Letters to Jindal regarding the Crescent City Connection

· Seven and a half million per year would be used to operate and maintain the span.

· Six and a half million would be used to run and maintain the three ferries under CCCD control.

· And $6 million per year was to be set aside for the following projects: $15 million total for recreation areas and landscaping; $7.8 million for expanding the exit ramps at Lafayette Street, Barataria Blvd and Manhattan Blvd, as well as creating an exit ramp at Peters Road.; $35.7 million to extend Louisiana 18 from Huey P. Long to Burmaster and to extend Peters Road from the expressway to Engineers Road.

Yet, now just 3.5 years short of extending the tolls again in 2012, our toll money has not been used for any of these projects we were promised. In fact, many drivers, including myself, no longer take the Westbank Expressway, instead opting for the service road, because heavy traffic makes it impossible to exit at either Manhattan or Barataria.

As for maintaining the ferries, the CCCD has continually left commuters and tourists stranded when boats have broken down - that is until the DOTD and Legislative Auditor audits began last Spring. As for why, despite the very vocal condemnation of engineers, CCCD management chose to outfit two ferries with German engines meant to go long distances, not for the quick start and stop trips across the river our ferries perform. These engines go into total failure three to four times per year with a repair fee that can run to $50k each time. Additionally, the engine parts have to be ordered from Europe. In fact, no other ferries on the Mississippi river use these engines.

Ironically, although CCCD management has continually blamed the ferries for their financial woes, when Rep. Pat Connick suggested removing them from their control and putting them back under the DOTD, they hotly protested; a curious response given the obvious disdain they have shown for this essential form of public transportation.

The CCCD - as well as the bridge tolls - seems to exist for no other reason than to fund their own operation. In fact, during a Appropriations Committee meeting on March 27, 2008, Asst. Exec. Dir., Randall Paisant admitted legislators knew the toll money was insufficient for these projects but pledged them anyway because they knew they would never be able to extend the tolls without promising to give the public something.

Since, by law, the Crescent City Connection cannot draw from the DOTD fund, we are held to that $22 million in annual tolls if we want to fund the above projects. Yet, although Westbank commuters also pay the statewide gas tax which allows other Louisianians to fund their projects, we are not allowed to dip into that larger pool of funds. This means that although double-taxed, we are held to the smaller budget of $22 million in annual tolls – not enough to even consider the much needed fly-over ramps at Barataria and Manhattan. Because of this, our traffic woes will not only continue but increase as the community grows due to projects such as the Federal City.

As a former private investigator, a syndicated consumer issues columnist for over a decade, the author of the Writer’s Digest book, “Rip-Off; a writer’s guide to crimes of deception,” and the president of the non-profit (Calif.) ElderAngels – which deals with financial elder abuse – I recognize this as a poster case for “bait and switch.” I spoke with a number of our members at a community meeting last night and every one of them feels the same. In fact, many said they would not support a toll extension in 2012 nor any candidate who supported it, either overtly or covertly.

With this letter, please find a booklet I made from the Web site (http://NoLaTolls.com) that I created to bring attention to not only the above issues but our collective grievances against the arrogant dictatorship the CCCD management has become.

I ask you to please consider abolishing this bureaucratic debacle as it is not in the best interest of Westbank commuters who have come to feel like they are the victims of an ongoing scam.

Fay Faron
President, Friends of the Ferry
525 Pelican St.
New Orleans, LA 70114
(504) 363-9090

fay@friendsoftheferry.org

Governor Bobby Jindal
State Capitol, 4th Floor
900 N. Third Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Honorable Governor Jindal,

The West Jefferson Civic Coalition represents 20 Westbank Civic Association. Since our inception in 2003, our group has been focused on improving the quality of life for all residents of Jefferson Parish.

We are writing you to implore your help in eliminating a governmental bureaucracy that serves itself rather than the people. For years, west bankers have been forced to pay a toll before having the privilege of crossing the Crescent City Connection. In return for payment of this toll, we were promised numerous road improvements that have never materialized. DOTD officials recently told us that these road improvements will never be built with our toll money and say these projects should not have been put into the law which authorized the tolls. They now tell us these projects were ‘unrealistic” to begin with and it is apparent to us all that we have been lied to.

Over $150,000,000 in tolls have been collected since 1998. Last year alone, $22,000,000 was collected in tolls with the majority of the money being spent on salary and benefits of the 200 plus employees of this non-responsive arm of the DOTD. Despite the fact that tolls are due to expire in 2012, $3.2 million has recently been spent on improving the administrative buildings which houses the CCCD and other government agencies from outside our area.

In 2006, $600,000 was set aside for repairs to escalators and elevators at the ferry landing at Canal Street. Today, these escalators and elevators remain inoperable. Last year, over $1 million was set aside by the CCCD for the purchase of ten new police cars for the 32 man police force. In contrast, the West Bank of Jefferson Parish received for their toll money two studies that cost less than $200,000. The waste and mismanagement of this agency continues as we speak.

It has become clear that prior to your election as Governor, the DOTD has had no control or concern for the CCCD. Last month we invited DOTD and CCCD officials to one of our general membership meeting but they declined citing they are too busy and will not speak on certain issues while an audit of their agencies are ongoing.

It is time for all of this to change. The residents of Jefferson Parish are entitled to much needed improvements to our roadways. The agency’s funding requests and advertisement are nothing more that a “road to nowhere”. They have admitted, these ideas were visions never to become realistic.

We would appreciate your agreeing to meet with our organization as well as officials from DOTD and CCCD. We look forward to hearing from you in the near future and ask that you contact either Philip P. Rapp (504-352-2667 ppr@pac-gulf.biz) or Charles Miller III (504-439-3164 cmiller@ocsbbs.com) to formalize our meeting.

Sincerely,