Quarter of a Million Dollar Bathroom - With our money?

The St. Mary Parish Council will build a quarter of a million dollar pavilion and bathroom on the fifth hole of the Atchafalaya Golf Course at Idlewild in Patterson.

The council quietly approved the project with no discussion during its regular meeting Wednesday night, June 25. Neither their meeting agenda nor the resolution presented in the media packets, included the dollar amount of the project or where it was to be built.

However, after the meeting Parish Parish President Paul Naquin told KBZE/KFRA news, the amount would be $250,000 and it would be built at the fifth hole.

Acadiane Renovations LTD, 15224 Louisiana 182 West in Franklin, will do the work.The golf course cost taxpayers $4.5 million in 2007 to build, some of which included matching grants.

In another matter, the council awarded a $289,940 contract to M. Matt Durand LLC of St. Martinville, for road improvements to the main driveways at the West End pickup station in Franklin.St. Mary Parish Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange said the company will pour new asphalt over existing roadways, which are worn due to heavy use from large garbage trucks and other vehicles.

In other fiscal business, an audit report on the parish library system, conducted by the firm of Kolder, Champagne, Slaven and Co. LLC of Lafayette, indicates there is a “failure to design and implement policies and procedures necessary to achieve adequate internal control” when it comes to accounting for the library system’s money.

The audit said the “Significant Deficiencies in internal control” that were disclosed by the audit of the financial statements are “… considered a material weakness.”

It said that a “Failure to adequately segregate accounting and financial functions increases the risk that errors and or irregularities including fraud and or defalcations may occur and not be prevented and or detected.”

Also, the audit says that the “Management and staff lack the training and expertise in the selection and application of generally accepted accounting principles, in the financial statement preparation process.”

The audit recommends the parish contract out its accounting practices and controls, saying the job “may not be economically feasible,” at this time, for the parish library system.