Comments for Land Grab at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 19 out of 19 comments http://www.theind.com Fri, 24 May 2013 02:08:27 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-9899 I for one have had the displeasure of living within city limits of Lafayette and dealing with LUS and its employees and I must say, without a doubt that the service my husband and I recieve now living in the Milton Water District is a step above anything LUS could possibly offer, LUS could not hold a candle to William Theriot and his staff. That my friends is the difference between City and Country. I couldnt tell you how much of the water actually comes from LUS but my understanding is that only a small percentage does. The product isnt as important to me as the delivery and the service. Oh and another thing I live Savoy Rd and I must say its nice having the ammenities of a City System without the headache of dealing with LUS. Oh and for the record there isnt a pipe yard within miles of our home, Good Day! - Brenda L. Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:08:36 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-7836 Typical Durel manure. How much money did the city of Lafayette provide for the Caffery "ditch" extension? I'm given to understand the City of Broussard invested $10 million dollars. But now, Joey wants to "claim" the property along the extension for the city of Lafayette. He just want believe nor will he accept the fact that the rural citizens of Lafayette parish don't want nor do they need the city of Lafayette. I can understand why Joey wants the area added to Lafayette city limits. Such properties, once developed, would provide a tremendous infusion of sales taxes to the cities "meager" coffers. And I promise, he will not offer to share. We all saw Joey's colors last year when the outlining cities of Broussard and Youngsville asked for cooperation on improving US 90...what a smug SOB. - REDOCLOWN Tue, 25 May 2010 12:28:03 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-7433 Why does LCG feel they have the right to determine what city limit I'm going to live in? For that matter what if I don't want to live within anyones city limits. LCG and its fearless leader need to remember they represent the peoples interests not their own. If everyone wanted to live in the city limits of Lafayette then there would be no problem, but that is not the case. LCG aka the city of Lafayette is not the best thing going anymore and they are feeling it. The smaller cities are coming into their own and the Lafayette city officals fear this. There is no clear cut solution to this problem, but LCG's annexation map is not the answer. The city of Lafayette needs to take a look within and repair and take care of what they already have. Stop worring about what everbody else has. - Concerned southside not yet annexed resident Mon, 03 May 2010 07:08:59 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-7430 In Lafayette Parish it seems that the all mighty dollar is what rules. Pave it and they shall come seems to be the order of the day. The citizens in this parish better take along hard look at what this parish as a whole is being turned into. Before we know it Lafayette parish is going to be one big parking lot. We need to reinvest in the older areas that are already developed or they are going to turn into ghettos. It is already happening and little if nothing is being done. If you want to lose what green virgin land there is left just allow things to continue going the way they are. If you want to see the neighborhood you grew up in become drug infested and the property become worth just let things continue the they are. Instead of fightening over what they don't have yet these cities and towns need to take care of what they got. Low income and drug infestation are what is in the future for all of Lafayette parish if we do not reinvest in what we already have developed. - AB southside unincorporated resident Sun, 02 May 2010 20:27:58 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-7158 Yes, how the heck did Scott ever pull an annexation Right-Hook to encircle Ambassador North all those years ago. How contiguous and servicable is that? Why was that never challenged. No one lived at that commercial property, yet they had the priviledge of annexing it? Who was on the watch in Lafayette when this happened? And how is it Broussard annexed swamp-land in St. Martin Parish to force their way up Highway 90, nearly to the airport in order to get Knight Oil Tools in their limits, when Lafayette extends several miles down the road in the other direction? There is some major nonsense in the annexation and area of influence laws in this state which need to be addressed. It's interesting that the developing areas in St. Tammany parish hardly appear to be in as much of a city-land grab mood as the Lafayette parish towns are in. So their parish as a whole, for now, benefits rather than just one little turf-estate. - Unempirical Observer Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:58:48 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6972 OH, REALLY DUREL, " WHAT I WAS TOLD IS THERE WAS ALWAYS, A GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT THAT A PIECE OF THAT LAND WOULD BE FOR YOUNGSVILLE, SAYS DUREL ".......PRAY TELL, JUST WHO TOLD YOU ? YOUR BROTHER-IN LAW, MR.VIATOR ! HA-HA." A WORD FROM ONE POLITICIAN TO ANOTHER, AND A U.S. DOLLAR BILL GETS YOU A CUP OF COFFEE AT ANY MEL'S DINER", 24/7. - NORTHSIDIAN MAN Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:45:10 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6964 So let me understand. The only sources of LCG money comes from the Parish unincorporated areas and the Corporate City of Lafayette. So based on your map only the Corporate limits of the City of Lafayette would be their revenue source(the orange areas of the map). Looks like we are giving the commercial tax resources of I-49 and I-10 corridors to the non-con governments. See quote page 215 below. Think again! - andymhebert Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:08:46 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6953 Why didn't Joey Durel honor downtown residents and businesses with a nice letter, too? Don't downtowners deserve to get the information that a Ninth Ward Slum for $30M may be built on Congress next to downtown? A "service enriched" and strictly "pedestrian" complex. Unfortunately, the "philanthropy" of Acadiana Outreach history in the surrounding area does not bode well!! Our mayor confuses "historical" with "blighted". Anytime you read "blight" you can just substitute "city neglect" and it usually fits. People setting this up pulled out of downtown, like Gachassin and Robinson. You would think with "insider" info, they would want to capitalize on this if it were not merely dumping on the inner city in combination with the Sheriff dumping there, too!! - realitychecks Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:45:39 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6941 AQUARIUS, HUVAL IS NOT AS SMART AS YOU MAY BELIEVE, "YES, HE IS SMARTER THAN JOEY AND THE TV. PEEP, HANGING ON JOEYS COATTAIL, BUT NEITHER OF THESE TWO.... IS THE PUPPETMASTER . HUVAL IS JUST THE "ROBBER NON-SKID PAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LADDER LEGS. - NORTHSIDIAN MAN Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:47:44 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6940 Aqarius (and my name is Larry) Does anyone recall when the Mayor of Broussard said to those areas in St. Martin Parish who wanted water from his town, "If you want our services, you join our town." Walter please check your records for the statement. - andymhebert Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:43:27 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6938 Response to ragin_cajun The quotes are from the "Technical Report on Consolidation of Government for Lafayette Parish" dated April 15, 1991. Lafayette Parish Library #3 3955 00078 8758. There is no need for any studies. This document is very through and is highly accurate at predicting the outcome of the current government. I would recommend all of those interested get a copy and read it. - andymhebert Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:31:59 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6919 What a stupid statement for you and Joey to make stating that LUS "gave away" water. I'm one of the parish residents that pay double the rate for LUS water. The water that is SOLD to the outlying areas provides real money that goes into the LUS budget and helps to keep water rates down for all LUS customers. Walter Comeaux had the right philosophy. Its sinful for the current administration to use LUS as some sort of "Carrot" for parish residents to want to be annexed into the city. LCG can barely provide police and fire protection for city residents as it is. Its time for LUS to be the stand alone public utility that it is and should be operated as such. It should not be some political tool of consolodated government. It should be allowed to conduct business wherever it can without regard for the city limits, especially when it comes to water and fiber. The more customers LUS has, the more efficient it can operate for all its customers both inside and outside of the city. I know Mr. Huval is smart enough to realize this. - Aqarius (and my name is Larry) Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:06:50 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6890 excellent article and good job at representing both sides. exactly jp, you don't live there. broussard water comes from lcg. i agree though that it's nasty. water, fiber and pretty buildings are hardly reasons to incorporate with big, bad lafayette. i've lived in broussard/youngsville my whole life (30 years) and i've disgustingly watched it turn into a mini-lafayette more recently. langnilais is right, when given the choice between lafayette or broussard/youngsville, we will choose the latter. anyway, charlie dropped the dough to finish a project that's 20 years behind; i think that entitles him to any revenues generated. what's the word i'm looking....oh yeah, return on investment. think about it......... - jared s Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:07:58 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6883 andymhebert-- What is that quoted from! I want to read it! What do I need to read to understand what is parish, what is city, and what is really "consolidated". I had a conversation with Don Bertrand one night after a council meeting, and he had me completely confused in about 2 minutes. Numerous "taxing entities", city residents pay for some things, parish residents other things, both pay for some things. This is a mess. - ragin_cajun Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:41:12 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6880 JOEY, HOW DARE YOU! YOU REFER TO CHARLEY LANGLINAIS AS A, " LAND-GRABBER " , HELL, WHY NOT ? WHY WOULD CHARLEY NOT MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO PROMOTE HIS TOWN AND INCREASE THE POTENTIAL OF MORE BUSINESSES LANDING IN THE BROUSSARD AREA. CHARLEY HAS USED HIS TIME PROVIDING FOR THE WELL-BEING OF BROUSSARD.....BY ANNEXING LAND, WORKING WITH GROUPS OF BUSINESSMEN FINDING THE BROUSSARD AREA VERY ATTRACTIVE, WITH AN ABSENCE OF THE GOOD OLE BOY LOUISIANA POLITICO'S AND THEIR CRONYS..... GIVE EM HELL CHARLEY, "YOU WERE MAKING HAY, WHILE JOEY WAS PLAYING TOASTMASTER AT THE CITY CLUB ! - EXISTENTIALIST MAN Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:01:05 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6877 PAGE 114 “Departmental Consolidation…2. Because of tremendous cost of rural infrastructure improvements and/or service needs, greater pressure to redirect dedicated revenues generated in Urban Service District (City of Lafayette) to rural areas. 4. Will not resolve Parish funding problem.” PAGE 115 “1. New government would not be as responsive to City residents by reason that not all elected members of the new government would be from City districts per se. PAGE 215 “The revenue structure of the Parish General Fund, and its capacity to guarantee provision of mandated services and other parishwide functions (recreation, planning, etc.), will pose a challenge to the consolidated government. Annexations by area towns and cities will remain a threat to the long-term stability of the General Fund in a City/Parish consolidation.” “Consolidation of only (Lafayette) City/Parish Governments makes the consolidated government vulnerable to annexations by unconsolidated entities in the same manner as the present (1991) Parish Government. Therefore the problem presently being experienced by the Parish of Lafayette relative to municipal annexations is not resolved.” - andymhebert Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:54:38 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6876 I'm with JP on the article. I know I moan alot on this website, and I have problems with SOME of the articles the Independent does, but I want to say that the only place I would consider going for local news is theind.com. And articles like this are the reason why. Good job. As for the whole "Lafayette is better" thing....I guess that's why there's so many people buying houses in places anywhere BUT Lafayette. If Lafayette was so great, this wouldn't even be an issue. Listen to what Langlinais is saying. Listen to what these people in Shenandoah Estates are saying. There are some REAL PROBLEMS with consolidation. It's not working out. Alot of people DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH LCG! And Joey Durel only has 2 answers to everything--Lafayette is better, or "you don't matter because...." - ragin_cajun Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:42:31 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6872 Langlinais, and Conrad Comeaux need to run against Joey so we can let the people decide who's correct. - Bo Zo Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:13:03 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/6005-land-grab#comment-6871 Thanks for the informative article. Good to have a local publication that actually does investigative journalism. In my opinion, folks in the stretch of the Ambassador extension in question should go with Lafayette, not Broussard. First of all, Broussard water is TERRIBLE. My brother lives there and he has to buy all of his drinking water because the tap is unfit even with a filter. And LUS fiber is awesome for internet. Secondly, Broussard is more likely to let that pipe yard be installed next to your house. Their sense of development seems more beholden to the dollar than to the residents. The development that has taken place on Albertsons Parkway between Hwy. 89 and Morgan (which I assume is under Broussard jurisdiction) is just a row of cookie cutter boxes with no architectural appeal--cheap and uninteresting. I'm not sure if Lafayette standards would drive more aesthetic development practices, but Broussard's is underwhelming to say the least. - JP Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:21:23 +0100