SOUTH TANGIPAHOA PARISH PORT COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2026 9:00AM
CITY HALL ANNEX BUILDING - 110 W. HICKORY ST., PONCHATOULA, LA
The regular meeting was held on Thursday, May 21, 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 9:05 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, Timothy DePaula, William Sims, Rhonda
Sheridan, Logan Davis, Brandon Schanzbach
Commissioners absent: Tina Roper
President Ferrara welcomed the attendees to the meeting. Others in attendance
included Patrick Dufresne, STPPC Executive Director; Robyn Pusey, Administrative
Assistant; Lee Barends, ITL Accounting; Paula Sziber, Jackson-Vaughn Insurance
Agency; Will Evans, GIS Engineering, LLC; Richard Meek, Action 17 News; Dwight
Williams, Ponchartrain Conservancy; Ben Taylor, Manchac Greenway.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES
President Ferrara said that the port director informed him that agenda item # 5, Air
Products update, needed to be amended to include a resolution. President Ferrara
made a motion to amend the regular meeting agenda for May 21, 2026, to include
a resolution with agenda item #5, Air Products, update. The motion was seconded
by Treasurer DePaula. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan,
Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
President Ferrara asked for a motion to approve the amended agenda. A motion was
made by Secretary Sheridan and seconded by Commissioner Schanzbach to approve
the amended regular meeting agenda for May 21, 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 6
Ferrara, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
President Ferrara told the commissioners that the meeting minutes from April 8, 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 Treasurer
DePaula and seconded by Secretary Sheridan to adopt/approve the minutes from the
regular meeting on April 8, 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula, Sims,
Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
TREASURER’S REPORT
Treasurer DePaula reviewed the financial reports from April 2026 with the
commissioners. He asked port accountant Lee Barends if she saw any concerns and
she replied there was nothing out of the ordinary. She said the marketing line item
appears a little higher than normal but confirmed with the administrative assistant
that it was for the Southeastern Executive Business Forum. Treasurer DePaula
said that the actual income looks to be on track. He said the Edward Jones account
portfolio value is right at $6 million and appears to be doing well. Ms. Barends said
there is a CD maturing June 30th and one on July 28th. President Ferrara asked
the administrative assistant to contact Shaun McArthur to report at the next STPPC
meeting. There were no questions.
A motion was made by Treasurer DePaula, seconded by Commissioner Sims to
approve the financial reports from April 2026. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara,
DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
OLD BUSINESS
1. Warehouse Buildings #2 & #3 – lease agreement and inspection update
Spreadsheet review
Port director Patrick Dufresne reported that the contractor who replaced the roof on
Warehouse Building #3 after Hurricane Ida returned recently to inspect it. He said
additional caulking was installed along the roof line between the rail dock and roof
proper. The contractor recommended that Premier Chemicals modify its ventilation
system in the building’s northeast quadrant and also recommended conducting future
inspections, which the port plans to do. As a result, the tenant is working on several
projects at one time and is securing the labor, materials, and equipment needed to
complete them. Mr. Dufresne said the previous updates were small, that this is bigger,
and he hopes to have a more progressive update on the spreadsheet soon. There
were no questions.
2. LA-DOTD Port Priority Program Application - Projects - update
Mr. Dufresne said he met with GIS Engineering, the port’s LA-DOTD project
engineering company of record, and a consultant regarding the sprinkler system in
both warehouse buildings. They also completed a walk through of the buildings with
the manager of Premier Chemicals to discuss the hydrant system requirements and
discussed a connecting contact with the fire department. He thinks good progress is
being made. He then introduced Will Evans of GIS Engineering, who confirmed that
all projects remain on track and that weekly updates are provided to Mr. Dufresne.
He also said that surveying had been completed, and that he was able to obtain a
copy of the existing driveway permit, eliminating need to apply for a new driveway
permit to maintain the existing culvert system and complete the repair. There were no
questions.
3. Barge dock repair project – update
Mr. Dufresne reported that the project engineer of record determined additional geo-
technical testing was needed for modifications to the dock’s mooring dolphins and is
evaluating a more cost-effective design. He explained that a smaller braced dolphin
would cost more than a monopile system, and as a result, a smaller amount of
additional geo-technical testing was required. The testing has now been completed,
which slightly delayed the final cost estimate, but he expects to receive the information
by the end of next month for review. Treasurer DePaula asked Mr. Dufresne if he
knew when bids for the repairs might go out, and Mr. Dufresne responded it would be
determined after the costs are reviewed, and then the commission would decide how/
when they want to proceed. He said there are many things to decide before getting
into the bid stage, and he expects a better understanding of the engineering and
project costs sometime around July 1st.
4. 5-Year Master Plan – update
Mr. Dufresne stated that we are still waiting on the final group contract agreement
documents for the 5-year Master Plan from the Blanco Research Institute at ULL. He
said once received the port can formally proceed. He said it takes a long time for their
board to approve everything. Commissioner Sims questioned why they hadn’t signed
the agreement yet, and he and Treasurer DePaula questioned why they hadn’t started
working on the 5-year master plan. Mr. Dufresne said the agreement must be signed
before the work can begin. He said he wasn’t sure how often their board meets but
has sent emails every couple of weeks asking for an update. He said as soon as the
document is received, he can sign off on the agreement, and then they can begin
working on the 5-year master plan. He said he assumes he will receive the agreement
before the next STPPC meeting. A brief discussion was held regarding the delay of
the agreement. Treasurer DePaula asked Mr. Dufresne to send another email asking
for the status.
5. Air Products – update
a) Resolution
Mr. Dufresne said the updated lease agreement had been forwarded to the
commissioners for review. Treasurer DePaula apologized and said he had not had
an opportunity to review the document. Mr. Dufresne said the document extends
the current agreement to the end of the year, with some options to follow. Treasurer
DePaula asked if there was some sort of timeframe for signing the agreement. Mr.
Dufresne said Air Products expected the amended agreement to be approved
for signing at this meeting, as the original agreement expires in June. There was
confusion about the resolution, and whether a resolution was done previously or even
necessary. Mr. Dufresne said the resolution is procedural and it wouldn’t hurt to make
one. Discussion was held among the commissioners regarding the changes to the
agreement. Secretary Sheridan said changes to the agreement had been previously
approved. Treasurer DePaula briefly reviewed the minutes from the STPPC meeting
on April 8, 2026 regarding the Air Products update. He said the minutes stated that
everyone had signed off on the lease, that the port’s attorney had spoken to the local
Air Products representative about the approved amended agreement, that there were
multiple layers of approval needed by Air Products, and he expected to get back
the approvals, and there were no questions. Treasurer DePaula said his concern
was that he had not reviewed the agreement and did not know what changes had
been made. He said his understanding was that the amended agreement did not
materially change anything from the previous agreement, that Air Products wanted
to change the payment structure, and it didn’t change the terms. He said although
he hadn’t independently verified if this is true, that is what had been represented
to the commission, and if that was the case, then he was fine with proceeding.
Commissioner Sims said the same.
Secretary Sheridan made a motion that the STPPC will move forward with port
director Patrick Dufresne to sign the amended agreement with Air Products, with the
approved changes by port attorney, Andre Coudrain. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Sims. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan,
Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
6. Invoice Payment Approval
The following invoices for payment were presented today for approval by Treasurer
DePaula:
Cashe Coudrain & Bass
Services rendered through April 30, 2026
Inv# 133435 Matter # 4623-1 Amt. $ 380.00
STPPC General
Inv# 133437 Matter 4623-4
Lease with Bayou Diesel/Premier Chemicals Amt. $ 20.00
(Building 3)
Inv# 133434 Matter 4623-0014\
Lease with Bayou Diesel Amt. $ 100.00
(Buildings 2 and 3)
Inv# 133438 Matter # 4623-7 Amt. $ 240.00
Lease with Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
Inv# 133436 Matter # 4623-13 Amt. $ 533.83
STPPC vs Wilco Marsh Buggies
____________________
Total Amt. $ 1,673.83
Treasurer DePaula said he felt the invoices were reasonable for the amount of time
Mr. Coudrain had spent on each matter. A motion was made by Treasurer DePaula
and seconded by Commissioner Schanzbach to approve the invoices presented for
payment from Cashe Coudrain and Bass. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula,
Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
Rail Technical Services, LLC
Inv# 19781
Rail Track maintenance -
Amt.# 12,985.00
Multiple repairs, replacement of 10 defective switch ties
Mr. Dufresne said this invoice was for work previously authorized by the commission
and he confirmed that the work had been completed. A motion was made by
Treasurer DePaula and secondly by Commissioner Schanzbach to approve the
invoice presented for payment from Rail Technical Services, LLC. Motion passed.
Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1
Roper
7. Insurance Coverage for FY 2026-2027
President Ferrara introduced Paula Sziber with Jackson Vaughn Insurance. A
spreadsheet was reviewed with the commissioners. She began by explaining that
crime, workers compensation, and liability policies would remain unchanged. She
noted that the workers compensation premium increased slightly because of a rate
adjustment but said the annual LWCC dividend would significantly reduce the overall
cost and remain the best option. She said the liability options are still all inclusive, with
accidental and sudden pollution, rail liability, general liability, directors and officers, and
employment practices. She said this is a comprehensive package, and the premium
went down slightly from last year.
Moving on to the property insurance, Ms. Sziber said she misspoke at the last
meeting, that there is a $5,000,000.00 stop loss limit right now and said the most
the insurance company would pay within this program, regardless of the loss, is
$5,000,000.00. She said the insurance company would agree to put more coverage
back on the table, and she asked them to provide 2 separate options in addition to the
current $5,000,000.00. One option at $7,000,000.00 would be over the value of the
two warehouse buildings, which combined are just a little above $6,000,000.00. The
other option at $8,802,230.00 is for full limit, excluding wind/hail. She explained each
of these options in more detail to the commissioners. None of the options included
wind/hail. She said the program also put together an option that includes wind/hail,
named storm, flood/storm surge and wind driven rain, and she explained those option
details to the commissioners.
She went on to say that it’s weighing costs against probability, that the port currently
does not have wind/hail coverage. The port must decide to either stay with the current
coverage or take the opportunity to purchase back some of this coverage. She said
that last year’s total premium cost was $183,328.75 and that, if the port keeps the
current coverage (without wind/hail), any option selected would still be below what the
port paid last year. She said the choice would be whether to add wind/hail coverage
and spend more money this year on insurance than last year. Treasurer DePaula
asked what the wind mileage cutoff would be. Ms. Sziber said there is no wind
mileage cutoff, that “a thunderstorm is a thunderstorm, and a tornado is a tornado” and
that significant wind is what would cause the damage, however there is nothing in the
policy that specifically states wind mileage. Discussion continued for some time about
named storms, the coverage options, deductibles and payouts.
Ms. Sziber said she had a few things for the commission’s consideration, that the
port does not have business interruption coverage, and it would be about 10% of
the premium. Terrorism coverage is also available at 5% of the premium, and a full
pollution liability option is also available. She said the solution they are proposing is
for a slow and unnoticed leak that happens over time and she gave examples of this.
She said pollution issues will always fall back on the landowner, that the exposure is
low, but the port does have one. Commissioner Schanzbach said there should be a
discussion with the port’s attorney about pollution liability to determine what the lease
says. Ms. Sziber asked if the tenant had the port named as additional insured, and
Treasurer DePaula said they should. Secretary Sheridan said she believed so, that
this question had been asked once before of the port’s attorney. Discussion continued
about the port property which includes the dock and warehouse buildings, with
potential damage from storm surge and wind. Commissioner Schanzbach said with
these numbers, the port should add the wind coverage back. He said “as a consensus
we should probably go with wind but need to decide what limit and if we are going to
do a buy back or not.” Treasurer DePaula said he would be in favor of this but would
like to see what the full policy actually covers. Ms. Sziber said she can provide a 65-
page policy document for his review.
Commissioner Schanzbach asked Ms. Sziber if the company was aware that the fire
protection class changed to a 6, and that the port is installing hydrants. She said the
company is aware of the hydrants and plans for port improvements. She said she
would have a discussion with the company about the change in the fire protection
class.
Ms. Sziber said she would be happy to come back to the next STPPC meeting to
answer any additional questions. Treasurer DePaula said he could not make the
STPPC meeting on June 10th and the commissioners discussed the possibility of
moving the meeting to another date. After discussion, the commissioners agreed the
meeting would remain on June 10th.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Official Journal of Record 2026-2027 RFP
a) Resolution
Mr. Dufresne said this is the month that the port advertises the Official Journal of
Record for the fiscal year 2026-2027. He asked Secretary Sheridan to introduce the
resolution.
Moved by Commissioner DePaula, seconded by Commissioner Sims 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, 2026 and ending July 31, 2027. 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, 2026, at 163
W. Hickory St., Ponchatoula, LA 70454.
Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis, Schanzbach
Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
LITIGATION UPDATE
South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission vs Wilco Marsh Buggies, Inc.
Docket# 20240004367
Executive Session
Port attorney Andre Coudrain was absent from today’s meeting. There was no
litigation update or executive session.
REMARKS
Mr. Dufresne confirmed that the next STPPC meeting will be on June 10, 2026.
Secretary Sheridan said we need to make sure there is a quorum.
President Ferrara asked for a motion to adjourn the regular meeting. Treasurer
DePaula made the motion to adjourn the regular meeting, seconded by Secretary
Sheridan. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan, Davis,
Schanzbach Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Roper
The meeting adjourned at 9:58 AM.
Rhonda Sheridan, Secretary STPPC Daryl Ferrara, President STPPC
Cost of notice: $ $184.80