Oak Grove Community

BOGALUSA - The indictment of the man who serves as consultant to the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission has raised concerns among commission members and given new life to opponents to the project.

Michael Thompson, 58. of Delhi, who served as executive director of the Poverty Point Reservoir District and is a paid consultant on at least a half-dozen reservoirs proposed for construction around the state, was indicted by a federal grand jury alleging he illegally took money from the district while acting as director.

The indictment is based on the Hobbs Act and was returned in Lafayette on Tuesday.
It alleges that between Sept. 26, 1997, and June 20, 2002, Thompson obtained funds of Poverty Point Reservoir District to which he wasn't entitled while acting in his official capacity. The maximum penalty could be 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Reservoir commission member Bill Jenkins of Angie said late Thursday that he had been in communication with commission chairman Huey Pierce, who is out-of-state on vacation, and that Pierce was aware of the indictment.

"We're not real sure how it might affect us," Jenkins said. "We're aware of the indictment based on the news article, but we need to figure out what we need to do."

Jenkins said the commission would have to get together and see what action they needed to take.

"We've had (commission) members we've had to ask to step down in the past," Jenkins said, "but this looks like it may be a little more serious. We know there will be a lot of questions to answer ... we'll have to post and hold a public meeting and sit down and put together everything we've paid to him."
He said the commission had just been audited and that commissioners had just recently met and reviewed the audit.

For members of the Pete Pittman family, as well as others who live in the area targeted to become lake bottom, it substantiates their concerns over misuse of public funds.

Family members said Pete Pittman, currently hospitalized with a fractured vertebrae in his neck following a fall, "expressed relief" that someone had taken note of what they called "the wrongdoing that was apparently going on with the reservoirs across our state."

His daughter, Jalon Pittman Beech, said "Those of us who have been crying foul are not surprised at the indictment of the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission's very well paid consultant, Michael Thompson.
We expect more indictments to follow, possibly in our parish as well. We welcome the presence of the FBI in our parish."

Her brother, Winford, asked, "Should Thompson continue to get paid $100,000 per lake for six lakes while he is under indictment? Shouldn't he be dismissed and his pay cut off until the charges against him are cleared or he is found guilty?
Would you continue to pay or keep one of your employees in the same predicament?"

Thompson's indictment is the second in quick succession connected to Poverty Point. The first involved Kathy Cleveland, a former executive assistant for the district, who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $150,000 from November 2000 until September 2005.

Cleveland, 55, of Epps, forged the name of the district's president on checks she wrote to petty cash, her husband and to herself for alleged reimbursement for mileage, meals, office supplies and other expenses to which she was not entitled, federal prosecutors said.

Michael Thompson is a former mayor of Delhi and brother of state Rep. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, who authored the legislation allowing the creation of reservoir districts and ultimately created work for his brother.

Michael Thompson is "absolutely innocent," his lawyer, J. Michael Small, declared in a faxed statement.Small said the main witness against Thompson, Joe Cleveland, is trying to bargain for a light sentence for his wife, Kathy.

What is the Hobbs Act?

The Hobbs Act (18 U.S.C. ¤ 1951) prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce. Although the Hobbs Act was enacted as a statute to combat racketeering in labor-management disputes, the statute is frequently used in connection with cases involving public corruption, commercial disputes and corruption directed at members of labor unions.

INDICTMENT: Document in pdf format

Labels: Corruption, Indictment, Mike Thompson, Reservoir

State Lawmakers Want Poverty Point-Style Reservoirs for Their Districts
Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La. By MARSHA SHULER

Leaders of many communities want their own version of Poverty Point Reservoir, the $48.5 million lake and golf course development that state taxpayers built in rural northeastern Louisiana.

The project has prompted more than a dozen funding requests from lawmakers around the state who see the potential for similar man- made lakes in their districts.

The Poverty Point development's prime sponsor, state Rep. Francis Thompson, has a home on a peninsula in what he calls "my lake," the centerpiece of Poverty Point State Park. Thompson, D-Delhi, has bought and sold other lots in the only private subdivision that lies within a state park.

Thompson's brother Mike, who also was involved in Poverty Point's development, has become the consultant for five other state-funded reservoir projects. Denmon Engineering of Monroe, Poverty Point's engineer, also is handling development work on those other projects.

Denmon and Mike Thompson have made a total of nearly $7 million in state money from the reservoir projects in recent years, state transportation department records show.

Proponents promote the reservoirs as a source of future drinking water and a way to create a recreation economy for rural parishes.

Critics call the reservoirs a waste of public money. The man- made lakes aren't needed as water supplies and can't be justified for recreation, they say.

Environmentalists and some community activists criticize the lakes because creating them floods cemeteries, natural habitat and old family homesteads.

And troubling many is the lack of a master plan that could answer a basic question: How many reservoirs does the state need?

"We cannot afford to build all the reservoir projects everyone could dream up," said Jerry Jones, the state's construction manager.

The state has spent $91.2 million on 10 reservoir projects around Louisiana in the past decade and half, state records show.

Most of the money went to Poverty Point Reservoir and to Grand Bayou Dam and Reservoir in Red River Parish. Eight other projects got tax dollars for feasibility studies, land purchases and other work.

State construction funding requests are in for a total of 15 reservoir projects. The amount so far requested for next year's construction budget is $63.4 million.

Poverty Point model
Poverty Point State Park is fueling the recent reservoir push. Built around a 2,700-acre man-made lake in Richland Parish, the park sports a marina, a golf course, cabins, an RV park and the private subdivision where Rep. Thompson owns a home.

"We are in the poorest area of the whole state. It was devoid of any kind of development," Thompson said. "It's a very important project to our area because it's brought in a lot of traffic.

Between 67,000 and 70,000 people visit the area each year, he said.

The reservoir, a dream of Thompson's since the 1970s, opened in 2003. Thompson said it both drives the local economy and provides a water resource for the future.

Thompson bought 15 lots on a man-made peninsula of the lake and called it Cypress Cove at Poverty Point. He said he's been selling the lots to family and friends, including some involved in lake development.

When asked about his personal investment in a project he got the state to fund, Thompson said: "I've worked 30 years on this. Does it show very much interest if I don't buy enough to build a house on the lake?"

Thompson has hosted delegations of business, civic and political leaders from other parts of the state to see the finished product. His legislation creating the Poverty Point Reservoir District has been copied by other communities.

Other lawmakers are "trying to take care of their own districts" after they see Poverty Point and like it, he added.

"I'm not a part of putting lakes all over this state. My single purpose was to build one in my area," said Thompson, a state representative for 32 years.

State contracts
While Thompson promotes Poverty Point, his brother Mike has made $1.5 million so far as a project coordinator-administrator for other reservoir projects, according to state records. Some years he has made more than $350,000.

Mike Thompson works with parish governments and specially created entities that pursue reservoir development in their areas. He has had contracts in Allen, Morehouse, Ouachita, Caldwell, LaSalle and Washington parishes.

He also worked on Poverty Point Phase II, which includes a golf course.

Mike Thompson declined requests for an interview about the reservoir developments. Francis Thompson said his brother, a former mayor of Delhi, got the work because of his experience as Poverty Point's executive director during the lake's development. "He was sought out (because) he did a good job for us," Francis Thompson said.

Denmon Engineering, which handled preparation work for Poverty Point, has received $5.3 million from the state doing other reservoir jobs, state transportation records show.

The firm has contracts for site selection, feasibility studies and the environmental analysis needed for approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for projects affecting waterways and wetlands.

Denmon Engineering executive Terry Denmon said his experience with Poverty Point helped his firm beat out others competing for work on the reservoir projects.

"There are not a lot of engineering companies around that practice in this specialty-type field," said Denmon, who used to work for the Corps of Engineers. "Your average civil engineering firm would not have experience in doing water-resource work."

Plans draw opponents
Some people whose land would be flooded by new reservoirs say the situation reeks of politics.

"It's a big racket, with my family being a victim to it," said Jalon Pittman Beech of Bogalusa, whose parents' homestead would be taken for a proposed reservoir in Washington Parish.

"Francis Thompson's got it all sewn up. It's almost like the 'reservoir Mafia,'" Beech said. "We need more land, not water."

Francis Thompson said it's not him but his brother who is involved in projects outside his area. Mike Thompson and Denmon have contracts for the Washington Parish project.

James Moore of Pitkin, who opposes the Allen Parish project, founded the Community Preservation Alliance and started a Web site "to inform the public and make them aware of the tremendous amount of money that's being wasted."

Beech and Moore said Mike Thompson and Denmon are getting paid for projects that are not needed.

But Denmon said two safeguards in the process ensure reservoirs can't be railroaded through: approval from the Corps of Engineers and funding from state lawmakers.
"You have to have both," he said.

The Bayou DeChene Reservoir, near Columbia in Caldwell Parish, has Corps of Engineers approval. Permit applications for the Allen and Washington parish projects are under review by the agency. The Corps' analysis can take a year or more.

Sierra Club Delta chapter chairwoman Leslie March said that even if the projects don't get built, Mike Thompson and Denmon Engineering will profit handsomely from the work they have already done under multiyear, state-funded contracts.

And if they do get built, that will mean more money for years to come, she said.

New rules, no plan
State spending on reservoirs is haphazard and needs a master plan, said Randy Lanctot, president of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, a conservation group.

"It should not be a pork-barrel deal," he said. "We need to be building them in the right places, not because someone has some nice land."

The state first should look at suitable sites for any water- supply needs, then consider recreation, he said.

"Let's evaluate these things before throwing money at them," Lanctot said.

Jones, the state construction manager, said his agency has new criteria for reservoir selection. They were developed by the state Department of Transportation and Development's water resources division. No project has yet been assessed using the new criteria, he said.

Under the rules, future projects must be in areas that rely on one of three major underground water systems - the Sparta, Chicot and Southeast Louisiana (also known as Southern Hills) aquifers.

Priority will go to projects approved by the Corps of Engineers. And a reservoir can't be built unless supporters can show it would fill a water-supply need.

"We don't want to throw up reservoirs to have water-recreation or retirement communities," Jones said. Jones called the new criteria a good first step but said more must be done.

The Ground Water Resources Division of the state Office of Conservation has begun a long-range study of Louisiana's underground water supplies at the direction of the Legislature, said director Anthony Duplechin.

Duplechin said the study won't look at the surface water situation - but it should. When talking about water needs, he said, "you really cannot separate the two."

"Reservoirs are not always a solution," he added.

(c) 2007 Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Watch a 10 minute video: Toye Taylor the Reckless Politician.

"I agree, you shouldn't turn expropriation powers over to anyone who is not elected".
Problems: If Dialup internet, or Pausing: Continue playing & use slide bar to start over.

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As a resident and voter in Washington Parish, I wish to go on record in opposition to Senate Bill 639 sponsored by Sen. Ben Nevers that will create to Washington Parish Economic Development District.

Senate bill 639 creates yet another Political Subdivision much like the Washington Parish Reservoir District with a board of appointed Commissioners that are not accountable to the people of Washington Parish, but shall wield enormous powers of Expropriation of Private property. This power is in the name of Economic Development.

Every property owner in Washington Parish has cause to be very concerned about this bill. This Legislation was not put to a vote by the voters in Washington Parish. It is yet another stealth bill designed to circumvent the voting process.

If this Economic Development District is so good for the people and Land Owners of Washington Parish why not let us decide for ourselves by giving us a chance to vote on the bill. The landowners in the unincorporated areas of Washington parish will have no representation on the proposed Economic Development District or the Commissioners if this bill is passed.

Over 200 years ago our forefathers fought the revolutionary war over taxation without representation. Now the landowners of Washington Parish face expropriation without representation by a gang of 7 appointed Commissioners who may decide our say with their pockets if this bill is passed.

Please return the democratic process to Washington Parish and allow the votes or Washington Parish to have a say in our future. As voters we elected you to represent our interest.

We are not opposed to Economic Development; we simply believe it should remain in the private sector where buyers and sellers work out their own agreement.
Government should be in the business of governing and not in the business of Expropriation of private property for the Economic Development of others.

Mary Ettel

BOGALUSA - While it remains to be seen if a bill creating an economic development commission in Washington Parish will be filed prior to the legislature convening on Monday, April 30, Washington Parish President M.L. "Toye" Taylor has begun a lobbying effort in support of such a bill.

Last Thursday, following Washington Economic Development Foundation President Mickey Murphy's closing remarks, he asked if anyone had anything they wanted "to share with the group."

Taylor asked the group to support and push for another bill similar to SB 639 and to use whatever influence they may have to help get it passed. Taylor said the lack of such a commission "puts us behind our neighbors" in St, Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes.

Murphy agreed, saying it was important that the parish have such a tool to help facilitate economic development with WEDF and the Franklinton Area Economic Development Foundation.

Taylor told the gathering of about 75 persons that the lack of foresight by the Washington Parish Council when it cast a 4-3 vote of non-support for SB 639 last summer put the parish in a situation where it did not have the economic development tools to compete.

Last May 22, council members Clinton Miley, Relton Sumrall, Marvin Thomas and Kenneth Wheat voted against SB 639 with Wheat casting the deciding vote.

On Thursday, Taylor was again critical of that vote, prompting Sumrall, who was sitting two tables behind Taylor, to shake his head from side to side. Miley, who is now council chairman, was also seated behind Taylor but showed no visible reaction.

The problem the four had with SB 639 was that it established powers of expropriation for the commission, a point that was vehemently opposed by a number of residents of the parish who feared the tool would be used improperly.

Despite Taylor's best efforts to assure the citizen's group - and his council - that that would not be the case, he failed - and the bill was pulled.

At the time, Taylor took the council to task for what he called "the worst vote I've seen this council take in my time" as he gave his president's report.

He said despite support from both the Washington Economic Development Foundation and the Franklinton Area Economic Development Commission and despite support from mayors of all four incorporated areas in the parish, the council chose to take away a tool of economic development that he said could help the parish move forward.

The board's action, he said, allowed a few to come into council chambers and make fear of expropriation an issue.

At the board's next meeting, Winford Pittman, one of SB 639's more vocal opponents, gave Taylor and council members a copy of a draft of what he said was a "proposal for an economic development commission."

Pittman told council members he was not against economic development.

"I've talked to you before about this (economic development)," he said. "We need it, but we don't need it where folks' property can be taken."

Lake Charles American Press article about Allen and Washington Parish Reservoir. Click here.

I've been reading about the efforts of the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission for the last year or more and finally feel I must write this letter. I just cannot remain silent any more. After having a dream of owning my own land for the last 25 years, I was finally able to save up enough money to have sufficient down payment to secure a loan and buy a parcel of land in Washington Parish in 2003. My intention was to work and improve the land, plant trees, build a retirement home there, get back to nature, etc.

I subscribe to the Era Leader in an attempt to integrate myself into the community before I move there and also to stay abreast of current events in Washington Parish. Even though I don't currently live in Washington Parish, I spend considerable amounts of money there on gasoline, supplies, contract labor, equipment rental, etc. I know my "to be" neighbors and find them friendly and good, decent folks.

I currently work in New Orleans for a major international oil company and look forward to a less stressful life when I am able to quit commuting. The issues relating to the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission and the methods that are being used to make decisions regarding the appropriation of land from property owners scares me.

I am also scared and concerned because I hate to continue investing money in property that may be taken from me because of what I see as greed and self-serving interests that don't seem to care about the issues being raised by families that have lived on the land for generations. Based on my limited knowledge, most of these families seem to be fairly poor or without political connections, but have a passion for the land. I can identify with this passion for the land and have worked long and hard to be able to finally get my own, even though it's only a small parcel.

The commission doesn't seem to care about families that will have to move or about loved ones dug up from graves that they chose to be buried in. What is the real issue behind what this commission wants to do? Do I really want to move into such a community? If so, what might happen to me and my land?

I belong to a hunting club in Washington Parish that was forced to sell land for a State Park that is to be built along the Bogue Chitto River in Washington Parish. Thousands of acres of wetlands that flood every year were purchased in the name of Economic Development and the dollars that the State Park would bring.

How many more of these projects are out there in the wings waiting to appropriate more land. When will we see these dollars and will they be more than the dollars we would have had otherwise? Are these dollars worth sacrificing our neighbors for?

Whose land will it be next and who will be benefiting from it? Now I see there is an effort to pass another bill called SB 639 which will create an economic development district with another "commission" empowered like the Reservoir Commission was. Do you have any idea of whose land will be next?

Are you ok with it as long as it isn't yours? What if it's your neighbors or your son or daughter's? What if it's your Mom or Dad or Grandparent's or Aunt or Uncle's?

Will you be proud to have stood in silence while this is allowed to happen? I am very disappointed there has not been more outrage expressed by the citizens in Washington Parish on this issue.

How can you sit by and let this happen? Will you act this same way when they come to take my land? What about when they take your neighbor's land or you or your relatives land? I understand and support appropriation of land when necessary for a school or housing for the poor or a hospital, etc. and no other suitable land can be found. These are certainly valid needs in some cases. The problem is, this is not for a school or for housing for the poor and other suitable land can be found and other landowners might be more willing to sell. Why not go that route? I don't know the folks in Oak Grove or the other small communities that will be affected and I also do not know Mr. Toye Taylor or his Reservoir Commission members.

What I do know as a Christian is that we are our brother's keeper and there is a God above that must be frowning right now. Why do I not see more outcries from fellow Christians who currently live in Washington Parish? Most of the letter's I see are from people who stand to lose the land they've held for generations or who stand to lose the graveyards their relatives are still buried in. I'm 53 years old and thinking "where do I want to be buried when I die?" Now I have to weigh that decision with the fact that in Washington Parish, just because you choose to be buried somewhere doesn't mean you'll stay buried there.

Washington Parish is full of Christians. I like that and I like the serenity and nature which is one of the reasons I chose to buy land and retire there. What I don't like is what you are allowing to take place. Why are you letting a handful of individuals take land from your neighbors in the name of progress when you know there are alternatives? If it was your land, would you be satisfied with the lack of support from your neighbors?

I read the advertisements in the papers by the Reservoir Commission and laugh. A water shortage they say. Let's be serious, I say. How many wells do you have that are drying up? Let's face it folks, you only have to go down less than 200' to hit good, quality drinking water in Washington Parish. The real number is probably 110' but I'm going to give the 200' number to be conservative. Think about it. Which way does all the surface water drain in the USA? The answer, for the most part, is North to South. That's why the Mississippi River caries so much water. It doesn't originate in Louisiana. The soil is very similar.

When we drill wells in the oilfield, we look for rock that has permeability because that allows the oil and gas to "travel" through the "rock" to the wellbore so we can transport it to the surface. What's the most permeable "rock" out there? It's sandstone or something you and I call "Sand". Is there much sandy soil in Washington Parish? Why, yes, there is. That's one reason why we don't have a water shortage in Washington Parish. We have water traveling via gravity from up North through sandy soil and we drill water wells into this sandy soil in Washington Parish. We typically have problems with our water wells when we have screen failures, pump failures, etc., not because we're running out of water.

Some of you probably know of "live" or artesian wells that don't even require the use of pumps. Even if we were running out of water, why on God's Green Earth would we build a Reservoir that sits on top of land that is so close to the Choctaw disposal pits? If we want water for that area, a smarter solution would be to drill 2-3 water wells north of that disposal site and pipe the clean water to the locations desired.

When I share the concepts of "running out of water" with my Geoscientists, Geologists, etc. at work, they laugh and want to know who came up with this "story". They assume it's from people who have a vested economic interest rather than on science. I tend to agree with them, but even if I didn't, I would ask "Why there"? Why take land that people don't want to sell? Washington Parish is a big Parish. How about moving the reservoir to an area that is willing to sell? Laying pipeline from that point would be easy and also would stimulate the Washington Parish economy with pipe laying jobs, right of way fees, sales of pipe and valves, etc.

While I'm on the subject, who will benefit from the proposed project? Who owns the adjacent lands that might become "Lakefront"? Who owns the companies that will be doing the construction work and selling the supplies that will be used? Why aren't these funds being used to build housing for the disadvantaged or to help pay medical bills for the elderly and the poor or give your schoolteachers and public works people more pay? Are the schools in Washington Parish without needs? Is there no value in addressing those issues?

Who decided a Reservoir is more important than these opportunities? Answer these questions and you might get a little closer to the real issue, which is why some of our neighbors aren't crying foul about this effort. It may not be because they have a vested interest in the dollars the project may generate; it may be because the issue doesn't affect them personally or perhaps they are busy with work and school and life.

It's good to be busy, to have property, to make money, to have a business that prospers, to create jobs, etc. It's just a question of if it's good to do all those things on the backs of those who don't have the resources to fight back or who don't have the political connections or who happened to grow up in a certain community.

Is it ok to do these things even if it tramples on the backs and rights of our neighbors and the poor?
There is a God above and there will be a judgment for us all one day.

Sincerely,
Kim Barbin Mandeville, LA.

While Allen Parish Legislators and Reservoir Commission members have shown Christianity and Concern for desecration of Cemeteries and taking of homes, Sen. Nevers and his appointed Reservoir Commission has shown none. There has been no attempt to locate an alternate site for their pleasure lake.

Sen. Ben Nevers and his Reservoir Commission remain steadfast in their unchristian effort to desecrate Cemeteries and take homes to build a Reservoir in Washington Parish.

Senate Bill 639, Nevers attempt to expand Eminent Domain abuse to take Homes and Property of Residents Parish-wide was opposed by members of the Parish Council.

The use of Eminent Domain, desecration of Cemeteries, and taking of family homes and family land in America for recreation, Reservoirs, and Golf courses is placing an undue hardship on some for the pleasure and gain of others. This is America, not a Communist country where the state owns everything.

Oak Grove Community residents intend to fight for their Cemeteries, homes, heritage, streams, wildlife, ecosystem and way of life. This is a violation of their civil rights, the right to happiness and their right to continue voting in the same area.

The residents don't want to sell their land at any price. This is their home, their heritage, where they have lived all their life. There is no just compensation, and money is not the answer. In reality, it's the problem.

Without our heritage, our family land, our homes, our way of life, we can never be happy again. The state doesn't have enough money to compensate us in this matter. Again, money is not the answer.

To those who say, ''This matter does not concern us,'' I say, ''Wake up, this concerns us all, and will affect us all.''

I pray for help in this matter, and for the ones who want to do this.

Please have a conscience as many people can justify the wrong that they do to others, and many can convince themselves that what they are doing is right.

Please choose another site. Look inside your heart, and stop coveting thy neighbor's house.

In Allen Parish, a rare occurrence of a public notice in a Newspaper states there will be a meeting of the Reservoir Commission in Oberlin, La. on Wed August 23 at 5:30pm.

Michael Thompson, the $100,000 a year Consultant, and his buddy Randy Denmon the $800,000 a year engineer are present. Thompson said, "we are almost ready to start talking with the Corp of Engineers about applying for a permit."

In the last 14 months while still getting paid, not much has been done, but Thompson says, there were Hurricanes and the Corp seemed to be very busy.

Thompson starts to spin, when asked by Commission Chairman Phil Beard how long will it take, and when will you apply for the permit? Thompson says, need to locate property owners, do a 1000-acre mitigation on wetlands, everything is a lengthy process, and therefore never gives an answer.

Randy Denmon says, we have done more tests, and Mill Creek is a perfect site for the Reservoir. The water quality is great, and will produce 30 million gallons a day. Commission member Rollin Hollins said, we made the right choice after all.

Sept 23, 2004 at Commission site selection, Randy Denmon's father Terry Denmon said, his "reputation was on the line" and this was not his first lake study, and the 3,700-acre Mill Creek site is the perfect site. The commissioners also approved to start the application process with the Army Corps of Engineers.

On Sept 9, 2004 the Community Preservation Alliance Alleges Wrong-doing of Rep. Francis C. Thompson, Mike Thompson, and Terry Denmon creating 14 Reservoirs statewide. The Alliance, consisting of residents of 3 of the 4 sites have said they were concerned that Mill Creek was contaminated years ago by a paper mill and unfit to serve as a feeder for a Reservoir.

On July 1, 2004, at a Emotionally charged Reservoir meeting, Roland Hollins also Police Jury Vice President said, it is in my heart, these are my people, and it's not right to take the homes of the residents of my district for a pleasure lake or fishing hole.

Hollins attempt to eliminate all other sites except Mill Creek failed, but a motion was passed to see if Denmon could raise the height of the Dam to achieve an average water depth of 8 feet and make Mill Creek a feasible site.

Rep. Herman Ray Hill and Sen. Don Hines urged the Reservoir Commission not to approve a site that would claim scenic rivers or homes, and said, "We should abandon the project if anything other than Mill Creek was selected." Mill Creek, located in the center of the West Bay Game Preserve, is the only site where homes would not be compromised.

Commission member Gary Pelican said, I am concerned that we are still on the same page, and the site will not take any homes or Cemeteries, and is there a detailed map of Dam location and property owners available? Thompson says no, but Randy should be able to draw one up. Secretary Adagria Haddock, paid $9,000.00 a year to keep the minutes was not present.

What a Waste, Money continues to flow like water year after year for unwanted and unneeded foolish pork barrel reservoirs to make Politicians, their brothers, family, and friends wealthy?

Also see: We saw that Allen Parish Reservoir hi-jinx
and We saw that reservoir series links page

Higher Gasoline prices at the pumps, and more taxes for all Louisiana Residents. Louisiana is wanting an increase in gasoline taxes to pay for Roads, Bridges, and more Reservoirs.
The Following is a letter sent to the Baton Rouge Advocate.

Dear Will Sentell,

Concerning your article DOTD says funds lag needed fixes to roads published in the Advocate on Aug 2, 2006.

Please be advised that Mrs. Jalon Pittman Beech has appeared twice before the Louisiana Bond Commission, and talked with them about wasting our DOTD tax money intended for roads and bridges on Reservoirs.

An Article By Michelle Millhollon "Commission hears concerns on reservoir project" was published in the advocate concerning the Bond Commission Meeting on July 22, 2005. At the Louisiana Bond Commission Meeting Mrs. Beech told the Bond Commission.

This is our D.O.T.D. tax money that would be used for ROADS. Should taxpayers spend 40 to 50 million to make a select few wealthy? The reservoir money is badly needed in education, health care, road construction, law enforcement and programs for the poor and elderly.

An article in the Advocate News reported a speech by Transportation Secretary John Bradbury stating. State officials have begun talks on ways to raise new dollars to improve Louisiana roads and bridges. Options include higher gasoline taxes, tolls, fees, permits and private/public partnerships. I have a cure for a portion of our state’s budget crisis. Stop wasting taxpayers’ money on unneeded and unwanted reservoir projects. Spend DOTD money on roads and bridges as it was intended.

The complete text of Jalon Pittman Beech's speech, Reservoir Concerns our Tax Money along with audio recordings is available on the oakgrovecommunity.blogspot.com blog.

Mrs. Beech appeared again before the Louisiana Bond Commission on Oct 20, 2005 and spoke. The complete text of her speech posted on the oak grove community blog is titled La Bond commission $45 million pork barrel.

At the July 22,^nd Bond Commission meeting, my father, Nevels Pittman and I testified before you regarding our objections to the funding of the proposed Washington Parish Reservoir.

You are approving money for reservoirs that is designated for our Department of Transportation projects. I don’t believe that the average taxpaying citizen of this state would appreciate DOTD funds being diverted from our roads, bridges, and other much needed infrastructure to unneeded reservoirs so that a select few can make some huge deposits in their bank accounts.

This commission has the opportunity and obligation to rescind funding for controversial and unneeded reservoir projects that send our state spiraling into debt. The state of Louisiana has to accept the charity of other states and the federal government just to pay our basic necessities.

If you tightened Louisiana’s purse strings and put a stop to the self-serving legislators who have been wooed by cunning real estate developers to go along with reservoir projects, our state could stand on its on.

You would at the very least, have another billion dollars to budget to worthwhile projects such as infrastructure, levee systems for our coast line, pay raises for state employees, hospitals, and I could go on and on.

Louisiana is wealthy with resources, but these resources are commonly exploited and misused. Louisiana consistently proves to the world that we are incapable of handling business without the appearance of impropriety.

The buck literally can be stopped here today, and what a proud day this would be for the citizens of Louisiana.

Sincerely,

Mr. James Moore

Quoted commentary by: Mrs. Jalon Pittman Beech
Oak Grove Community, Washington Parish

Also see: We Saw That DOTD Tax Money wasted on Reservoirs

Community Preservation Awards were presented Monday night to Councilmen Ken Wheat, Marv Thomas, Relton Sumrall, and Clinton Miley for their service in preserving the community. These men saw through the spin of SB 639 and voted to protect the residents from the potential of further abuse of the Eminent Domain Law.

Had Sen. Ben Nevers SB 639 land grab scheme passed through the legislature, Washington Parish would have been underneath the power of another appointed commission with dangerous expropriation powers.

Sen. Ben Nevers and Rep. Francis Thompson are already abusing Eminent Domain by creating Reservoirs in a statewide land grab scheme.

Mrs. Beth Mizell read the following statement after presentation of the awards Monday night July 24.

Ken Wheat, Marv Thomas, Relton Sumrall, and Clinton Miley.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is very rare that the spirit of our nation's fore fathers gets to shine through the smoke and mirrors of today's political systems. On the 22nd of May, it shown brightly through a single vote of these four men.

Through the smoke and mirrors they saw what could have been potential problems for the people of this parish, and they heard their cries.

The councilmen's vote of none support on May 22nd, sent a clear message to the people of Washington Parish, the state, and all of their political machines, that even in times when we need economic development, the rights and freedoms of the people of this parish will be protected. Also, that the spirit of our nation's fore fathers, though maybe dead in most places, lives on here in Washington Parish.

Please accept this small token of our appreciation for the work you have done to help protect our homes, communities, and parish. We hope that your light, and that of our nation's fore fathers, will lead others in the same direction. Please notice that the eagle has been chosen because itis the symbol of America's spirit, her freedom, her morals, and her people's rights. Let it soar above you and live in your hearts.

Whenever you are in doubt, let it lead you. Follow it and you will never go wrong. Please continue to listen to the people who put their trust in you, for they are the communities that you serve and protect.

Gentlemen, for your efforts and service to this parish,
we applaud you.

Also see: We saw that
Washington Parish Council thanked

FRANKLINTON - By a 4-3 vote, Washington Parish Council members went against the wishes of the parish president and refused to pass a resolution of support for SB 639, which would create the Washington Parish Economic Development District.

In a roll call vote, council members Charles Nassauer, Rodney Brown and Darwin Sharp voted in favor of a resolution of support while Clinton Miley, Relton Sumrall, Marvin Thomas and Kenneth Wheat voted against it. Wheat cast the deciding vote.

Following the vote, council chairman Sharp said, "Senate Bill 639 is dead" and instructed president Toye Taylor to call the bill's author, State Sen. Ben Nevers (D-Bogalusa) and ask him to withdraw the bill.

"I will call the senator and ask him to withdraw the bill," Taylor said, adding, "and I will withhold my comments."

But Taylor didn't stay quiet long, taking the council to task for what he called "the worst vote I've seen this council take in my time" as he gave his president's report.

Taylor said despite support from both the Washington Economic Development Foundation and the Franklinton Area Economic Development Commission and despite support from mayors of all four incorporated areas in the parish, the council chose to take away a tool of economic development that he said could help the parish move forward.

The board's action, he said, allowed a few to come into council chambers and make fear of expropriation an issue.

"The masses have not come into this room (in opposition to SB 639)," he said. "We're stuck in the 20th century."

While Taylor said "the masses" did not show up in opposition to the bill, no one appeared before the council to speak on behalf of the bill at any of the meetings when the issue was discussed.

The issue that doomed SB 639 was wording giving powers of expropriation to the commission it would have created. Even though final say would have rested with the council, based on interpretation of the wording in the bill, the threat of expropriation was enough for the council majority.

Despite agreeing to call Nevers and requesting the bill be pulled, as directed by his council chairman, Taylor proceeded to ask the council to reconsider its action.

"I told you I'd be persistent," he said as the board set in silence and moved on to other comments.

Later, as the meeting was drawing to a close, Taylor made yet another pitch.

"I guess you're not going to reconsider?" he asked.

Silence. "Perhaps a special called meeting?"

More silence, this time followed by a motion to adjourn the meeting.

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Also see: We Saw That council-says-no-to-sb-639
The Dead Pelican NEVERS FAILS TO PULL BILL AFTER PROMISING TO

In Louisiana, private property can be taken and transferred to another owner. Louisiana calls this Expropriation, which means to take without asking .

In 2001, Self-serving Legislation, House Bill 1136 by Rep. Francis C. Thompson allowed sale of land taken by Eminent Domain to Third Party without first offering to sell back to original owner. Thompson is currently selling lakefront lots for personal gain.

Thompson’s buddy, Sen. Ben Nevers creator of the Washington Parish Reservoir is proposing the taking of Cemeteries, Churches, and Ancestral homes.

Sen. Nevers also seems to be a two faced supporter of Senate Bill 1, Legislation preventing property from being taken for Economic Development, and has proposed legislation to the contrary.

Sen. Nevers is proposing Senate Bill 639 creating the Washington Parish Economic Development Commission with Expropriation Powers to take and sell property taken by his appointed members.

The broad taxing authority granted in this Legislation is essentially "taxation without representation" with an appointed commission able to obtain Millions in Bond Money.

James Moore

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Letter to the Local and Municipal Affairs Committee

Dear Senator Fields:

As a citizen of Washington Parish, I wish to let all of you know that I and many others in my parish oppose SB 639 in its current form. The abuse of Eminent Domain is alive and well in Washington Parish in regards to the Washington Parish reservoir, and the 13 other reservoir districts with expropriation powers in our state.

To create an Economic Development District with expropriation powers will only perpetuate the problem of the abuse that currently exists. I believe that economic development can occur without trampling on the property rights of our citizens.

The citizens of Washington Parish are not opposed to economic development and growth; however, we are opposed to the use of Eminent Domain for economic development, and unnecessary purposes.

Regretfully, there are those who abuse the Eminent Domain law. SB 639 in its current form will give unlimited expropriation powers to an appointed commission. SB 639 is in direct conflict with SB 1 that is currently before a committee.

The property owners of Washington Parish might as well consider themselves the same as citizens of Cuba, China or some other communist country where you can have use of your property until someone else wants to take it from you.

I promise you that the majority of the citizens of Washington Parish do not know that this bill gives expropriation powers to a commission. I'm sure Senator Nevers posted a legal notice; however, he didn't mention the use of Eminent Domain in the notice.

Please take the time to read this dangerous bill, and put yourselves in the shoes of those who it will affect. http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=377506

I ask that you amend SB 639 by removing the expropriation powers, and to give the voters of Washington Parish the opportunity to select their own commissioners by ballot. I believe this is a reasonable request.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jalon Pittman Beech

By Christopher Tidmore

As she opened the regular legislative session, Governor Blanco went off the official text--released to the press and originally published here on Bayoubuzz.com.
When discussing the state purchase of land in North Louisiana, Blanco added, "Before you jump to a conclusion, let me assure you Francis Thompson does not own the land."

That line, as columnist Charlie Davis has observed, "brought down the house". It did so with good reason. Rep. Francis Thompson has created a multimillion dollar business regarding state purchases of rural land--and converting that land into artificial lakes. From profiting on property sales on land that the State Representative owns and converting into new lakes to collecting large consulting fees for the construction of the artificial reservoirs, his family has financially benefited off this state program.

For example as the Monroe News Star pointed out, Rep. Thompson's brother Michael receives a consulting fee of $100,000 per year per lake for the construction of the artificial reservoirs in rural areas--paid for by the state.

According to news sources, Mike Thompson is the Reservoir governmental consultant for Allen, Washington, Morehouse, Caldwell, and LaSalle parishes, and proposed Reservoir projects in western Ouachita, Jackson, and Lincoln parishes. Thanks mainly to the intervention of his legislator brother, the state approved $41,975,000 approved for 12 new reservoirs in 2004.

Moreover, Francis Thompson seems to be helping his brother and close political ally Terry Denmon of Denmon Engineering by creating Reservoirs in Richland, Ouachita, Allen, Caldwell, Morehouse, promoting them in Washington, and other Parishes.

Currently, there are thirty lakes, fourteen of them artificial, supported in the legislature by Thompson, as economic development projects. They certainly have helped the Thompson family.

As the News Star and talkshow host Moon Griffon have pointed out, the most famous Poverty Point Reservoir, created in 1992 by Rep. Francis Thompson, was built by political ally Terry Denmon with Michael Thompson as project Director, and now as the well paid director of the Golf Course. The keyed gate entry began by Legislator Developers as private enterprise has cost taxpayers $40 Million approved for 2005.

An Audit in 2002, reported by the newspaper, shows Taxpayers paid $1.2 million to develop the island lots at Poverty Point Reservoir sold for $621,200 dollars to Thompson´s neighbor. Audit also shows Taxpayers paid $2.2 Million for keyed gate entry private road to the lots, and $.3 million for an office protection system or burglar alarm. Legislator Developer Thompson's CYPRESS COVE AT POVERTY POINT-LLC, and his next-door neighbor are realizing personal gain selling Lakefront lots.

(Interestingly, Rep. Thompson passed House Bill 1136 in 2001 allowing sale of land taken by Eminent Domain to Third Party without first offering to sell back to original owner, a matter in part under debate in this current session.)

Desire to protect his profitable side venture may have led Thompson to a quid pro quo with Francis Heitmeier over the maneuvers to kill the unified Levee Board, in fact.

In the closing days of the Special Session, Senator Francis Heitmeier attempted countless parliamentary procedures to amend, undermine, and even kill Senator Walter Boasso's unified regional levee board. While a two board solution did emerge, thanks in large part to the West Bank Democrat, attempts to undermine the required appointment of qualified engineers and hydrologists to the panels was not as successful.

Heitmeier's hostility to the single levee board surprised few in the media. Members of the Senator's own family received multi-million dollar contracts from the Orleans Levee District, not to mention the largess enjoyed Heitmeier's friends and political allies.

Less well observed was the alliance of Heitmeier's friend in the House, Rep. Francis Thompson, in every corresponding parliamentary maneuver to kill the single board. The North Louisiana legislator had seemingly little to gain from the change in Levee construction oversight.

However, Thompson was almost as vigilant as Heitmeier at times. Insiders, who asked not to be named, tell Bayoubuzz.com that the reason was simple. They say the North Louisianan owed the West Bank Orleanian for the latter's aid in building artificial lakes across rural Louisiana

by Washington Parish Reservoir Commission

meeting Dec 14, 2005

The intimidation tactics started at the front door. Through the glass of the front door of the Washington Economic Development Foundation building, you could see a man removing the chairs from the meeting room. This is the same thing that took place on January 5, 2005 when the meeting was held for the reservoir site selection. There were quite a few seniors that needed a place to sit. Normally, when meetings are about to take place, people add chairs to a meeting room to accommodate the attendees.

We were told that we would have to sign in and provide our address. If we wanted to speak, there was another form to complete that listed the rules. The public had to limit their comments to 2 minutes and could only comment on the advertised agenda. We were not allowed to ask questions of the commission. There were 6 speakers, including me that completed the forms. Jim Stokes donated his 2 minutes to me and asked if I could speak for the group. I was required by the chairman to go to the secretary and retrieve the form, then list 5 people and their addresses. Huey Pierce (commission chairman) asked individual people on my list to raise their hand before he allowed me to begin. I suppose he wanted to make sure all the people on my list were in attendance.

Huey Pierce went over the rules with us and demonstrated his little timing device.

After the meeting, Huey Pierce came over to me and grabbed my arm, and told me that he took exception to me saying that he rejected my brother's certified mail. Mr. Pierce caught me off guard when he grabbed my arm. It was totally inappropriate. I told him that I took exception to the fact that he demanded that we submit requests in writing, and then when we do, he rejects it. I also told him how wrong it was to not answer the public's questions in a public forum. I didn't want to make a scene, so I quietly jerked away from him and told him some of my exceptions. He didn't hurt me physically, but I felt that he was trying to captivate and intimidate me by holding on to my arm. I have become accustomed to greeting and shaking hands with politicians (even if they are on the other side of the fence) as a cordial gesture, but this was not cordial.

There were other people who dared to speak and endure the intense scrutiny at the reservoir commission meeting. Their names are Win Pittman, Fate Ferrell, Joel Miller, and Senator Nevers. Senator Nevers even appeared to be somewhat intimidated since Huey Pierce was timing him also.

Mr. Pierce reminded me that I must submit my questions in writing, and that is when I confronted him about his rejection of my brother's certified mail.

Prepared statement for Reservoir Commission:

The Washington Parish Reservoir Commission has placed a dark cloud of uncertainty and controversy over the residents of Oak Grove Community. Since our community was selected as the site for the proposed reservoir, we have been in a living nightmare. Mr. Pierce has said that emotions don't affect his decisions regarding the reservoir, but it affects me greatly when I see my mother and father break down in tears. They have been broken and feel like castaways in their own parish. They don't deserve this and neither do their neighbors deserve such treatment.

The residents of Washington Parish have been sold out by our elected and appointed officials so that their own wishes may be gratified under the false allure of economic development and the unproven need for potable water. It doesn't matter to this commission that the property rights of honest, hardworking citizens have been trampled upon. It doesn't matter that existing residents will be displaced and the burial places of our loved ones are disrupted. …and for what? You are making empty promises to the people of this parish by saying a reservoir will bring prosperity when in reality, it will bring more poverty and disappointment as with past failed projects.

Not only is it incorrigible that you would destroy the face of an entire historic community and dig up our loved ones for a pleasure lake, it is incomprehensible that this commission would allow a site to be selected that would place the highest concentration of the people of Washington Parish at risk of dam failure. The monstrous earthen dam that will strain to hold back the billions of gallons of water is fallible. As we saw in the New Orleans area, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is under scrutiny for poor design. I shudder to think what would have happened if your reservoir would have been completed when Hurricane Katrina passed over us. We would have had a tragedy beyond comprehension-a man-made Tsunami that would have wiped out everything from Ben's Ford to the Pearl River. In Act 71 and the recent amendments, there is no provision for those residents who reside below the proposed dam in the event of a dam failure. There will be more powerful hurricanes in our future. Think about what you are subjecting us to.

The reservoir "lets make a deal" scheme to expropriate private property across the state of Louisiana is the epitome of the ABUSE OF EMINENT DOMAIN LAW.

Eminent Domain was to be used for public use such as roads and bridges-not to expropriate property for recreation and possible economic development. I was amazed to see Representative Bryant Hammett sitting on the Louisiana Bond Commission knowing that his company was the contracted company to survey for the reservoir commission. Do you believe he voted to allocate funds for the unneeded Washington Parish Reservoir because he thought it was a needed project, or because it would affect his paycheck if he voted against it? You tell me.

Since you must obtain a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build this unneeded lake, you have determined now that we need potable water. This commission or anyone else for that matter has not produced any scientific evidence that potable water is needed. It is also ridiculous to put a potable water lake next to landfill runoff. It doesn't fly with anybody.

People have been conned in to believing that the reservoir is a done deal, but that is very far from the truth.

I will close with a question that I would like at least one of you to answer. It should be a simple yes or no response.

Do you believe in your heart that it is moral to build an economic development/recreational/potable water lake so that people can go boating and water ski over our loved ones' place of burial? If cemeteries don't have any value, then why do we dedicate and place our deceased loved ones in a cemetery?

Jalon Pittman Beech

meeting Dec 14, 2005 at 4:30 pm

Franklinton, Era-Leader, official journal for parish, Dec 7 public notice lists Washington Parish Reservoir Commission meeting on Dec 14, 2005 at 4:30 pm.

Louisiana’s open meeting law requires notification of public meetings. Commission was sued in Mar 2005 for denying public comment, and failing to comply with law at meeting on Jan 5, 2005

Purposes of meeting as stated in the paper is to recieve audit report and take action, and also review officer’s report and take action. Residents believe Commission may be ready to apply for Army Corps of Engineers permit to build the Reservoir.

Will Corps approve recreational Reservoir destroying Oak Grove Community, creating more homeless, taking Ancestral homes, and Cemeteries to build a 90-foot high earthen dam capable of catastrophic failure taking lives and destroying Cities?

Residents report, Rep. Bryant Hammett surveying business BRYANT HAMMETT & ASSOC was completing land survey necessary for permit. Rep. Hammett, Chairman of Ways and Means Committee sits on Bond Commission that approved the $1.7 million for Reservoir at highly criticized Oct 20 meeting.

Prior to Hurricanes, millions was spent on Reservoir, but due to current budget problems, it is foolish to continue waste of more money that could be prevented before construction begins.

Sen. Ben Nevers creator of Reservoir said, "If we don’t approve the money then we acknowledge to the rest of the world that we’re not going to continue on". The $45 million bond approval shows Louisiana will continue on with foolish wasteful spending, and isn’t trying to help itself. Louisiana's bond rating has been lowered, and borrowing money for foolish pork barrel projects will cost even more

Oak Grove Community Website shows Sen. Nevers, and Reservoir Commission members list of corporations may personally gain from construction of Reservoir. Rep. Ritchie's funeral business may profit from digging up graves of Cemeteries.

_____ Pete Pittman _____

Jalon Pittman Beech, and her father Pete Pittman spoke at Bond Commission. Jalon requested Commission reconsider decision to fund pork barrel projects such as Washington Parish Reservoir, especially when our state is overwhelmed with crisis and debt. Pete Pittman said, take the money and use it where it is more appropriate, and help the people suffering from the Hurricanes.

Residents collected thousands of signatures on a petition to save their community, prevent homes from being taken, and their Cemeteries destroyed. Residents are requesting help, and ask everyone to contact Politicians and Reservoir Commission members to voice their opposition.

The UNCHRISTIAN ACT of taking peoples homes, and destroying their cemeteries is something no Politician or public official should want to be remembered for.

Mr. Pete Pittman when asked what would you like to tell the Politicians said,
"Well all I can say is they have a reckoning day".

James Moore

Contact Politicans & Commission to oppose Reservoir

Franklinton Era-Leader Nov 23, 2005

Editor, The Era-Leader:

To All Residents of Washington Parish,

I have an important message for all of you as follows: A Changing of Priorities.
For quite some time our legislators have pushed a 3310-acre reservoir with an average dept of 24.7 feet located at site 2-The Oak Grove Community. They have been asked by many of us to find an alternate site, which would not affect anyone’s home or property. Presently nine fixed homes and eight mobile homes and properties are to be taken, with no regard obviously to the opinions of those seventeen families.

Our reservoir group has collected thousands of signatures on our petition which basically ask our representatives to amend Act 71, which created the reservoir issue, to add an amendment which would protect landowners and their properties from seizure. I think many of you out there in Washington Parish are appalled by this type of conduct by the representatives that we indeed did elect.

They also intend on seizure of at least two cemeteries in Site 2. The Rester Cemetery just off Moore Road has more than 105 people buried there. We ask our legislators again, please don’t proceed any further with this carnage.

What occurred on Aug. 29 in Louisiana, the Gulf Coast and other nearby states (Hurricane Katrina and then shortly afterwards Rita) certainly changed many people’s Listing of priorities.

The State of Louisiana I understand is now facing a shocking billion dollar deficit. Our Charity Hospital System is on the verge of financial collapse and the state in order to simply pay their employees, need 15 million dollars per month for the next six months for a total of 90 million dollars.

How will this need be met? What will happen to these hospitals if the funding is not found? Where will the poor and uninsured go for their health needs? Let’s hope and pray that this financial need will be met.

New Orleans has suffered a terrible blow. Desperation abounds in that community. Recently, Mayor Nagin reluctantly had to give 3000 city employees pink slips. He basically has very little tax base left at this time. Many of those people that evacuated Katrina marched in a bee-line and will not return. Many of them have secured good jobs and settled in other cities.

Back to our local situation in Bogalusa. The mayor stated in the “Daily News" recently that if the city didn’t receive $300,000 by Friday, that all city functions would come to a halt.

We’re very proud of Temple-Island. They sent over a check for the amount that had been requested. I know we all thank them for their timely assistance.

Our Education system in Southeast Louisiana suffers also financially. I know that many schools in New Orleans have been close and pink slips for school employees in Orleans Parish have been passed out.

Having said all this, I propose that the 29 million dollars destined for the reservoir in Site 2 in Washington Parish be used as follows: 14.5 million to our Charity Hospital System and the remaining 14.5 million to our education system. Indeed our priorities have changed. I submit that the reservoir issue should be put on a shelf somewhere, while many more important entities are more seriously considered. I submit that our representatives spend it much more wisely.

In Closing, I would like to thank the National Guard, the Red Cross, FEMA and the Corp of Engineers and all the volunteers that helped us in our time of need. It give ma a warm feeling to live in the USA where brothers and sisters from all over this great nation put whatever they were doing to the side and came to our aid.

We thank all the churches that set up food kitchens, and the many locations that were set up to provide much needed ice, water, food and tarps, etc. Let us all join in an effort to make things better for our brothers and sisters. God Bless America.

Ed McDonald
Franklinton

Transcript provided by: Washington Parish Community Preservation Alliance

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"Louisiana the State We’re in"

Reservoir Project

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TEXT Transcript

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Sen. Ben Nevers seems to have changed his tune:

The Reservoir is now being built for water, but Washington Parish Reservoir was proposed for Recreation-Tourism by SCR 158.

It was to be modeled after Poverty Point Reservoir which uses four large bore 16" Mississippi Alluvial Aquifer water wells as a source of water for the lake.

Will the Washington Parish Reservoir also use aquifer water wells as a source of water?

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Rep. Francis C. Thompson's CHALLENGE:

Rep. Francis C. Thompson said about his brother "Mike Thompson",

"NEVER, NEVER HAVE I BEEN OUT PROMOTING HIM. HE IS QUALIFIED TO PROMOTE HIS OWN ENDEAVORS AND HIS OWN INTERESTS."

"BUT I CHALLENGE ANYBODY TO PROVE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT I HAVE SAID THAT ABSOLUTELY NOT AM I INVOLVED IN ANY OTHER ACTIVITY PROMOTING IT OR OTHERWISE".

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CHALLENGE ANSWERED:

Lake Charles American Press 4/24/2002 article about Allen Parish Reservoir says,
The panel again delayed the approval of a contract for consultant Mike Thompson until the commission is formed. Thompson played a vital role in moving the bill through the Legislature, Beard said.

Rep. Francis Thompson seems to have traveled to Allen Parish with Mike Thompson on July 1, 2004, and attended a Reservoir Commission Meeting promoting Reservoir.

In Bogalusa Daily News article Site work Rep. Francis Thompson spent 2 hours using Poverty Point as a model to promote the Washington Parish reservoir.

"Rep. Francis Thompson authored legislation creating Reservoirs in Richland, Allen, Ouachita, Caldwell, Morehouse, promoting them in Washington, and other Parishes."

Rep. Francis C. Thompson said,
"WOULD I THINK EVERY PART OF THE STATE NEEDS LAKES AND RESERVOIRS?
FOR OUR AREA, THAT WAS THE BEST THING I COULD DO."

I feel sorry for Rep. Thompson's constituents as that was the best he could do for them.
He seems to have helped his brother Mike Thompson earn about $100,000 per lake.

Rep. Francis C. Thompson also seems to be realizing personal gain by selling lakefront lots at Poverty Point Reservoir as CYPRESS COVE AT POVERTY POINT-LLC.

FRANKLINTON, the State Bond Commission approved $ 1.7 million dollars to continue the controversial Washington Parish Reservoir.

Thompson said, a small group of people aganist the project have been in contact with him and some have suggested the reservoir money be used for education. Thompson said, the money cannot be used for education ?? (WHY?)

Thompson said about 250,000 jobs were lost in Louisiana because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and described the reservoir project as one that will bring many permanent jobs to Washington Parish.

( What jobs Mr. Thompson, clerk at the bait stand?)

Read complete Article: Reservoir Funding

Washington Parish Reservoir opposed

Listen to Jalon Pittman Beech at Bond meeting on 10/20/05
10 Minute mp3 audio file http://oakgrovecommunity.tripod.com/bond10-20-05.mp3
Large audio files may take many minutes to load

At the July 22^nd Bond Commission meeting, my father, Nevels Pittman and I testified before you regarding our objections to the funding of the proposed Washington Parish Reservoir.

My dad and I told you about our historic family home, the Oak Grove Community and cemeteries that would be taken and destroyed by the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission.

Yet you proceeded to approve funding that will wash away everything but my memory of where I grew up, and where I call home.

Again, I request that you reconsider your decision to fund pork barrel projects such as the Washington Parish Reservoir, especially when our state is overwhelmed with crisis and debt.

It is my understanding that you have the power to rescind any funds that are allocated to the reservoir projects. I respectfully ask that you rescind and void any funds for unneeded and unwanted reservoirs in our state, and in particular, Washington Parish.

The reservoir projects in this state have become clouded with controversy. The Washington Parish Reservoir is to be modeled after the Poverty Point Reservoir.

This week, it has been reported that the Poverty Point Reservoir Commission is under investigation, and the secretary for the commission was arrested.

The same people who have promoted the Poverty Point Reservoir are involved in the Washington Parish Reservoir project as well as every other reservoir project in Louisiana.

I ask you to please look into this matter before you proceed with allowing funds for the Washington Parish Reservoir.

I don’t believe that this commission fully understands what is involved with the reservoir projects that it is funding.

At present, there are approximately 14 reservoir projects that have been sanctioned by the governor’s office. Each parish has their own handpicked commission to oversee these projects.

Combined, these projects will cost the taxpayers of Louisiana over 1 billion dollars. These reservoirs are touted for economic development and recreation, and for potable water of which no proven need exists.

To obtain property for the reservoir, the reservoir commission has the authority to expropriate, or take without asking, the private property of the citizens who reside on the proposed reservoir site.

For the state of Louisiana to seize private property for economic and recreational development is the epitome of the abuse of the eminent domain law. Eminent Domain was put in place to obtain property for public use such as roads and bridges.

You are approving money for reservoirs that is designated for our Department of Transportation projects. I don’t believe that the average taxpaying citizen of this state would appreciate DOTD funds being diverted from our roads, bridges, and other much needed infrastructure to unneeded reservoirs so that a select few can make some huge deposits in their bank accounts.

This commission has the opportunity and obligation to rescind funding for controversial and unneeded reservoir projects that send our state spiraling into debt.

The state of Louisiana has to accept the charity of other states and the federal government just to pay our basic necessities.

If you tightened Louisiana’s purse strings and put a stop to the self-serving legislators who have been wooed by cunning real estate developers to go along with reservoir projects, our state could stand on its on.

You would at the very least, have another billion dollars to budget to worthwhile projects such as infrastructure, levee systems for our coast line, pay raises for state employees, hospitals, and I could go on and on.

Louisiana is wealthy with resources, but these resources are commonly exploited and misused. Louisiana consistently proves to the world that we are incapable of handling business without the appearance of impropriety.

The buck literally can be stopped here today, and what a proud day this would be for the citizens of Louisiana.

Again, I respectfully ask that you rescind any funds that have been designated for the Washington Parish Reservoir, and stop the waste of any future monies that would be allocated to this harmful and wasteful project.

Jalon Pittman Beech

Dear Bond Commission Member,

In Louisiana, a state drowning in water and political corruption, money continues to flow like water to build Reservoirs.

While citizens statewide are fighting building 14 new Reservoirs, Hurricane Katrina breached a levee, and a reservoir flooded and destroyed New Orleans.

The October 20, 2005 Bond Commission meeting lists $ 3.2 Million for Reservoirs while money has been rescinded for many worthwhile projects.

Will Reservoirs continue to be one of our top priorities, and a foolish waste of our tax money? With the budget problems Louisiana faces this money is badly needed elsewhere.

Should the old and poor suffer, and taxpayers spend $40 to $50 million a lake to make developers wealthy? Will Louisiana change it’s foolish ways, and Politics as usual?

With Louisiana’s budget problems it is foolish to fund projects requiring continued funding year after year that we can’t afford.

The proposed Washington parish Reservoir will desecrate cemeteries, and take the homes of the old and poor.

It is not too late to stop the waste of money on this foolish project before construction begins.

Please, stop the waste of taxpayers’ money for unneeded foolish pork barrel reservoirs.

Sincerely,

James Moore

Community Preservation Alliance http://gundamreservoir.angelfire.com/

Dear Bond Commission members,

I'm writing this letter out of sincere concern for the residents of the State of Louisiana; specifically, Washington Parish. Until Hurricane Katrina, I lived in Louiana and remained active in my local and state government.

The issue with the construction of reservoirs continues to baffle me. Especially in light of the fact that the Bogue Chitto State Park (also in our parish), when completed, will boast 8 lakes and plenty of recreational opportunity.

Louisiana, claims to be suffering financially, yet continue to make foolish decisisons under the guise of economic development.

A reservoir in Washington Parish is not only a waste of tax payer money, but it's way ahead of it's time.

It would appear that vast improvements to the infrastructure should be a top priority versus another recreational water hole.

Washington parish boasts an abundance of water and other natural resources - visit their industrial park website.

Common sense dictates that connecting Washington Parish to the Interstate and a serious look at education prior to spending millions on a reservoir would be the first step towards sound economic development.

As a tourist, I doubt few will be inclined to hook up their ski boats and man their RV's in hopes of looking for Washington Parish.

Thousands have already been wasted on feasibility studies and research.

If money continues to flow towards a reservoir project in Washington Parish, many stand to loose their homes. Cemeteries will be flooded and some of the most historic areas of our parish will be washed away.

The dangers of constructing a 90 foot high dam that stretches one and a half miles long in our parish is paramount. Should a dam of this magnitude fail, it will jeapordize the lives of thousands of residents and infrastructure.

The question you need to ask yourself in the decision making process for funding is, "Can we afford it?" The answer is simply, "No."

I respectfully request that money proposed to further reservoir projects in the State of Louisiana be reallocated to education and disaster relief.

Yours Truly,

Lee Kelley
Las Vegas, NV

Bond Commission hearing July 22, 2005

I am here to oppose any funding for a proposed reservoir in Washington Parish or anywhere in this state until studies are conducted to show a need for potable water reservoirs, or reservoirs for economic development for that matter.
To my knowledge, there have been no studies to show the need for potable water in the state of Louisiana. Before this commission funds millions of dollars into reservoir projects, I am requesting as a law abiding, taxpaying citizen of this state, that this bond commission table any issuance of funds and order studies to find out whether there is or is not a real need for potable water reservoirs in this state, and in particular, Washington Parish. It is far from logical to spend the hard earned tax dollars paid by the average citizen of this state for such unneeded and unwanted reservoirs. Louisiana is a water rich state. We have potable water everywhere that we need to treat responsibly. Anyone with eyes can see that we are losing our coastline, and that we have an abundance of water for drinking, recreation, and development. We need to preserve our land.

My family, friends, and neighbors testified before the Transportation Committee on May 17^th and June 1^st of this year. There were some amendments made to SB 475, Act 71 that created the Washington Parish Reservoir District, but these amendments did not go far enough to help preserve the Oak Grove Community. The Oak Grove Community is clearly a victim of ABUSE of the Eminent Domain law. Eminent Domain was put in place to obtain property for public use such as roads and bridges, not real estate development.

We have developers that are itching to have the Washington Parish reservoir built so that they can capitalize on the demise of the Oak Grove Community and make their millions on real estate deals. It is a disgrace that our state would take part in this.

It was brought to the Transportation Committee’s attention at both hearings that the residents of Washington Parish were not properly informed about Senate Bill 475, Act 71 that was passed on the last day of legislative session in 2003 underneath another bill. In 2004, we unknowingly woke up in Washington Parish as a reservoir district and an agency of the state of Louisiana.

Only a select few knew about this bill and what it entailed. It was supposedly submitted on behalf of the residents of Washington Parish.

Had we known about these plans, we would have had an opportunity to prevent this bill from getting to the legislature.

The Oak Grove Community sits in the heart of Washington Parish and is one of the oldest established communities in our parish.

My great-great grandparents, Thomas and Eliza Moore settled along the Bogalusa Creek in the early 1800’s along with several other pioneer families. The land was passed on to my great grandparents, Bouey and Louisiana Moore in the mid to late 1800’s. My grandmother, Lavada Moore Pittman, who was the youngest of fourteen children inherited 70 acres of the original home place, and passed it down to my parents, Nevels and Betty Pittman. The old log home that was built by Bouey Moore is still in use by my family today. We treasure the land that has been passed down to us, and we have never intended to sell it.

I’ve brought each of you a copy an informative publication that we have begun circulating in my parish to inform citizens about the reservoir project that is looming over our lovely, historic community. I hope you take time to read it.

There are approximately 11 well-kept cemeteries in the Oak Grove Community. The reservoir commission has informed us that two of our cemeteries would definitely be within the footprint of the reservoir, and the others are within the flood zone.

The Oak Grove Baptist Church sits just up the hill from the Bogalusa Creek. It is too close to the footprint of the reservoir for comfort.

One of the most prominent cemeteries in our community is the Rester Cemetery that will be flooded and is the burial place for John and Gideon Rester. These two brothers were civil war veterans. There are also WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Gulf War veterans buried in these cemeteries. It is my understanding that the cost to relocate war veterans is astronomical and would have to be approved by the federal government. Has anyone looked into this aspect before funding the reservoir project?

The proposed reservoir that the state wishes to set atop of the Oak Grove Community is estimated to be 3310 acres of surface water. To make a lake this size, a 90-100 feet high by mile and a half wide earthen dam will be constructed to dam up the Bogalusa Creek causing the water to back up over the Oak Grove Community. Wildlife will die; historic homes and cemeteries will be flooded.

This is all under the guise of the unproven need for potable water and economic development for a select few. This is unacceptable behavior. It is disrespectful of the living and the dead.

At this point, it appears that greedy real estate developers who want the taxpayers to foot the bill for their private developments have influenced our state legislature. I ask this bond commission to at least stop and examine why this state is rushing madly into the reservoir business.

Ask yourselves, is there a true need for reservoirs in Louisiana? Or, are we actually going to fund projects for real estate developers at the taxpayer’s expense? At what cost are we willing for others to pay so that land developers can sell waterfront property with luxury homes to rich people? Oak Grove Community residents range from poor to middle class. Is it right for them to be forced off of their private property and have the burial places of their loved ones disturbed for something that we don’t have a proven need for?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LOUISIANA STYLE!

This is our D.O.T.D. tax money that would be used for ROADS. Should taxpayers spend 40 to 50 million to make a select few wealthy? The reservoir money is badly needed in education, health care, road construction, law enforcement and programs for the poor and elderly.

An article in the Advocate News reported a speech by Transportation Secretary John Bradbury stating. State officials have begun talks on ways to raise new dollars to improve Louisiana roads and bridges. Options include higher gasoline taxes, tolls, fees, permits and private/public partnerships. I have a cure for a portion of our state’s budget crisis. Stop wasting taxpayers’ money on unneeded and unwanted reservoir projects. Spend DOTD money on roads and bridges as it was intended.

My personal feeling is that the concept of the Washington Parish reservoir was fueled by the greed of those who will stand to profit from the construction of the reservoir and the real estate deals that will be made. Please don’t allow money to be funded for unneeded reservoirs.

It would be irresponsible to fund projects that will not benefit the average taxpaying citizen of this state. If this project comes to fruition, it will change the face of the community that I dearly love, and hurt the people who live in the heart of my parish.

In closing, I would like to ask you three questions.

1. Do you believe in your heart of hearts that it is appropriate to expropriate for eminent domain someone’s private property for the sake of “possible” economic development and recreation? Please remember that the word expropriate means to take without asking.
2. Putting yourself in the place of someone whose property will be seized for the construction of this reservoir, would you just submit to it, or would you try to stop it from happening?
3. If your grandparents, mother, father, sister, brother, wife or child were going to be removed from their place of burial so someone could water ski, fish, or play golf, does that seem right to you?

I’ve heard that Senator McPherson is proposing some new legislation to combat the adverse decision that was made by our U.S. Supreme Court regarding an opinion for the use of Eminent Domain for private development. I pray that you will support his efforts.

Jalon Pittman Beech Bogalusa, LA ( Bond Commission Meeting 7/22/05 )

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Reference: Listen to Jalon Pittman Beech Blast Commission
Bond Commission hears concerns on
77.5 Million of $634,205,0000 Cash, $325,640,000 Credit

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Conflict of interest (Reservoir Money) update:

Rep. Bryant O. Hammett, Jr., Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Bond Commission member, professional surveyor & civil engineer, owner of BRYANT HAMMETT & ASSOC is benefiting from Reservoirs through land surveying. His people and trucks (from Ferriday, LA) have been seen putting down surveying stakes at Washington Parish reservoir.

Aquifer water wells used as water source for Poverty Point Lake.

Poverty Point Reservoir is promoted as a model lake producing 100 million gallons of water a month, and costing 26 Million Dollars.
D.O.T.D records show taxpayers have paid $40 Million Dollars with $3.5 Million approved for 2005. Did Denmon Engineering miscalculate the watershed?

Poverty Point Reservoir doesn't have any naturall streams flowing into the lake, and uses six pumps to supply water to the lake. Two large 36'' inch diameter pumps supply water from Bayou Macon. Bayou Macon is a ditch bayou flowing from Lake Chicot in Arkansas.

Poverty Point also uses four large bore 16" inch Mississippi Aluvial Aquifer water wells as a source of water for the lake.

Michael Thompson says the water wells are no longer used, but the Poverty Point 2002 Audit shows .9 million spent for Pumping station, Wells, and Water intake.

DOTD well files show Poverty Point still uses 4 large-bore 16-inch Groundwater Wells of 17 Mississippi Alluvial aquifer Wells for water supply to the lake. Does 2 pumps import water 60 miles from Lake Chicot, Lake Village Arkansas or does the aquifer supply all the water?

Poverty Point Reservoir is used as a model for Washington Parish Reservoir, and Sen. Ben Nevers says it is being built as a source of water.

Will the Washington Parish Reservoir also use aquifer water wells as a source of water? If Alluvial aquifer wells are used to supply water to the lake then it would be possible to locate the lake at any location, and pumps used to fill the lake.

Sen. Nevers says, He is willing to compromise on the path of the Reservoir. Even if water wells are not used; Pumps would make it possible to locate the lake at any location, and not take Cemeteries and homes.

The D.O.T.D. tax money should be spent on roads and bridges instead of foolish pork barrel Reservoirs.

I have some questions for people who are in support of reservoirs in our state and in my own Washington Parish. Here they are:

1. Do you believe in your heart that it is appropriate to expropriate for eminent domain someone’s private property for the sake of “possible” economic development and recreation? Please remember that the word expropriate means to take without asking.

2. Do you believe it is wrong to crush down the homes of the poor and elderly to build a lake, at taxpayers’ expense, so that the rich can build homes on waterfront property?

3. If your grandparents, mother, father, sister, brother, wife or child were going to be removed from their place of burial so someone could water ski, fish, or play golf, does that seem right to you?

4. If you have a high school diploma or G.E.D., do you think you or members of your family could get a high paying job because of this reservoir?

My personal feeling is that the concept of these reservoirs was fueled by the greed of those who will stand to profit from the construction of the reservoir and the real estate deals that will be made.

I do take issue with those few who would want to profit from the demise of the community that I love, and I praise those who so valiantly stand up for the community that they love.

My own state Representative, Harold Ritchie, and state Senator, Ben Nevers, have admitted that the big economic plan is to build nice homes around the reservoir, but what about my parents’ and neighbors’ homes that will be destroyed and our cemeteries that will be desecrated? I guess the dollar signs cloud their vision of what they are doing to the naturally beautiful community of Oak Grove that is located in the heart of Washington Parish.

I believe that these self-serving politicians should not be allowed to pass laws that will pay for their real estate development at the taxpayer’s expense. At this point, I, as a taxpaying citizen of Louisiana, will have to pay taxes so that my own community will be destroyed. I believe an additional statement to a politician’s oath of office should be added just like a physician takes upon graduation from medical school, “First, DO NO HARM.” People wonder why businesses are leaving Louisiana. This kind of bad politics is why businesses and the private sector are leaving this state by the droves.

Mrs. Jalon Pittman Beech

Bogalusa, LA

Good morning, Washington Parish.

My name is Jalon Pittman Beech. As the celebration of our Independence Day is approaching, it reminds me of how blessed we are as one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. This is truly the best place on earth to live.

I'd like to thank all of our war veterans who have bravely defended the United States of America, and also the men and women who are serving this country and making sacrifices for us today. May God bless each and every one of them.

Even though this is the best place to live on the face of this earth, the freedoms that we hold dear are fading away all too quickly. I'm sure it will soon be illegal to say the name Jesus in public. The Christian principles that this country was founded on are what have made us the greatest nation on this earth. Socialism is slowing taking a foothold on our great nation, and even in our own beautiful Washington Parish.

Once upon a time in Washington Parish, we could trust that our elected officials were at the legislature in Baton Rouge taking care of our business and looking after our needs. Now, most are self-serving and it seems that they intend to do us great harm. I believe that a politician should take an oath much like that of a doctor. First, DO NO HARM.

For those of you who are new to this program, I have been providing the listeners of WBOX the real reservoir news every Sunday morning at 8:00 am. Since there is a virtual blackout of our own local newspaper, we have no alternative but to educate people through the airwaves.

I am a native of Washington Parish, and I care very deeply about what happens in this parish and in particular the Oak Grove Community. You see, I was raised in the Oak Grove Community. I have always felt so blessed to be raised in this community.

Oak Grove Community has beautiful rolling hills, towering pines, creeks, and brooks, abundant wildlife, historic homes. One of the homes is the Bouey Moore house that now belongs to my daddy, Pete Pittman.

This old log home was built in the 1880's by my great-great grandparents, Bouey and Louisiana Moore. We treasure the land that has been passed down to us since the early 1800's.

You may be asking yourself, why is this lady talking about where she grew up?
It's because I wish to try to save it.

On the last day of the legislative session in Baton Rouge, then Senator Jerry Thomas, Representative Mike Strain, and Representative Ben Nevers submitted Senate Bill 475, Act 71 through the legislature without any fanfare. It seems harmless, but this silent but very lethal bill created the Washington Parish Reservoir District and actually made us an agency of the state. We didn't know about this bill because it was submitted underneath another bill that was passed. The political term for this is called pork barreling. We, in Washington Parish, literally woke up in 2004 as a reservoir district and an agency of the state.

SB 475, Act 71 gave absolute power to eleven reservoir commissioners to expropriate property anywhere in Washington Parish at their discretion. Expropriation means to take without asking. They could levy taxes on the district, and select a site for a reservoir anywhere in the district that they wanted. Our own parish councilman nominated these reservoir commissioners. They were not elected, but appointed or hand picked to serve 10 year terms. Are you feeling uncomfortable yet? Well, if you are a property owner in Washington Parish, you should feel uncomfortable.

The site selected for the reservoir was the Oak Grove Community.

When you hear the word reservoir in a conversation, what do you think it entails? People think that this reservoir is going to be some pond out in a pasture somewhere out in the country. If the proposed reservoir is allowed to be constructed, it will destroy and entire living community called Oak Grove. It's a real place, with real people with homes, a church, and many well-kept cemeteries.

This beautiful community is located in the heart of Washington Parish and is truly a beautiful place well worth preserving for future generations.

To build this reservoir, a 90-100 feet high by mile and a half wide earthen dam will be constructed to make a 3310 acre lake or reservoir. The Bogalusa Creek that flows through Cassidy Park and provides water to the paper mill will be dammed just above Ben's Ford to create this giant lake. When the water backs up from the dam, it will inundate Oak Grove Community with water covering up some of the most beautiful scenery in this parish. Many families will be displaced, including my own elderly parents. Cemeteries will have to be relocated to accommodate this reservoir. Much of the wildlife will die.

Most people can't believe that our elected and appointed officials could actually be promoting the destruction of an entire community. I regret to inform you, they are promoting it. This project is called a reservoir because on one fork of the tongue it's touted for a potable water source for the north shore. On the other fork of the tongue, it's touted for economic development. Since the proposed reservoir will be adjacent to the landfill or garbage dump, the water will not be potable, so we're left with economic development.

On May 10^th, I visited the legislature in Baton Rouge and spoke to our state representative Harold Ritchie. I asked him why he wanted a reservoir in Washington Parish. His reply to me was his well-rehearsed statement that he thought that it would bring economic development to our parish. I asked him to be more specific because we all know that the reservoir will not bring long lasting jobs here. His reply was that they are going to build nice homes around the lake. I couldn't believe that Mr. Ritchie was telling me this in the presence of several other people. I asked him what about my parents' home and the cemeteries that will be desecrated? That's the big economic plan for our parish? Who will be building these homes? Is the state going into the real estate business? I'll was just a little bit more than disgusted after that conversation with our state representative.

Since the big economic plan is to build nice big homes around this huge lake, how is this going to help this parish as a whole? I believe that it won't help the average citizen or resident of this parish.

We will be ladened with more poverty and disappointment. The self-serving few will get wealthy off their contracts and real estate deals, consultant fees, etc. Are you thinking about moving out of the parish or state? Don't leave us yet. I believe we can change it for the better. I'm not going to lie to you, I've thought about leaving this place myself.

I've felt very betrayed and downtrodden when I became aware of what our elected officials and reservoir commissioners had decided for my family's future, but I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel. This reservoir is not a done deal. I'm going to ask you to help us save the Oak Grove Community from being covered by a reservoir.

All it takes is for you to just know about it and support us in our efforts to save it. The more informed of the true facts regarding the reservoir, the more disgusted you will become with our local politicians and reservoir commission as we did. I never thought that anything could happen like this here in Washington Parish, but it has. We trusted our parish council, state representative, and state senator to do what's best for us, and they have broken that trust. However, knowledge is power. These people were elected, and they can and probably will be replaced.

This reservoir project is nothing more than a pleasure lake for the rich. In Senate Bill 475, Act 71 it allows for marinas, golf courses, park areas, among many other things. Potable water is at the bottom of this list. That's because this is a real estate deal. The only reason that the elected and appointed officials are saying that the reservoir is for potable water is because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will only issue a permit for a reservoir if it is to be used for potable water. The Washington Parish landfill is just uphill from Bett's Creek that flows into the Bogalusa Creek. The Bogalusa Creek will be dammed to create the reservoir. It's not even logical that this big lake could be used for potable water. It would be like getting your drinking water from a sewage pond.

Some people just innocently don't realize the ramifications of what a reservoir will do to the face of the Oak Grove Community. When you hear surface information and hear that it will bring jobs, better schools, and health care, it probably sounds good to some of you. None of us are against progress and economic development. I'm opposed to destroying an entire community for empty promises.

Our elected representatives should be working to obtain real industry in our parish. Too many industries have visited us, and left with nasty tastes in their mouths.

On the front page of the Bogalusa Daily News for last Sunday's issue, it had a photo of Bogue Chitto State park that is located on the West Side of Washington Parish. It will host 10 beautiful lakes that are already in existence. It will be completed within two years. There is no need for a reservoir in Washington Parish. We are rich in water resources without any manipulation by man. I really didn't appreciate the way the writer portrayed landowners in the article when she said that most of the property owned along the Bogue Chitto River was privately owned and that people were not allowed access.

This is true, but is it right for the government to expropriate or take from landowners their private property so that others may have a right to have access to the property? There has always been land for sale along the Bogue Chitto River, and in the Oak Grove Community for that matter. As an American citizen, we have a right to own and manage our own private property, or do we? Maybe I'm reading too much into things these days. That statement just struck me wrong.

I and some other NO RESERVOIR people attended the last council meeting on June 6th. I appreciate all who were in attendance to support our cause and to sit in and listen to see what business that our parish council was attending to. This parish council meeting was of particular interest because the council introduced an ordinance to levy taxes for the 2005 tax roll on all property subject to taxation in Washington Parish (Introduced by Darwin Sharp) For those of you who don't know, Darwin Sharp is the council chairman.

A public hearing will be held July 11, 2005. As the time approaches, I will find out more about the specifics of the public hearing and make you aware of the details. It is important for the public to attend this public meeting and be heard if you object to having the council levy more taxes on your property. Again, this public hearing regarding property taxes will be held July 11^th.

When the parish council meeting got around to the public participation portion of the meeting, two people that are anti-reservoir asked to speak to the council.

I spoke and told the council the following:

On the West side of Washington Parish, we will have a beautiful state park hosting 10 lakes an the Bogue Chitto River for fun and recreation.

On the East side of Washington Parish, we have the Pearl River with the locks and canals that will remain open to the public for fun and recreation.

In the heart of Washington Parish, is the beautiful Bogalusa Creek, rolling hills, towering pines, historic homes, and cemeteries. The Oak Grove Baptist Church is just up the hill from the Bogalusa Creek. People routinely drive through the Oak Grove Community just to take in its beauty.

I maintain that there is no need for a reservoir here in Washington Parish. We have potable water everywhere that we need to treat responsibly. It doesn't take a scientist to know that the water of the proposed reservoir will not be potable. The landfill is uphill from Bett's Creek that flows into the Bogalusa Creek.

I spoke to our state representative, Harold Ritchie, at the legislature on May 10^th. I asked him why he wanted a reservoir in Washington Parish. Mr. Ritchie told me that he thought it would bring economic development to our parish.

I asked him to be more specific about what kind of economic development since we all know that the reservoir will not bring long lasting jobs here. His reply to me was, "we are going to build nice homes around the lake."

My reply to him was, "what about my parents home and the cemeteries that will be desecrated."

So building nice homes around the lake that will sit on top of the Oak Grove Community is the big economic plan.

By constructing this reservoir over an existing community is disrespectful of the living and the dead.

Again, I ask you to withdraw your support for this reservoir.

The parish council provided no comment.

Also, Mr. Jim Stokes from the Oak Grove Community spoke out to the council against the reservoir and presented over a 1000 signatures of people who were against the reservoir.

We received no support from our parish council.

The next Washington Parish council meeting will be held Monday evening, June 27^th 6:00 pm at the Washington Parish Courthouse. Please mark the date and time on your calendar and plan to be there. As I've mentioned in previous broadcasts, this is where the trouble began. Had some of us been in attendance at the parish council meetings a couple of years ago, we could have warned our family, friends, and neighbors as to what these men were planning for our future.

Our parish council needs to see the faces of those whom they represent.

These meetings are normally not very lengthy. The public participation portion near the end of the meeting certainly doesn't last very long since each person who wishes to address the council is limited to three minutes.

I seek the help of our Lord, and the help of all of you out there who care about your fellow man. The residents of Oak Grove Community are in trouble folks, and they need our help to overcome this injustice that has been heaped upon them by those who say they represent us. People have become complacent and have forgotten that the government is for the people, by the people.

This is our land, and these public and appointed officials are servants of the people-not gods to be worshipped. It is our duty to be involved in public affairs because we are the public. Those of us who call ourselves Christians have really dropped the ball over the last few decades. While we were sleeping, prayer and the Bible were replaced with guns, knives and homosexual orientations in our schools. Christmas has been replaced with winter holiday. Do you see where we're moving in this country? I do, and it sickens me. Millions of unborn children are butchered in their mother's womb every year.

What has become of us as a nation?

It was once taught in our school, right here in Washington Parish to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." What a thought? If people followed this golden rule, this would be such a wonderful place to live.

Get your pencil ready;
I'm going to give you some information regarding the Reservoir Political Wrongdoing web site. All of you folks who surf the Internet, I encourage you to visit this informative web site. On this web site you will see that there is a wealth of information that the average everyday person like you and me doesn't have access to.

A fellow by the name of Mr. James Moore from Pitkin, Louisiana, developed and maintains this web site. There are seven other parishes that have experienced the same abuse of power that Washington Parish has been experiencing. The other parishes are Allen, Ouachita, Lincoln, Morehouse, and Jackson.

Here's the web address for the Reservoir Political Wrongdoing web site: http://gundamreservoir.angelfire.com/.

I'll read you some excerpts from the first page of the Reservoir Political Wrongdoing web site:

Economic Development is used as a means of Political Wrongdoing. A traveling Reservoir Salesman is going from parish to parish promoting Economic Development Lakes for a $100,000 a year consulting fee.

Washington Parish Reservoir proposed for Recreation Tourism was created by Regular Session 2003 Senate Bill 475 Act 71 by Sen. Thomas, Rep. Ben Nevers, Rep. Strain, with Francis C. Thompson promoting Site work, and Reservoir group told to think big, long term by Expert Michael L. Thompson who is now Lake Director with Denmon as Engineer.

Most all of our letters to the editor are placed on the Reservoir Political web site for all the world to see.

Here's a letter written on behalf of Washington Parish residents by Mr. James Moore. It was sent to all legislators in Louisiana. It's also on the web site in the News section.

Dear Legislator,

Louisiana Legislators are proposing the desecration of 5 Cemeteries, taking of Churches and Homes to build a Reservoir in Washington Parish for Economic Development to build homes around the Lake.

How would you feel if your family's graves were being disturbed?
Citizens guilty of the desecration of a cemetery would be subject to a $500 fine and six months in jail.

The Reservoir promoted by private developers serving on the Reservoir Commission has the support of elected officials they are in business with. Rep. Ritchie's, Sen. Ben Nevers, and his co-partner corporations with Reservoir Commission members will gain financially.
Should taxpayers spend 40 to 50 million to make these officials wealthy?

Rep. Ritchie, and Sen. Nevers say they want the Reservoir for Economic Development produced by building homes on the lake, but was unable to answer when asked to name jobs created other than temporary construction, or a few minimum wage jobs.

Commissions with the power to take property, do any and all things, consisting of friends, family members, and politically connected as a means of Political Payback seems to be politics as usual in Louisiana.

I pray other Legislators will amend Sen. Nevers Senate-Bill 278, and Rep. Ritchie's House-Bill 518 to also limit the Unchristian Desecration of Cemeteries, and the taking of Churches and Homes.

Please help save Churches and Homes, desecration of Cemeteries, and make it possible for departed loved ones to REST IN PEACE.

Sincerely, James Moore

Please take a look at this informative web site. If you don't have access to the Internet, go to your neighbor's house that does have the Internet. Here's the web address again: http://gundamreservoir.angelfire.com/

There are people from all over this state who are putting forth the effort to save our community from this horrific land grab. I ask you, here at home, to help as well. Talk about it with your family, friends, and co-workers. The one thing that the promoters of this reservoir don't want is for people to find out the truth. When the truth gets out, things will begin to change here in Washington Parish. It may even have an affect on our entire state. There is truly power in prayer, knowledge, and networking with other supporters of our cause.

My family, friends, and neighbors appreciate all of the support that has been growing every week to help us fight the onslaught of this reservoir. We need to keep adding numbers to our little band, and reach out to all of those wonderful people who are so willing to help us. If you not able to help in a physical sense by attending council meetings, then by all means fervently pray that the LORD will give us wisdom and guide our footsteps as we combat this Goliath of a government system.

I was raised by a Christian father and mother who always told me to put some steps to those prayers. I believe that God expects us to act on our faith, live our faith. It is the essence of who we really are. When Israel was faced with impending doom to be killed by the giants, David could have simply prayed that God would strike the giant dead, but David knew what he had to do. He picked up a stone to sling at the giant's forehead. We all know that God guided the stone that killed the giant, but David acted on faith and performed the work.

Thank you to all who have listened to this broadcast. As you can probably discern, I dearly love my family and home, and the community where I grew up. If you would like to speak to me personally, you may call me at my home at (985) 730-5052 between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm. If I'm not available, I'll return your call.

For the real reservoir news, tune into WBOX FM 92.9 Sunday mornings at 8:00 am. This is Jalon Beech. God Bless.

God Bless the USA

[WBOX NO RESERVOIR Broadcast 06122005]

Good morning, Washington Parish.

God Bless the USA is one of the most patriotic songs I have ever heard. It reminds each of us that freedom is not free. We owe a great debt to those brave men and women who willingly sacrificed their lives so that we can enjoy what we have today.

As time goes by, it is becoming apparent that we are losing our freedoms, especially as land owners in this country, and in particular in this parish that we live in.

For the benefit of our new listeners, I have been informing the listeners of WBOX about the real news regarding the proposed reservoir project that is in process of being forced upon us by our elected and appointed officials.

My name is Jalon Pittman Beech. I am a daughter of Washington Parish, and in particular the Oak Grove Community. My parents are Pete and Betty Pittman. My family’s roots run as deep here in this parish as most any resident that is from this parish. My great-great grandparents, Thomas and Eliza Moore traveled to a wilderness on the Bogalusa Creek in the early 1800’s. It’s now known as the Oak Grove Community.

My family still has 70 acres of the original home place. The log cabin that was built by my great grandparents, Bouey and Louisiana Moore, is still in use by my family today. I want to encourage you to drive down Moore Road to take a look at it. This serene place is truly living history.

We would like for this place to be preserved for future generations.

Last week, I gave you an account of the House Transportation Committee meeting that was held on May 17^th at the Louisiana legislature.

Senator Ben Nevers and Harold Ritchie submitted amendments to the previously passed Senate Bill 475, Act 71 that caused this reservoir mess in the first place. There were many questions and concerns raised regarding the constitutionality of the initial bill regarding levying taxes on the reservoir district of Washington Parish, and the cemeteries that would be desecrated for the construction of the reservoir project.

I watched the archived video of the Transportation Committee Meeting of May 17^th. It was very enlightening to me. At the beginning of the video, before the meeting was called to order, it shows Representative Harold Ritchie standing up at the Transportation Committee Chairman’s seat. I couldn’t hear what Representative Ritchie was saying, but I could hear all too clear what the chairman was saying. It’s all on tape.

The chairman is joking with Mr. Ritchie about digging up the graves.

What kind of bill is this?

Ritchie digging up the graves.

The chairman was laughing his head off. This concerns me greatly. This is no laughing matter to those of us here at home. You see; Mr. Ritchie is in the funeral home business, and the committee chairman was very well aware of that and so were the other committee members. How cold is that?

There were people there that day to testify on our behalf. They did a wonderful job. Due to the inability of Representative Ritchie to knowledgably answer the committee’s questions and concerns, the amendments were tabled or deferred for further investigation. This was monumental because every bill that has been submitted regarding reservoir projects have been rubberstamped by all committees without any questions.

There were many phone calls and letters sent to the Transportation Committee in support of the Oak Grove Community residents. They were included with the record. On behalf of my family and our community, thank you so much for your outpouring of support. It was noticed.

On June 1^st, the Transportation Committee reconvened to hear Representative Harold Ritchie’s and Senator Nevers’ amendments. Due to the last mishap, Representative Harold Ritchie deferred the speaking to Senator Ben Nevers. My family and I as well as many others from the Oak Grove Community were present at this meeting. Of course, Mr. Nevers called out the guard so to speak.

There were members of the reservoir commission, Michael Thompson, our reservoir consultant and brother to Representative Francis Thompson, and Terry Denmon with Denmon Engineering and I believe he holds some offices in our state as well.

Senator Nevers started off testifying how no one loves Washington Parish as much as he does, and how it hurts him to have to do things for the betterment of the parish that will displace his friends.

He went on that the reservoir is for much needed potable water. He mentioned nothing about economic development. He offered no evidence of the need for potable water; he just says that there is a need. I don’t see how he can call himself a friend to the residents of Oak Grove Community. You decide.

When you come into the committee room at the legislature, there are green cards placed on the testifying table in front of the committee. You can fill them out and give them to the sergeant of arms to give to the committee chairman. You indicate the bill number, if you are in support of the bill or in opposition to it. You can also request to speak. The committee chairman had a large stack of cards for the bill involving Washington Parish residents. There were a few of us who requested to speak.

There were 4 of us from the Oak Grove Community who spoke: Dana Magee, Win Pittman, Jim Stokes, and myself. Leslie March with the Sierra Club, and Lee Kelley of Bogalusa also spoke on behalf of residents who are in opposition to the reservoir. I believe that all of us from the Oak Grove Community were in support of amendments to the bad bill that was passed in 2003. The amendments made the reservoir bill more palatable for some, but it still will destroy the Oak Grove Community, as it is known today. The room was full with residents from Washington Parish. People were standing around the walls and flowing to the outside. We had pretty good representation. It greatly impressed the committee that we would all cared so much.

For me, I will not be satisfied until we have representation that will submit and amendment to Senate Bill 475, Act 71 that will abolish the reservoir district and its commission. When I testified before the committee, I told them of my family’s rich heritage and the beauty of the community where I grew up.

Mr. Nevers and Mr. Ritchie said they didn’t know about the civil war veteran buried in the Rester Cemetery when asked by one of the committee members.

I told them that his name was John Rester, and that he had a beautiful white marble head stone. I understood that this committee was put in a position to where they were forced to amend Act 71 because of the unconstitutionality of the bill that was passed on the last day of legislative session in 2003. Since we didn’t have public input then, the amendments submitted gave us an opportunity to go on record to voice our opposition to the reservoir, and to let the committee know that there were many people in Washington Parish that are just now finding out about the reservoir.

I’ll read you the letter that I submitted for the Transportation Committee record for June 1^st 2005:

As a citizen of Washington Parish and the state of Louisiana, I would like to let you know that I oppose the reservoir that is proposed in Washington Parish.It is my understanding that the concept of a reservoir was conceived and the planning stages began several years ago without the people of our parish being properly informed as to what was in their future.We became aware as we saw the planes taking photographs over our homes. I am finding that the more people who are becoming aware of the proposed reservoir, the more people we find who are against the reservoir.

If the proposed reservoir comes to fruition, it will wipe away an entire community called Oak Grove. Oak Grove is in the center or heart of Washington Parish. This community was established in the early 1800's by pioneers. I am a great-great granddaughter of two of those pioneers. Their names are Thomas and Eliza Moore. The land that they purchased before the civil war still remains in my father's possession today. We have 70 acres of the original home place that we wish to keep and pass on to the next generation. The old log home that was built by my great-grandparents, Bouey and Louisiana Moore, is still in use by my family today.

There are two cemeteries that will definitely be desecrated by the reservoir.

There could possibly be three more. If they are not inundated with the reservoir, they will be in the flood zone.

I have family in nearly all of them. The Rester family cemetery has seven generations in it. People are still being buried there.

Mr. John Rester was a civil war veteran. Over one hundred graves are in that cemetery alone. If I were to desecrate one grave that would be a $500 fine, but the state wishes to desecrate two to five entire cemeteries in one community. Cemeteries are considered sacred in our culture. One of the granddaughters of John Rester told me about when John Rester's young daughter died; he buried her in this cemetery. He couldn't stand the thought of it raining on his daughter's grave, so he constructed a covering for her little grave. What has become of us that we don't respect the burial place of people who have gone before us?

As I was listening to the archived video, I heard Rep. Downs say that the word desecration was an inflammatory word. I beg to differ. The word desecration fits what is happening to where I grew up. An entire community will be desecrated so that the state can go into the real estate business. I call that disrespectful of the living and the dead.

My parents have been public servants all of their adult lives. My dad, Nevels Pittman, is a Korean War Veteran, retired from the Army Reserve, and a retiree from the Louisiana Forestry Commission. My mother, Betty Pittman, is a retired hospice nurse. They’ve worked all of their lives to now be in a nightmare caused by people who supposedly represent their needs.

I, and others of my family and neighbors do not want our homes and cemeteries disturbed.

I watched the archived video of the May 17^th Transportation Committee Meeting. I appreciate the questions raised by other representatives. We have had those questions and concerns all along. The circumstances surrounding the way SB 475, Act 71 was submitted to the legislature is questionable in the very least. It was passed with another bill on top of it on the last day of session in 2003. We, in Washington Parish, woke up in 2004 as a reservoir district and an agency of the state. No, we were not informed or consulted about this reservoir project. Our elected officials know very well that we would have opposed it then as we do now.

Only people that were promoting this project were aware of its existence, and details of what was involved in a reservoir.

My elderly parents, my brother and myself will be traveling to sit in on your committee meeting June 1^st. Our home place is precious to us and we would like to keep it for future generations to enjoy.

I appreciate your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jalon Pittman Beech

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Again, I would like to thank all who called, wrote in, and visited the legislature June 1^st even Mr. Huey Pierce, the Chairman of the reservoir commission who so valiantly testified to the need for potable water as he waved his water bottle to the committee. All of this just proves our point. Potable water, my foot.

In regard to the Washington Parish reservoir commission, Michael Thompson, the reservoir consultant, and Denmon Engineering, it has come to light that there are many possible conflicts of interest regarding this committee as well as our own locally elected officials. It’s all a matter of public record and one doesn’t have to look to deep to find it.

To learn more about the Reservoir Political Wrongdoing, go to this informative web site: http://gundamreservoir.angelfire.com/ It spells it out all too clear.

It is a shame that our own local newspapers and other news media don’t report on all of the information and events pertaining to the reservoir. I’ve spoken with news people from Baton Rouge. They are very interested in our plight. It is apparent that the local newspapers are politician worshippers, and don’t want to offend them by telling the truth.

As I’ve told you before, I’m from the Oak Grove Community. I love the people there with all of my heart. It’s such a beautiful, peaceful place to go to get a way from the hustle and bustle of things. I cannot bear the thought of an entire community being flushed away like waste so that some may profit from its demise. Profit, they will.

The recent amendments take care of a few errors in Act 71 and left some that live on the outside of the footprint of the reservoir with a feeling of relief, but let me tell you that your property is still not safe.

If you live anywhere within a half-mile around the footprint of the reservoir, you will be in jeopardy of losing your property. Expropriation is still in the bill. There’s no such thing as floating golf courses and resorts. That will require land. There’s no limitation to the size of the reservoir. Right now, they have thrown us the bone of 3310 acres with a 90-100 feet by mile and a half wide earthen dam. They could make the reservoir 20,000 acres if they desired it. These reservoir commissioners, politicians and supporters of the reservoir have the desire to take our community. The Bible calls this sin covetousness. They want something that belongs to someone else.

It is a shame that we have to plead with our local politicians to not desecrate our cemeteries. The abuse of the eminent domain law is very blatant in our case. The eminent domain law was to be used to obtain property for projects such as roads and bridges for public use. Eminent domain means to take without asking. I never thought in my wildest dreams that people would want to destroy the community where I grew up. It’s unbearable to dwell on it, but it’s fast coming to reality if we don’t stand up and tell our officials that we don’t want a reservoir covering the Oak Grove Community.

How dare they force this upon us, and then expect us to lie down and be mowed over like grass. I want you to look into your heart, and ask yourself, what have we become? Do we want to see our neighbors treated like refuse? I would also like to ask all of my Christian brothers and sisters out there to get involved. The church has fallen asleep to let the Bible and prayer be removed from our schools; children are aborted by the millions every year in this country. Wake up! We are losing everything that makes us American. This country was built on Christian principles, and we have let it go to the dogs. Now, they want the very land that our ancestors toiled and labored over so that we may have something of value and a piece of our heritage one day.

For the many people who live in the Oak Grove Community, this is your community, stand up for it just as our ancestors did many years ago. Go to the council meetings and demand that your councilman represent your needs and withdraw their support for the reservoir. Times have changed.

We can no longer depend on our elected and appointed officials to represent our needs. Most are self-serving. We are in a sad state of affairs here in Washington Parish, but with a little effort, we can make a difference.

Don’t feel like the reservoir is too big of an issue to tackle. The few of us who have been working have made great strides for the better. We have been attacking this issue from every angle that we can find, and it’s working. We need more people to get involved in changing the direction we are heading in this parish. I long for some of the people that I have had in my life who have passed on who would have never allowed our community to be subject to this destruction, but I believe that there are those out there who could take their rightful place and forge ahead with what’s right.

We have wonderful help from outside of our parish. I would like to see more of the same effort from within our parish.

We have had meetings in a couple of locations when it was necessary to disseminate information. We will have more. You would be surprised at the network of people who have emerged in opposition to the reservoir.

For those of you who live or know people who reside in Plainview, Bens Ford, and Bogalusa, if this reservoir is constructed, you will be at risk of a dam failure.

The proposed reservoir is 3310 acres. A 90-100 feet high by mile and half wide dam will strain to hold back the billions of gallons of water to be housed by this reservoir. There is no provision for you in Senate Bill 475, Act 71 or its amendments if the dam breaks. This will be an earthen dam-not concrete and steel. It will dam up the Bogalusa Creek. Yes, the same one that flows through Bogalusa’s Cassidy Park and supplies water to the paper mill. There have been many major earthen dam failures reported in our country this passed year. How irresponsible of the reservoir commission to select a site for the reservoir that would put thousands at risk of falling victim to a manmade Tsunami.

We had a major dam failure in March of 2004 not too far from here. The damage sustained as reported by the national weather service was comparable to an F2 to F3 tornado. This happened at Big Bay Lake near Purvis, Mississippi. By the grace of God, the dam broke while people were at work and children were in school.

If it had happened in the middle of the night, hundreds of lives would have been lost. If you want to take a look for yourself and have access to the Internet, type in Big Bay Lake Dam Failure in your search engine. It should pop right up for you. Big Bay Lake was only a 900-acre lake with a 50-foot high dam. Just think what would happen if the dam just above Bens Ford failed. It would be catastrophic.

I have become a proponent of attending council meetings. I would like to encourage all of you who are able, to attend the parish council meetings that are normally held every 2^nd and 4^th Monday of the month. This month, the first council meeting will be held, Monday June 6^th, 6:00 pm at the courthouse in Franklinton.

All of this reservoir business was started at one of our parish council meetings a couple of years ago when our councilmen were asked to submit names to be selected for a reservoir commission. Had we been there to see what they were up to, I wouldn’t have to be talking to you about it today. If we go, then maybe they will remember whom they represent.

I would like to thank all of you who have listened faithfully to this broadcast. I will try to keep this up for as long as I can. I may need to take a much-needed break from time to time. It’s tough fighting reservoirs, and we could use a little help. I hope to see you at the parish council meetings. I may not be at every single one, but I’m going to try my best to make it at least once a month.

The people of this parish are precious to me, and I don’t want to see our way of life spoiled by self-serving officials and supporters of the reservoir.

I’ll repeat some questions that I proposed in a previous broadcast to people who are in support of the reservoir, or they just haven’t made up their minds yet. Here they are:

Do you believe in your heart of hearts that it is appropriate to expropriate for eminent domain someone’s private property for the sake of “possible” economic development and recreation? Please remember that the word expropriate means to take without asking.

Putting yourself in the place of someone whose property will be seized for the construction of this reservoir, would you just submit to it, or would you try to stop it from happening?

If your grandparents, mother, father, sister, brother, wife or child were going to be removed from their place of burial so someone could water ski, fish, or play golf, does that seem right to you?

If you have a high school diploma or G.E.D., do you think you or members of your family could get a high paying job because of this reservoir? If yes, please list some of the job opportunities that you believe a high school graduate would be qualified for, and what the salary would be.

My personal feeling is that the concept of this reservoir was fueled by the greed of those who will stand to profit from the construction of the reservoir and the real estate deals that will be made.

I do take issue with those few who would want to profit from the demise of the community that I love, and I praise those who so valiantly stand up for the community that they love.

It’s my understanding that there is a right and a wrong way of conducting our selves, an inborn code of ethics that most of us are brought up by. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. If we applied this principle, what a wonderful place this would be.

I’ll repeat the reservoir political wrongdoing web site for those of you who missed it earlier in the broadcast, it is http://gundamreservoir.angelfire.com/

If you would like to speak to me personally, you are welcome to call me at 985-730-5052 between the hours of 9:00am and 8:00 pm. If you get my voicemail, please leave your name and phone number. I’ll return your call as soon as I can.

For the real reservoir news, tune into WBOX FM 92.9 or 920 AM Sunday Mornings at 8:00 a.m. This is Jalon Beech. God Bless

[WBOX NO RESERVOIR BROADCAST 06052005-Jalon Beech]

Good morning Washington Parish! God bless the USA.

My name is Jalon Beech and I would like to talk too you about the “Land that I Love”, and about the freedom that we all cherish and hold so dear in this country.

For the benefit of our new listeners, I would like to tell you a little about where I grew up and about my heritage. In the early 1800’s, my great-great grand parents Thomas and Eliza Moore came to a wilderness on the Bogalusa Creek now known as the Oak Grove community. They carved out a life for their children as most did in that time period.

As time passed, this beautiful tract of land was handed down to Bouey and Louisiana Moore. They raised 14 children in a small log home. My grandmother, Lavada Pittman, the baby daughter of Bouey and Louisiana Moore inherited the old log home and 70 acres of the original home place.

Now, time has passed this lovely place to my sweet elderly parents, Pete and Betty Pittman. My family cherishes the rich heritage and beauty that has been passed down to us.

I tell you this story to let you know that the Reservoir Commission of Washington Parish believes that it would benefit the parish by seizing my parent’s and their neighbor’s land and turning it into a pleasure resort for the rich.

As Lee Greenwood so beautifully sang at the beginning of this program, I have always considered myself and my family as being free Americans, “With the constitutional right as citizens of America, the right to life and the pursuit of happiness”.

I’m here this morning to share with you some facts about the proposed reservoir in Washington Parish, and to inform you of some local events that have happened regarding the reservoir issue that may be of interest to you.

You may not be aware, due to the evident black out of the media, that there was a court hearing this past week on May 3^rd and 4^th regarding the alleged violation of the open meeting law or what is otherwise known as the Sunshine Law by the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission.

On May 3^rd, the court was convened around 9:30 a.m. at the parish courthouse in Franklinton for the purpose of hearing several small cases as well as the case brought by two parish residents, Nevels Pittman and Marvin Moore against the Washington Parish Reservoir District.

The courtroom was overflowing with supporters of the Oak Grove residents to see justice served. There was not adequate seating at the courtroom that was selected for the reservoir case. It was in the basement. Many of the elderly as well as other attendees had to stand for long periods of time, but they were diehards. The judge finally told us to come back and she would hear the case for 1:00 p.m.

After coming back from lunch, I was pleased and grateful to see so many had returned to observe the proceedings. We still had to wait until about 3:40 p.m. Two witnesses provided testimony on behalf of the plaintiff’s, my dad and Marvin). One of the witnesses for the plaintiff’s was a former Bogalusa Daily News reporter who interviewed Mr. Huey Pierce on January 3^rd regarding the site selection meeting on January 5^th, and reported it in the January 4^th issue of the Bogalusa Daily News.

This same reporter was also present at the January 5^th meeting. She testified under oath that the public was not allowed to ask questions or make comments. The other testimony that was heard this same day was from another well-respected member of our community. His testimony correlated with the daily news reporter’s testimony that the public was instructed not to make comments or ask questions by Mr. Pierce. The judge then said that the case would be continued at 1:00 p.m. the next day.

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on May 4^th the court convened again and testimonies were given. We were all relieved to be moved to the larger courtroom, which still was barely large enough to contain the number of people in attendance.

There were approximately 13 witnesses for the plaintiffs for both days of testimony. All of these witnesses’ testimony was about the fact that the public was not allowed to make comment or ask questions at the public meeting that was called by the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission for the purpose of site selection for the proposed reservoir on January 5^th 2005.

All of these witnesses reported and testified, under oath, that they were not allowed to make comments or ask questions at this public meeting. And, I will let you, the listener know, that all of the people who testified on behalf of the plaintiffs are all upstanding, honest, hardworking citizens of this parish. They were neither hysterical nor too emotional to know what they heard at the January 5^th meeting or in court as portrayed by the judge. They all experienced the same thing. In my opinion it’s called intimidation.

Among the materials allowed into evidence, was a copy of the Bogalusa Daily News January 4^th issue that stated that the public was invited to attend the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission meeting, but would not be allowed to make comments or ask questions.

There were approximately 3 witnesses for the defense. Mr. Huey Pierce, the chairman of the Washington Parish Reservoir District was the most prominent witness. I will add that Mr. Pierce even admitted that the quotes in the January 4^th newspaper were accurate, but that they "were taken out of context".

After hearing the testimonies and examining the evidence, the judge addressed the public and said, I wish this many of you would show up for jury selection and we could try some criminal cases. She also said (I’m paraphrasing) I can’t believe that you people believe everything you read in the newspaper. There’ so many misquotes and typo’s that it’s unreliable. She also stated that it was her opinion that the people at the meeting of January 5^th were very emotional and probably heard what they wanted to hear, and then she ruled in favor of the defendant.

Folks, people heard what they heard. In my opinion, the newspaper article reporting quotes from Mr. Pierce was very intimidating to the public. However, people came to the meeting anyway to find out their fate and the fate of their family, friends, and neighbors. I was present at that meeting, and I know what I heard, and it is contrary to the testimony provided by the defense.

These people who were in attendance at the site selection meeting of January 5^th are all respected members of the rural communities of this parish. Many of these residents showed up in court on May 3^rd and 4^th to testify to what they saw and heard at the meeting, and to testify to the fact that they were not allowed to make comments or ask questions as instructed by Mr. Pierce at the beginning of the meeting and at the end of the meeting.

The case has not yet been appealed. Once a Judgment has been submitted, an appeal will be filed. Don’t worry. I will keep you informed.

There’s also something that I would like to clear up for the people who were not in attendance at the last parish council meeting on April 25^th. Mr. Bill Fowler, a freelance writer, whose articles appear in the Era Leader had a story that made the front page Wednesday, May 4^th, entitled Residents Voice Concerns About Canal, Reservoir. I called the Era Leader to let them know that the way this article was written, it did not shed a favorable light on me and other people who were with me. Mrs. Moggie referred me to Mr. Fowler. I did call him, and we discussed the happenings at that meeting since we were both present, and we have recordings of it.

I will read an excerpt from this article, and let you, the listener, decide how it reflects on me, my family, and others who oppose the reservoir in Washington Parish. I quote, “The majority of the people attending the council meeting were there to continue their protest against the proposed mid-parish reservoir. Those parish residents pressing for the defeat of the proposal were Richard Wade, Jalon Pittman Beech, Nevels Pittman, Glen Rester, Liz Stokes, and Glenn Galloway. Comments have now become accusations with strong invective against the council members and threats of recall petitions or efforts to see that the councilmen are voted out of office.” End quote.

Mr. Fowler’s reporting of the council was mostly accurate. However, it tends to shed an unfavorable light on the people who are opposed to the reservoir. My daddy, Nevels Pittman, humbly asked for the support of the council. He didn’t demand it. I never asked for a recall. I read my speech to the council and reported what I said to you on last week’s broadcast. We are honest, hardworking people trying to save our community.

Mr. Fowler did not report all of the happenings at that particular council meeting. He left out that the council did not call to order members of the audience that were using profanity and exclaiming loudly toward the representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers. Did he say that the Pool’s Bluff residents that wanted to keep their lock open protested and made accusations? No, he did not. He wrote, “Quite a bit of dismay at the closing was expressed by those attending the sessions as well as members of the parish council and Parish President Toye Taylor.” They expressed strong concerns.

Let me tell you folks. The people who go to speak out against the reservoir also express strong concerns. There were no threats or accusations . I can’t speak for others, but those who were with me were speaking the truth, and yes, we are opposed to the reservoir that will disrupt cemeteries, elderly residents, and the heart of our parish, and it will also burden us with taxes that we can’t afford. We want to know where our public officials stand on this issue, and yes it will determine whether or not we may or may not support them in any upcoming election process.

Now, as I prepare to close out this broadcast, I have a few questions for the people who say they support the proposed reservoir or say that they haven’t made up their minds yet. It’s my understanding that there is a right and a wrong way of conducting our selves, an inborn code of ethics that most of us are brought up by. Here they are:

1. Do you believe in your heart of hearts that it is appropriate to expropriate for eminent domain someone’s private property for the sake of “possible” economic development and recreation? Please remember that the word expropriate means to take without asking.

2. Putting yourself in the place of someone whose property will be seized for the construction of this reservoir, would you just submit to it, or would you try to stop it from happening?

3. If your grandparents, mother, father, sister, brother, wife or child were going to be removed from their place of burial so someone could water ski, fish, or play golf, does that seem right to you?

4. If you have a high school diploma or G.E.D., do you think you or members of your family could get a high paying job because of this reservoir? If yes, please list some of the job opportunities that you believe a high school graduate would be qualified for, and what the salary would be.

My personal feeling is that the concept of this reservoir was fueled by the greed of those who will stand to profit from the construction of the reservoir and the real estate deals that will subsequently be made.

Senator Nevers referred to the Pearl River locks on March 17th as a failed project. He said that people sacrificed (in other words, had their land expropriated or taken) for those locks to be constructed. The real deal folks is that our elected officials who negotiated with the federal government way back when didn't have the foresight to make an agreement to revert the land and locks back to the parish residents in the event the project was not a success. Now, we are at the mercy of an Act of Congress to keep these locks open. I hope they will find a way to give access back to the people who it belongs to.

Personally, I don't understand how people are so willing to sacrifice an entire community for the sake of so-called progress? It is my opinion that our officials do not have a good track record for procuring and retaining business here.

At the festival in the park, I learned that the people of Bogalusa were not informed at all about the real facts regarding the reservoir. People of Bogalusa and the surrounding area didn't realize that the creek that flows through Cassidy Park is the Bogue Lusa Creek. It will be dammed to create the proposed reservoir. This approximately 100 ft high by 1 1/2 mile wide dam would also put the people of Plainview, Ben's Ford, and Bogalusa at risk of a major dam failure.

These people also didn't realize that the entire parish would be required to pay for this reservoir. You see, the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission will levy taxes on us (from Mt. Hermon to Bogalusa and from Franklinton to Isabel), and they also have the authority to expropriate or take property anywhere in this parish. If you live in this parish, you will feel a negative impact.

Educate yourselves! Washington Parish is a Reservoir District and an agency of the state of Louisiana. Read Senate Bill 475, Act 71 for yourselves. We passed out copies of it at the festival in the park. We also provide copies at our meetings. You can also view it either on the legislative web site or visit http://gundamreservoir.angelfire.com/. It's a scary law.

This law is not something to be proud of. As a matter of fact, I am ashamed of how it was passed through the legislature on the last day of the legislative session of 2003 without any of us being aware of it. Do you know one reason we weren't aware of it? It's because it was tacked underneath another bill that was passed through our legislature at the same time. It would be interesting to have Senator Nevers explain the particular circumstances regarding how SB 475, Act 71 was passed like this through the legislature.

If you read and listen to the real facts regarding the reservoir, you will likely become emotional and distrusting as many of the NO RESERVOIR supporters have become. The good news is...is that we can make a positive impact in our parish.

The appointed Reservoir Commission of Washington Parish intends to forcibly take homes and desecrate the cemeteries of the Oak Grove Community with absolutely no regard for the welfare of its residents, or even the endangered wildlife species that are present , and intend to put a 100 feet high by mile and a half wide earthen dam that will strain to hold back the billions of gallons of water in an approximately 3310 acre reservoir.

I would like to encourage all of you to come and participate in our parish and city council meetings. I firmly believe that it makes a difference. I also know the consequences of not attending these meetings first hand. This is why I’m doing a NO RESERVOIR broadcast today.

I would like to let you know that we, in Washington Parish are not alone in the fight against the reservoir plague that has befallen our parish. This plague has spread across our state. The following parishes are under the same threat that we in Washington Parish are under, and we are forming an alliance to fight against what we consider the Abuse of Eminent Domain that is plaguing the rural areas of our state.

Allen Parish, Lincoln Parish, Ouachita Parish, Morehouse Parish, Caldwell Parish

As with last week’s broadcast, I would like to refer you to the Reservoir Political Wrongdoing web site.http://gundamreservoir.angelfire.com/.

For those of you who are interested in attending the NO RESERVOIR meetings, meetings are held on the 1^st and 3^rd Friday evening of every month starting at 6:00 p.m. The next NO RESERVOIR meeting is scheduled May 20^th. The location is the brick building located directly across the street from Country Super Store on Hwy. 60. We are forming what will be called the Washington Parish Community Preservation Alliance. The meetings are facilitated by the Ladies in Pink Shirts. Come join us.

For the real reservoir news, tune into WBOX FM 92.9 Sunday Mornings at 8:00 a.m.
This is Jalon Beech. God Bless.

[WBOX NO RESERVOIR BROADCAST 05082005-Jalon Beech]

Senator Ben Nevers - District 12 E-mail websen@legis.state.la.us or neversb@legis.state.la.us
Capitol Office P.O. Box 94183 Baton Rouge, LA 70804 (225) 342-2040
District Office724 Avenue F Bogalusa, LA 70427 (985) 732-6863 or 1-800-881-2749
Temporary District Office(225) 342-1767
Toll Free Number(866) 406-6264 Legislative Assistant Lesley Lewis

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Representative Harold L. Ritchie Democrat - District 75 E-Mail Rep. Harold L. Ritchie
DISTRICT OFFICE ADDRESS 302 Louisiana Ave. Bogalusa, LA 70427
(985)730-2147 or (985)730-2149 (Fax) LEGISLATIVE AIDE Patricia Russell

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Washington Parish Reservoir Commission

(985) 735-7565

Chairman: Pierce, Huey Long 100 Chadell Road Bogalusa, LA 70427 (985) 886-3105

Bateman, Bob 1406 Heyward Franklinton, LA 70438 (985)839-3562

Brennan, Bernie 1143 Oakwood Drive Bogalusa, LA 70427 (985) 735-9469

Burris, Michael B 1625 14th Avenue Franklinton, LA 70438 (985) 732-2594

Creel, Louie "Mike" M 48446 T.C. Brumfield Road Franklinton, LA 70438 (985) 839-4372

Harrison, Henry 26212 Old Columbia Road Franklinton, LA 70438 (985) 839-7855

Jenkins, Marshall O 56205 Stewart-Evans Road Bogalusa, LA 70427 (985) 735-9755

Jenkins, William "Bill" A 54516 Monroe, Knight Road Angie, LA 70427 (601) 783-4010

Mizell, Charles E 54169 Willie Mizell Road Bogalusa, LA 70427 (985) 732-1738

Pierce, Ralph M 61183 Hwy 436 Angie, LA 70426 (985) 735-8868

Schilling, D. Beryl 38116 Sunny Hill Road Mt. Hermon, LA 70550 (985) 839-2571

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Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Office of the Governor
Attn: Constituent Services P.O. Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9004
Telephone Numbers: 866-366-1121 225-342-0991 or 225-342-7015
Facsimile: 225-342-7099 E-mail the Governor

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