Candidate Forum - Updated Questions and Concerns

Here is a list of the questions for the upcoming Forum, along with a listing of our concerns with regard to each issue. Please feel free to comment, or ask questions



City Parish President Candidate Forum    Thursday, October 1, 2015


1.  Evangeline Throughway

There has been a great deal of discussion on plans to upgrade the Evangeline Throughway to      interstate status, even though an affordable route along the Teche Ridge already exists.  Many citizens are concerned about the numerous negative aspects of this upgrade such as a disruption to the downtown development area; the displacement of many homes, businesses and historical sites; a path over toxic waste site at the old railroad yard; and a negative impact to adjacent wetlands as the east/west airport runway will need to be pushed into the swamp.

What would your position be?

Sierra Club’s Concerns
  1.Too Expensive, way beyond available funding possibilities.

  2.Major Environmental Problems

     a.hundreds of hazardous waste sites in the path of this proposed project to be resolved (filling                 stations, cleaners, Lafayette’s old power plant, Southern Pacific Roundhouse Dump,
        old Lafayette Public Landfill)

     b.Enormous expense in resolving these issues.

     c.Driving pilings in the related test borings through these hazardous sites would seriously threaten         Lafayette’s drinking water.

  3.Extensive loss of wetlands relating to the realignment of the east/west runway into the Cypress            Island Swamp owned by the Nature Conservancy in St. Martin Parish.

  4.Loss of hundreds of homes and businesses and the related jobs.

Background Info on I-49 Connector

This post will provide some background information on the proposed I-49 connector. Specifically, links to past Environmental Impact Statements (EIS):

Below is the 2003 Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposal. It approves the project through town along Evangeline Thruway, with stipulations that construction for dealing with contaminants at three sites, as well as approximately 200 underground storage tanks (UST) at active or inactive gas stations would have to be drawn up and approved. According to a staffer at the local DEQ office no such plans have been submitted.

http://mpo.lafayettela.gov/projects/I-49connector/text/I49_ROD.pdf

Here is a link to the 2005 EIS ROD which approves the displacement of the Lafayette Airport runways, and the mitigation of resulting displacement of adjacent wetlands:

https://www.faa.gov/airports/environmental/records_decision/media/rod_lafayette.pdf

Environmental Forum Set for September 9th

Candidates for Lafayette City Parish President

have been invited to an

Environmental Forum

Sponsored by the Acadian Group of the Sierra Club

Thursday October 1, 2015 from 6:30PM – 7:30 PM

at the newly renovated Downtown Library at the corner of Lafayette St. and W. Congress St.

Candidate Forum's Facebook page 

Questions for Candidates for Lafayette City-Parish President

Below are listed the Acadian Group's questions/issues for the candidates for Lafayette City-Parish President:

1.  Evangeline Thruway

There has been a great deal of discussion on plans to upgrade the Evangeline Thruway to interstate status, while an alternate, currently affordable route along the Tech Ridge may exist.  Many citizens are concerned about the numerous negative aspects of this upgrade such as a disruption to the downtown development area; the displacement of many homes, businesses and historical sites; a path over toxic waste site at the old railroad yard; and a negative impact to adjacent wetlands as the east/west airport runway will need to be pushed into the swamp. 

What would your position be?