Councilman Kevin's New "Pet" Project

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090305/ARTICLES/903051001/1211?Title=Supporters-hope-to-raise-money-for-Terrebonne-s-animal-shelter

Supporters hope to raise money for Terrebonne’s animal shelter

By Naomi King

HOUMA - Some say the truth is grim at Houma's government-controlled animal shelter.

More pets are killed than adopted, mostly because of limited space to keep the animals.

To help the center on Plant Road improve and grow, a group of residents, pet lovers and shelter workers led by Councilman Kevin Voisin is creating a plan to get the shelter more money for its work and change its organizational structure to be more efficient.

Voisin's proposal involves putting the parish manager directly in charge of the shelter at 131 Plant Road. The shelter is now run under the parish's Solid Waste Division within the Utilities Department, which gives a negative connotation, Voisin said.

The proposal also includes organizational help for Terrebonne Parish residents seeking to set up a nonprofit support group.

Its purpose would be to raise private dollars specifically for use at the shelter.

A total of 7,115 dogs, cats and other animals were taken into the shelter in 2008. Of those 5,629, or 79 percent, were not adopted.

They were "humanely killed," according to shelter officials, who acknowledge that the practice, while not preferred, is an unfortunate necessity.

Those animals were either not adoptable because of aggression, age or illness or the shelter lacked space to adequately take care of them.

Of surviving animals, about 6 percent were adopted, 5 percent returned to owners and 4 percent rescued by nonprofit organizations.

At any given time, the shelter houses 50 to 180 animals. And that's why shelter workers encourage residents to spay and neuter their pets and adopt from the shelter.

"We've got to manage our pet population," Voisin said. "It's been neglected for a long time."

Voisin will bring his ideas to the council at its Budget and Finance Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the second-floor meeting room in the Government Tower, 8026 Main St.

Shelter visitors, like Beth Hernandez of Houma, said she's in favor of a nonprofit and other changes to give extra support at the shelter.

"They need help," she said.

Hernandez, 31, adopted a cat named Lucky Wednesday after keeping it as a foster pet. Shortly after, Frances Updike, 48, of Houma arrived to look at dogs since hers was lost about a month ago. She also said the nonprofit would benefit the shelter.

The proposal emerged from Voisin's discussions with residents about the shelter while campaigning last fall and his studying of the parish's organizational chart once he'd taken office in January.

"The animal shelter reporting to solid waste and utilities doesn't make sense," Voisin said. "Managing waste and a shelter are not similar. ...

"There's a reason you don't get your brake tags from a dentist. It just doesn't make sense."

Before improvements can be made, he said, a proper foundation must be built.

The shelter falls under the parish Utilities Department because since the 1980s it has received money to operate from solid-waste collection fees, said Tom Bourg, parish utilities director.

Bourg said he has no opinion about the shelter moving out of his department.

"Organization is an issue for the parish president and council to decide," Bourg said. "We'll go with the team and be supportive of a smooth transition."

The shelter has had an account set up since 2005 that's received about $25,000 in donations, manager Valerie Robinson said.

Though this account accept private money, the shelter's nonprofit group would go beyond that to actively recruit support and dollars. The shelter is currently unable to do so by itself.

The group would mimic the local Friends of the Terrebonne Parish Library foundation, which holds fundraisers to buy equipment, computers or whatever resources the library system needs. A similar foundation is set up for the government-run animal shelter in Jefferson Parish.

Karen Molaison, the owner of the Pawsitive Pets Sitting Service, said she's collecting names of people who want to serve on the animal shelter foundation's board.

She became involved after meeting Voisin as he walked door-to-door during his campaign, and she told him about the shelter.

"The main purpose is to look toward what the shelter's wants are rather than needs." Molaison said.

Sunday Morning Editorial

Let’s begin a timely discussion
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090201/OPINION/902019966/1030?Title=Let_s_begin_a_timely_discussion
Published: Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 12:32 a.m.

When Terrebonne Parish Councilman Kevin Voisin brought up the issue of restricting further use of portable classrooms by the School Board, he was beginning an important conversation.

Some of his colleagues on the Parish Council tried to shoot down Voisin's attempt to regulate the buildings, saying that the matter is the concern of the School Board and that the council lacks the authority to influence board decisions.

We disagree, although we understand the political considerations that make public servants reluctant to step onto one another’s turf.

Because the parish’s Planning Commission and the Parish Council have to sign off on the portables, that arm of local government does have a vested interest in the issue.

Whether Voisin's proposal deserves to become law is a conversation for a later date, but he was certainly within his responsibility as a councilman to broach the topic.

More importantly, though, the issue at the root of the discussion is one that merits close attention by the School Board and the communities it serves.

Portable classrooms are widely used at schools throughout the parish and around the state — a fact that can lead to problems.

If portables become the de facto way the board deals with crowding and population issues, their presence affects the students at the schools, the neighborhoods around them and the larger communities.

We don’t think it would be wise to ban the use of portables. But neither do we accept that the portables are a suitable long-term solution.

As Councilwoman Teri Cavalier, a counselor at Evergreen Junior High, pointed out, use of portables for long periods of time can lead to other issues, such as rodents, poor ventilation and other undesirable effects.

School Board Member Roger Dale DeHart said the board must use the portable buildings because building new classroom space would cost too much and necessitate a tax election.

If a suitable solution to the School Board’s problems lies in spending more money on construction, that is an argument the board must take to the public. Or, it must find more-suitable solutions.

We aren’t offering an opinion on the larger issue, but we are glad that Voisin brought it up. We encourage the School Board to use the council’s meeting as a useful way to begin a discussion it should already be having.

We’re not taking sides in the debate over whether Voisin was treading on School Board turf. And we understand that needless wrangling between public bodies can be a disservice to everyone involved. But this is different.

The council can certainly discuss what it can do with an issue that affects its constituents as well as those of the School Board. Although a ban on portables isn’t an acceptable solution, neither is their continued widespread use. Population shifts must be addressed through additional classroom space or some other long-term solution.

But the Parish Council shouldn’t shy away from the issue because of nebulous concerns over whether it has any authority over approving land-use decisions. And the School Board shouldn’t shy away from it because it will be expensive to fix. Let’s get the conversation started and go from there. If Voisin’s proposal does nothing more than that, it will have been a welcome advancement.

The School Board has plans for building classrooms that have been hampered by costly storms.

But Voisin, who only recently campaigned among his constituents, is merely bringing forth a topic that was brought to him.

The Parish Council and the School Board will ignore it at their peril.

Editorials represent the opinions of the newspaper, not of any individual.

Councilman Kevin in the News

Proposed ban on portable classrooms withdrawnBy Naomi King
Staff Writer
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090127/ARTICLES/901279904
Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 1:40 p.m.

HOUMA — A Terrebonne Parish councilman’s proposal to restrict future portable classrooms on local school campuses sparked heated opposition Monday from School Board members.

One School Board member said it would force overcrowding at schools and restrict the flexibility officials need to deal with population shifts. And most council members denied the issue was even theirs to address.

The discussion was rooted in a proposal by freshman Councilman Kevin Voisin to have members of the parish’s Planning Commission evaluate whether portable classroom trailers — not the sturdier modular buildings — could be prohibited on public and private-school properties.

Voisin ultimately withdrew the request, saying he would accept “the wisdom of my colleagues,” most of whom said his strategy unacceptably crossed into the School Board’s domain.

Voisin said he’s concerned the temporary buildings, meant for short-term and emergency use, are being used in place of permanent classrooms. He said hundreds of constituents he met on the campaign trail this past year voiced the same concerns.

He questioned the safety of portables and why students, such as those at Mulberry Elementary, are taken out of them during thunderstorms.

School Board member Roger Dale DeHart said prohibiting portables would be “devastating.” Though board members want new permanent classrooms, the endeavor would be too expensive and the board would have to ask taxpayers to foot the bill through more taxes, he added.

Because parish government oversees building regulations, Voisin said, the council has the authority to make policies regarding the portables.

Plans to place portables on school property have to be approved by the parish’s Planning Commission under something called a planned-building group. The commission, whose members are appointed by the council, makes recommendations on building issues that ultimately must win council approval before taking effect.

To Voisin, that means the Parish Council has performed the equivalent of approving a trailer park in a neighborhood where it would not be allowed.

“To say we’re crossing a boundary is to forget we approved every one of these,” Voisin said.

Councilwoman Teri Cavalier, a counselor at Evergreen Junior High, said she agrees that portable classrooms should only be used for temporary purposes because after five to 10 years they begin to deteriorate.

That leads to rodents, poor ventilation, sinking and leveling problems and electrical issues, she said.

Having taught for three years in a portable, Cavalier said, she knows that when children are taken out of portables because of stormy weather “it evokes a lot of emotions and problems.”

She suggested DeHart take Voisin’s concerns back to the School Board.

Other council members, however, disagreed.

Councilman Clayton Voisin said the building codes, which regulate how structures are built and the materials used are sufficient in addressing safety issues.

“I have a big problem with it,” said Councilman Clayton Voisin. “We’d be crossing the line.”

Other council members, like Johnny Pizzolatto, said they do not approve of asking planning officials to even evaluate such a proposal.

“Let’s just disapprove it now,” Pizzolatto said. “They don’t cross the line and tell us what to do.”

Staff Writer Naomi King can be reached at 857-2209 or naomi.king@houmatoday.com.