Terrebonne Parish Council Chairman Darrin Guidry: The best is yet to come
The best is yet to come. This is the unofficial motto of the majority on the Parish Council, and as two-term council chairman I continue working tirelessly to help make it happen.
Being a parish councilman may seem like a powerful position, but the truth is that a councilman has little power without the help of the parish president or that of four other council members. If you have both, you can really do great things for Terrebonne Parish. When I first ran for Parish Council in District 6, I ran on a platform of "Getting Results," and that is exactly what we've seen in District 6.
There was a Sports Park that laid in mothballs when I was elected, but working together with the council, parish president and Recreation District 2-3, we made things happen. I am proud to say that for the first time both the softball and baseball facilities at the Sports Park will be fully functional and hosting tournaments this season. Construction begins this spring on additional soccer fields, soccer-field lighting and an extension to the road that will lead to the new double-gymnasium next on the master plan. I can't make this happen alone, and it is pleasing to know I am not alone.
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Flooding was an issue in parts of my district when I was elected. I was told that residents on Savanne Road, Ouiski Bayou, Bayou Black/Gibson and Manchester just "bought property that was too low" and there was nothing we could do to keep them dry. We did not accept this, and working together we built pumps, levees and drainage systems that work. While nothing is perfect, there is a reason why we talk about wind damage following the storms of the last few years instead of flood damage.
The best is yet to come if we work together.
As chairman, together with Vice Chairwoman Jessica Domangue, Parish President Gordon Dove and most members of the council, we will work together and make things happen for all of Terrebonne Parish.
Hurricane Ida dealt us a strong blow, but the housing situation is turning around with damaged homes being rebuilt, temporary housing going out at the fastest pace yet and the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Community Development Block Grant funding to build affordable housing and improve parish infrastructure.
We have a new lock complex under construction in the Houma Navigation Canal that will add to the lock complexes on Bayou Petit Caillou and Bayou Terrebonne. We have new major pump stations on Bayou Petit Caillou and Bayou Black and have more pump stations under construction on Bayou Terrebonne and the Elliot Jones Canal in Gibson. This all adds to the numerous drainage projects completed by working together, and finally the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is on board. The corps has now accepted the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane-protection system and will start investing hundreds of millions of dollars to raise the levees and floodgates to 22 feet above sea level — the height of a two-story building.
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The best is yet to come if we stay focused on what matters.
The path ahead will not be easy. There are forces at work who want to divide our government and create gridlock. They have no interest in working together but only care in launching personal attacks and tearing us apart while at the same time disguising their efforts as righteousness. We will not allow that to happen.
My message to my colleagues remains the same as always. I will support what is in the best interest of the people I represent and the people of Terrebonne Parish. While we may not always agree, we need to work together and focus on what matters. These are the paramount reasons why I was nominated by my colleagues to continue leading the council as its chairman and why I was honored to accept that nomination.
We have accomplished so much since I first took office in 2016 with so much more planned. The future is now set, and working together we can truly say "the best is yet to come."
— Terrebonne Parish Council Chairman Darrin Guidry can be reached at 873-6412, 688-6632 or dwguidry@tpcg.org.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Terrebonne Council Chairman Darrin Guidry: The best is yet to come
