The West Baton Rouge Parish Council held its regular meeting Thursday, March 12, at the Government Building in Port Allen, covering a full agenda that included drainage engineering updates, routine resolutions and a large crowd of residents voicing opposition to a rumored federal detention facility in the parish. The council meets again tonight, Thursday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. at the Government Building, 880 North Alexander Avenue, Port Allen.

Parish President Jason Manola opened with updates on two events from the previous weekend. A fire at the Port of Baton Rouge on Saturday, March 7, involving a conveyor system carrying wood pellets drew a multi-agency response from West Baton Rouge Fire, the Baton Rouge Fire Department and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office fire boat. The fire was contained in just over two hours with no injuries reported. Heavy congestion followed on LA-1 in the Port Allen area, compounded by bridge overlay work on the old Mississippi River Bridge that pushed traffic to the new span. Manola said officials were able to stop the overlay work early to reopen the bridge and ease the backup.

The same weekend brought a significant rain event spanning roughly 14 to 16 hours from Saturday into Sunday morning. Rainfall totals varied widely across the parish, from 2.87 inches in Irwinville to more than 11 inches at the parish E-911 office. Addis recorded approximately 6.5 inches and Brulee 7.6 inches. The West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center on Mike Caze Road recorded 3.69 inches.

ICE detention facility concerns draw large crowd

Before formal business began, more than a dozen residents addressed the council in opposition to what has been circulating in the community as a plan to site a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in the parish. Parish President Manola and council members stated clearly and repeatedly that neither the administration nor the council has been contacted by any federal agency about such a facility.

Manola said that when he first heard about the rumored location, he reached out through the governor's office, eventually connecting with a federal official in New Orleans. That official told him no property had been purchased in Port Allen or anywhere in Louisiana for that purpose. Manola said he asked the official to notify the parish if anything changed.

Speakers at the microphone included Port Allen resident Chris Perry, who called on the council to be prepared to oppose any facility if one is proposed, and lifelong West Baton Rouge resident Hannah Freeman, who argued the parish is one of only a handful in Louisiana that is actually growing and that an ICE detention facility would accelerate an exodus rather than slow it. Ross Young, a resident of East Baton Rouge Parish, called for a proactive response, pointing to a five-year moratorium Kansas City passed on converting industrial warehouses to detention centers, and noting that West Baton Rouge has significant industrial warehousing stock that could attract federal interest.

Young specifically urged the council to consider a preemptive moratorium on warehouse conversions to detention facilities, pointing to a five-year moratorium Kansas City enacted as a model. No resolution or formal action on the detention facility question was introduced, and the council adjourned without taking any vote on the matter.

Council Chairman Carey Denstel said the turnout demonstrated what democracy looks like and acknowledged the community's concerns before moving the meeting forward. Vice Chairman Alan Crowe added that any proposal that does not fit the parish's vision of smart growth would be addressed as such when and if it reaches that point.

Drainage: both canals exceeded 100-year flood elevations during March event

Public Works Director Brandon Bourgoyne delivered an engineering update on two active drainage studies that took on added urgency after the March 7-8 rain event.

Bourgoyne reported that during the storm, the Coulee Canal peaked at approximately 9.6 feet. The 100-year flood elevation at that location, based on 2014 FEMA mapping, is 9.2 feet. The Parish Canal peaked at 10.3 feet against a 100-year elevation of 9.0 feet. Both canals exceeded their 100-year benchmarks during the event.

The drainage department was active through the night. Parish Chief of Administration Phillip Bourgoyne flagged that a garbage can had been found lodged in a culvert at the intersection of Lukeville and Lukeville Extension, blocking drainage in the area. Crews winched it out, and the water began receding almost immediately. Parish officials credited Drainage Superintendent Chad Doiron and his crew, along with Road Superintendent John Andre, for being on the ground from late Saturday night through Sunday, clearing culverts and monitoring conditions. Three culverts along an LA-1 corridor were also cleared of blockages, including a large sheet of styrofoam covering one culvert opening.

Bourgoyne said that without the drainage work already completed prior to the storm, a seven-to-eight-inch rain event in that area would have put water into nearby schools.

On the engineering side, two drainage studies are underway. The first, focused on the Lebeau and Lukeville area, is referred to internally as the Cooley drainage study and is being conducted by Professional Engineering Consultants. The second covers a broader area extending to the parish boundary and is being handled by GEO Engineers under a separate scope. Parish officials confirmed the combined cost of the studies and related drainage work is approximately $104,000. Bourgoyne said both firms are working to match their modeling numbers before finalizing recommendations.

Bourgoyne and Doiron met with PEC the day before the council meeting, reviewing photos from the storm and walking through the existing model. The model was calibrated against a 7.5-inch rain event, roughly in between the Addis and Brusly totals, and Bourgoyne said the model's representation of real-world conditions at the Choctaw Fire Station and surrounding areas matched what was observed.

Proposed near-term solutions include a new drainage ditch through a cane field north of the Choctaw Fire Station that would redirect flow to the Stonewall system, replacing a 10-foot arch culvert through the Cooley Canal with a larger bridge-style opening, and adding a culvert between Loop Lane and Lukeville Lane to provide a secondary outlet. Engineering staff said the single-culvert replacement could be completed in half a day once the modeling confirms a positive impact, and expected to have that analysis back to the parish within two to three weeks.

Bourgoyne cautioned against skipping the study phase, noting that moving water from one area without knowing downstream effects can simply relocate flooding from one neighborhood to another. Parish officials said a public presentation on the post-storm findings and proposed mitigation measures is planned, and will be added as a separate agenda item at a future council meeting once the in-house engineering and drainage review is complete.

Both studies are focused on drainage basins south of the Intracoastal Waterway. No update was provided on drainage infrastructure north of the Intracoastal.

A councilmember noted that Lukeville was added to the drainage study budget through an addendum following complaints from residents, and thanked the team for ensuring the area was included.

Routine business

The council approved several items without significant discussion.

Vibes Inc., operating as Vibes at 3877 Louisiana Highway 1 South in Port Allen, was reissued its Class A alcohol license after the license lapsed at the end of 2025 because of a failure to renew on time. The business went through the full origination process and met all requirements under parish ordinances.

Four parish vehicles were declared surplus, including two from the Utilities Department, a 2019 Ram 1500 and a 2014 Dodge Journey, and two from the Drainage Department, a 2007 Dodge and a 2013 Dodge Ram 2500.

The council approved a resolution, moved by Councilmember Kirk Allain, supporting a grant application to the Governor's Office of Community Development for Community Water Enrichment Funds for a water rehabilitation project. The project would extend approximately 325 linear feet of six-inch water line on Lansdown Drive to create a loop connection with an existing main on Louisiana Highway 1. The estimated project cost is $10,337.

Servitude agreements for the Acadian Trail sidewalk project, State Project H.011558, were authorized, allowing the parish president to enter into right-of-way agreements needed to advance the project toward construction. Burgon noted the project dates to 2016 and that recently submitted plans required revisions because DOTD would not accept plans that were stamped and signed in 2018. He said he has already begun the process of getting updated plans submitted.

The council lifted a moratorium on solar panel farms, on a motion by Councilmember Kirk Allain, that had been in place since February 2024. The moratorium was adopted at that time to allow the parish to develop appropriate land use regulations. A solar ordinance was adopted at the February 12, 2026 meeting, and the council voted that the regulations now in place are sufficient to lift the earlier pause.

Annual wastewater treatment facility audits for three parish facilities were accepted and approved for submission to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The Lukeville facility scored 55 out of a possible 560 points, the Westport facility scored 57.5 and the Erwinville facility scored 145. Under the state's scoring system, a lower number indicates better plant performance. All three facilities had issues with fecal coliform reporting methodology. The Erwinville facility, which scored highest among the three, also recorded exceedances in pH and ammonia limits during 2025.

Two ordinances were introduced and will be taken up at public hearing at the March 26 meeting. The first would update hotel and motel registration requirements and add a new call-for-service ratio framework that could trigger permit suspension or revocation for establishments with high rates of law enforcement activity. The second would update building code regulations, permitting procedures and fee schedules across commercial and residential categories.

The rezoning request from Woodrow Wilson Construction LLC for property at 3784 Metro Drive in Port Allen was tabled again to the March 26 meeting. The item has been pending since February while the council awaits a required plat submission from the property owner. Burgon noted the plat is now available and the item is expected to be presented at the next meeting. The request seeks to rezone approximately 0.97 acres from agricultural to light industrial classification with a lot area waiver. The property is located within the Greater Baton Rouge Industrial Park.

Tonight's meeting agenda includes public hearings on the hotel and motel ordinance and the building code update introduced at the March 12 meeting, as well as the long-pending Woodrow Wilson Construction rezoning request. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Government Building, 880 North Alexander Avenue, Port Allen.