandi Fontenot of GIS Engineering. Ms. Fontenot said they have made some progress with YKH Consulting regarding the fire suppression system for the warehouse buildings. She said YKH Consulting came to the port to look at the buildings and took photographs. She said they would like some time to investigate the codes and make sure their recommendations moving forward are code compliant and agreed upon with the fire chief. GIS Engineering also wants to ensure that YKH’s recommendations are within budget. She said GIS Engineering is working with Premier Chemicals and the STPPC administrative assistant to get a copy of the MSDS sheets so they can learn exactly what is inside the warehouse buildings and what kind of fire suppression system is required.
Ms. Fontenot said the survey for land and water is complete and they are waiting for approval from the surveyor. She said they reached out to the local district LA-DOTD office and were able to get the permit for the entrance culvert. She said the permit will cover the work being done to replace the culvert, and no additional permit is required. She apologized for the slow progress with the surveys and said she expects to start design work for the drainage improvement and culvert replacement project by early next week . There were no questions.
3. Barge dock repair project – update
Mr. Dufresne reported that engineering research on the barge dock continues and he should have a general cost estimate to present to the commission next month. He said the most recent focus has been the 66 concrete panels that are 20 ft long, 5 ft wide and 1 ft thick that need to be either replaced, re-used or purchased new. He said removing or replacing the panels would be costly, and replacement could create additional problems if panels are damaged or chipped during the process; therefore, more research is needed. He hopes to have a general cost estimate at the next meeting. There was a brief discussion about whether the dock would be repaired or replaced. Mr. Dufresne said the133 poles underneath the dock are in good shape, and the original plan was to replace the wood beams to steel and repair the concrete panels, but since the accident to the dock everything has changed. Vice President Roper asked if with FEMA the dock would be repaired or replaced, and Mr. Dufresne replied “repaired”.
At this point, the administrative assistant returned to the meeting with quotes for replacing the garage door motor. Mr. Dufresne stated that the motor is for the northwest door in Warehouse Building #3 on the rail dock, and that the garage door motor in Warehouse Building #2 had already been addressed. There were 3 quotes submitted for consideration - Southeast Doors $4,780.00, Overhead Doors $5,280.00 and Ace Door $5,998.00. President Ferrara stated that Southeast Doors submitted the lowest bid. Commissioner Sims moved to authorize the executive director to accept Southeast Doors lowest bid of $4,780.00 to replace the garage door motor in Warehouse Building #3. Secretary Sheridan seconded the motion. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
There were no more comments or questions about the barge dock repair project.
4. 5-Year Master Plan – update
Mr. Dufresne stated that all documents had been signed and we can now proceed with the Master Plan research project. Mr. Dufresne said there would be a public hearing and suggested having this before one of the upcoming STPPC meetings, like what is done for the Budget meeting at the end of the year. Vice President Roper asked to see a copy of the new contract, and Mr. Dufresne explained that there were 2 separate contracts, but the total price remained $56,000.00. Commissioner Sims said he had spoken to Dr. Stephen Barnes who told him there were issues putting the Blanco Center and Dr. James Richardson on the same contract, and that is what delayed getting this done. He said that they had to break out the responsibilities in the contract, however the price is the same. President Ferrara thanked Commissioner Sims for the update.
6. Invoice Payment Approval
The following invoices for payment were presented today for approval by Vice President Roper:
Cashe Coudrain & Bass
Services rendered through May 31, 2026
Inv# 133670 Matter # 4623-1 Amt. $ 100.00 STPPC General
Inv# 133672 Matter # 4623-4 Amt. $ 260.00
Lease with Bayou Diesel/Premier Chemicals
(Building 3)
Inv# 133673 Matter # 4623-7 Amt. $ 40.00
Lease with Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
Inv# 133671 Matter # 4623-13 Amt. $ 1,732.00 STPPC vs. Wilco Marsh Buggies ___________________
Total Amt. $ 2,132.00
Ragland Aderman & Associates
Inv# 492023021.26.2 Amt. $ 34,987.50
Professional Engineering Services Mar 1 - Mar 31, 2026
Structural engineering services for confirmation of Barge Dock 2
Corps of Engineers permit & prep of construction drawings for
dock repairs and improvements
GeoEngineers, Inc.
Inv# 0216161 Amt. $ 1,738.50
Professional Engineering Services Jan 24 to May 22, 2026
GIS Engineering, LLC
Inv# 70020770 Amt. $ 15,580.00
Engineering services in accordance with Task Order No. 3
Vice President Roper asked Mr. Dufresne whether any of these engineering costs would be reimbursed. Mr. Dufresne stated that these invoices would not be reimbursed, but one outstanding FEMA project invoice remains pending. Once received, the invoice will be presented, and the STPPC will pay half. He added that the reimbursement for engineering has reached the $135,000 limit and will discuss the matter further at the next STPPC meeting.
A motion was made by Secretary Sheridan, seconded by Commissioner Sims to approve the invoices presented for payment from Cashe Coudrain and Bass, Ragland Aderman & Associates, GeoEngineers, Inc, and GIS Engineering, Inc. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
7. Insurance Coverage for FY 2026-2027
President Ferrara introduced Paula Sziber with Jackson Vaughn Insurance. She told the commissioners that there wasn’t much to report, other than what was discussed at the last meeting. She presented an option for pollution coverage at $16,000.00 however, there is a pre-existing condition exclusion, and she didn’t think it was worth the $4,000.00 in savings. She said if the port is interested in this type of insurance, that the other pollution coverage presented the previous month did not have the pre-existing requirement. Outside of that, she was able to confirm there is no co-insurance on the property portion of the quote, which was confirmed after the last meeting. She also said that, regarding the wind deductible buyback, the pricing stays the same across the board, and that it all comes down to how much the port would like to buy back this year. President Ferrara asked for an explanation again about the long-term pollution coverage. Ms. Sziber said the port currently has sudden and accidental coverage, but anything that is not sudden and accidental and happens over a long period of time, the port would have some exposure. She said the tenant has some coverage for it, but it always falls back on the landowner, and the port would be legally responsible for any cleanup, absence of the tenant’s insurance or if the tenant didn’t have enough limits. Vice President Roper said this goes back to what the tenant is doing in the building. Commissioner Schanzbach asked if we had a copy of the tenant’s insurance and Mr. Coudrain said we should, and he emailed the tenant about this. President Ferrara asked if the pollution coverage is something that could be added at a later time, and Ms. Sziber said, “it can definitely be later.” Vice President Roper had a question about the contents in one of the buildings valued at $480,000.00. It was learned that years ago the port had purchased big tanks for blending when Bayou Diesel first moved in. Vice President Roper questioned the value, stating the tanks must be over 50 years old and the value should be decreased. A discussion began about when the tanks were purchased and the port’s accountant said she could investigate finding out the actual value of the tanks.
Vice President Roper said 2 years ago the premium was around $90,000.00, and that the premium doubled when the carrier discovered that the tenant was blending hazardous chemicals the building. Ms. Sziber said that, and in conjunction with Hurricane Ida, that rates went up across the board, and that prior to Hurricane Ida, there was an inexpensive program with a flat $2,500.00 deductible. Vice President Roper asked Commissioner Schanzbach for his opinion. He said that at the last meeting he thought the port should get wind coverage.
The commissioners reviewed the quote summary provided by Ms. Sziber that showed the different options for coverage and premium amounts. After much discussion and review, the commissioners decide to accept Option 2 - C “Wind/Hail, Named Storm, Storm Surge, Wind Driven Rain” with the total premium of $237,882.88. The commissioners will wait on purchasing a pollution policy, which would be a stand-alone policy and can be purchased at a later date.
A motion was made by Commissioner Schanzbach to accept the insurance proposal Option 2 – C, including wind and storm damage, as presented today by Paula Sziber of Jackson Vaughn Insurance. The motion was seconded by Vice President Roper. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
A brief discussion was held regarding the revenue balances in the general and money market accounts. President Ferrara commented that last year the insurance invoice was paid in full and he would like to do this again. Ms. Barends said there should be no need to pay in installments.
Before leaving the meeting, Ms. Sziber commented that the port will be getting flood coverage, which the port has not had in its history. The commissioners thanked Ms. Sziber for her assistance.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business today.
LITIGATION UPDATE
South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission vs Wilco Marsh Buggies, Inc.
Docket# 20240004367
a) Executive Session
Port attorney Andre Coudrain told the commissioners there was an update regarding the litigation case and recommended going into Executive Session to discuss. A motion was made by Vice President Roper, seconded by Commissioner Sims to enter into Executive Session at the request of the port’s attorney, Andre Coudrain. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
Approximately 20 minutes later, a motion was made by Vice President Roper, seconded by Secretary Sheridan to come out of executive session and return to the regular meeting. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
Mr. Coudrain said let the record show there was no action or votes taken during executive session.
REMARKS
The commissioners talked among themselves regarding the insurance. Mr. Dufresne confirmed that the next STPPC meeting will be on July 8, 2026. Commissioner Sims said he would not be able to attend.
The commissioners briefly discussed when to hold the public comment meeting for the Master Plan, and September was mentioned as a possible date, before the regular monthly STPPC meeting. Vice President Roper thought that public comment should be held until a preliminary draft of the Master Plan is received by the port. The commissioners discussed whether the contracted economist’s group intended to use public input as part of its work process. Vice President Roper recommended involving more people, including the Ponchatoula Chamber and Tangipahoa Chamber, because the Master Plan will consider the port’s entire 40 acres. Commissioner Sims commented that phone interviews could be used to gather information.
President Ferrara said the next STPPC meeting would be around the 4th of July holiday and asked if the commissioners wanted to move the date to July 15th. The commissioners decided to keep the meeting on July 8th.
President Ferrara asked for a motion to adjourn the regular meeting. Vice President Roper made the motion to adjourn the regular meeting, seconded by Commissioner Sims. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
The meeting adjourned at 10:17 AM.
Rhonda Sheridan, Secretary STPPC
Daryl Ferrara, President STPPC
Cost of notice: $226.00