St. John the Baptist Parish will advertise for a ferry boat operator, but won't hire one unless the parish receives a $1 million state grant. The Parish Council's Finance Committee on Tuesday night approved authorization to advertise for proposals, but said the job would be awarded only if St. John receives a Community Development Block Grant. St. John Parish...
St. John the Baptist Parish will advertise for a ferry boat operator, but won't hire one unless the parish receives a $1 million state grant.
The Parish Council's Finance Committee on Tuesday night approved authorization to advertise for proposals, but said the job would be awarded only if St. John receives a Community Development Block Grant.
St. John Parish President Natalie Robottom said after the finance meeting that the money has been earmarked to help operate the Reserve-Edgard ferry. "It's already allocated to us; we just need to go through the application process."
Robottom said the grant would cover about six months of operating costs. She said parish officials also are looking into increasing the $1 round trip fee to help offset costs. "We're going to look out there to see what the market can bear," she said.
The ferry, which offered motorists and pedestrians passage across the Mississippi River, has been closed since July 31.
St. John officials are trying to assume ferry operations after the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development decided that the $2 million annual cost to operate the ferry is too expensive and dropped state funding for it.