Town also brings on new police officer, plans first Full Moon Market

The Brusly Town Council approved a new public works director, a new police officer and a switch to a new body camera company during its August meetings.

Mike Guillot will take over as public works director starting Aug. 31, replacing Shane Sarradet, who retires Oct. 30. The council approved the hire unanimously in a roll call vote at the Aug. 10 regular meeting.

Guillot's starting salary is $70,000, with a $2,000 raise once he earns his Class 2 sewer certification. That certification takes about two years to complete. He comes from Tracks and Sports Performance, where he was maintenance and facilities director, and spent nearly three decades at the ExxonMobil lubricants plant in Port Allen, working there from 1990 to 2018.

"He's a Brusly guy through and through. He loves our community," Mayor Scot Rhodes said.

Council member Chris "Fish" Kershaw said he has known Guillot personally for about 25 years.

"He's a good guy. I think he'll do a great job," Kershaw said.

Rhodes said during the Aug. 3 committee meeting that the town received 16 applications and interviewed seven candidates. Sarradet's departure gives Guillot two months of overlap for training.

Eric Colkey, another public works employee, is leaving in mid-October. Rhodes said he plans to let Guillot be involved in hiring that replacement, since the position reports to the public works director. There is an in-house candidate for that job.

New police officer hired

The council also approved the hiring of Jalen Mack as a full-time police officer at $22.51 per hour, effective Aug. 10. Mack has three years of experience and is radar certified, taser certified, POST certified, CPR and first aid trained, and has completed all state-required trainings, including de-escalation.

Mack replaces Cody Barron, who resigned Aug. 3. Council member Blake Tassin made the motion, seconded by Mike Chustz. The motion passed.

Body camera switch

The council approved reallocating money budgeted for a new police vehicle to replace the department's body camera and dash camera system. The town had been waiting two years for back-ordered equipment from its previous vendor, which was bought out twice by other companies. The wiring kits needed to install cameras in patrol vehicles were never delivered.

The department switched to 365Labs, a Baton Rouge company that also works with East Baton Rouge EMS, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office and Central Police Department. Assistant Chief Tom Southon said the company is 15 minutes away, so if a camera goes down, officers can drive over and swap it out the same day.

The total cost came in at about $58,000, down from an estimated $100,000. The department got a 50 percent discount on hardware after another department returned a large order of 100 body cameras and 100 dash cameras, and an additional 15 percent local discount.

"One lawsuit would cost us much more than one unit," Southon said at the regular meeting, framing the cameras as legal protection for the town and its officers.

The company offered a one-year test contract. Video storage is included in the yearly contract, with retention periods of one year for traffic stops, three years for misdemeanors and permanent storage for felony cases.

By the time of the Aug. 10 vote, 365Labs had already installed cameras on two patrol vehicles and officers had been using the new body cameras for about a week.

The reallocation stays within the capital expenditure budget. Thomas Acosta Jr., the town attorney, said a formal vote was not strictly necessary since the money was not moving between budget categories, but council members voted anyway for transparency.

Venzule lift station pump

The town's Venzule sewer lift station needs a new pump. One of the two pumps was removed after it failed, and an engineering assessment recommended replacement.

A bid came in at about $10,000. The town has $8,000 budgeted for the work. The engineer recommended a different pump model, about $8,000, with a better motor that should last longer.

Council member Kershaw, who lives near the station, said the failing pump has been cavitating badly.

"It's like it's chewing gravel," Kershaw said. "I can hear it from inside my house."

Public Works Supervisor Sarradet raised the wet well level to reduce the cavitation, which helps but does not fix the underlying problem. The station handles wastewater from the front side of town and the high school, and gets overloaded during heavy rain events.

Lagoon punch list nearly done

Town engineer Toby Fruge updated the council at the Aug. 3 committee meeting on the sewer lagoon construction punch list. Three of four remaining items are minor: regrading ruts on the dividing levee, installing signage plaques on electrical panels and delivering operations and warranty documents.

The one major item is an aerator in cell one with a bad impeller. The manufacturer, Lemna, is expected to expedite the replacement part.

Even with the aerator down, the system is performing well. Effluent levels are testing at zero, Sarradet reported.

"I'm not going to recommend payment until he's done with this," the engineer said of the contractor. "It's the only thing we have over him to make him get it done."

The engineer also said the town could eventually look at cycling the aerators instead of running them around the clock to save on energy costs.

Arlene Drive drainage

Drainage cuts across Arlene Drive are complete and worked well in the first rain. The town is moving to the next phase, working on culvert sides along driveways.

Pothole repairs at the far end of the street are being bundled with this year's asphalt overlay project. Rhodes said he could not give a firm timeline but that work is ongoing.

Turn lane at Brusly High School

Council member Rusty Daigle raised the issue of a turn lane on Louisiana Highway 1 at Brusly High School. Parents queuing to drop off children in the mornings back up on the highway, blocking the travel lane and making it difficult for other drivers to see when crossing.

"If we could just make that as a turning lane, get them off of LA 1 so that people can get in the flow," Daigle said.

The issue was first raised about a year ago but stalled at DOTD. Rhodes said the state agency wanted to close nearby intersections as part of any turn lane project.

"Their goal at DOTD is to close a lot of intersections on LA 1. So they're making a bigger project than what it is," Rhodes said.

Rhodes said he would reach out to DOTD again and planned to raise the issue at a Wednesday lunch with other parish officials, including the parish president, superintendent and sheriff.

Police report

The Brusly Police Department recorded 111 complaints in July, including 10 traffic accidents, five disturbances, three DUIs, two fires, 13 medical complaints and three deaths. Officers issued 268 citations for 332 violations.

The department's Flock cameras flagged nine protective orders, 25 violent persons, 49 sex offenders and three NCIC warrants.

The department also used its drone for the first time to assist West Baton Rouge Fire, using thermal imaging to check for a fire in the top of a building.

"Now the town of Brusly, thanks to y'all's generosity, has been out to help every other public service agency in the parish with our drone," Southon said.

Full Moon Market coming to St. James Park

A new monthly market is coming to St. James Park starting Friday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. The Full Moon Market is scheduled once a month around the full moon and will run for 12 months on a trial basis.

The market operator handles all vendors, cleanup and off-duty officer costs. Rhodes said the cost to the town is limited to providing the park.

"She was doing them in Plaquemine for a while, and she said one event had 1,700 people show up," Rhodes said.

Other business

Hurricane prep: Rhodes attended a hurricane preparedness meeting at GOSEP with parish officials. The discussion focused on FEMA documentation requirements during storms, including tracking every piece of equipment and supply used.

Derelict properties: Rhodes is meeting with a company about grants to remove derelict properties, which would keep the town from spending its own money on properties where the cost is difficult to recover.

Senate candidate: Rhodes attended a meet-and-greet with U.S. Senate candidate Julia Letlow. "Every question was about the bridge," Rhodes said.

Audit questionnaire: The council adopted Resolution No. 5, the annual Louisiana compliance questionnaire required for audit. Attorney Acosta noted the Legislative Auditor's own form had two sections labeled "Part 11" and that the resolution referenced an "Exhibit A" that was not labeled on the actual document. The council agreed to label it before submitting.

Sewer pond secured: A new gate was installed and locked on the sewer pond, which had been left open during the multi-year lagoon construction project.

Rezoning: An ordinance was introduced for a rezoning. The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider it at its Aug. 26 meeting. The council is expected to take final action Sept. 14.

September schedule: The September committee meeting has been moved to Tuesday, Sept. 8, due to Labor Day.

Electrical repairs: Multiple electricians were called to check lift stations after a weekend of heavy rain caused power issues across multiple stations. The town's in-house electrician, Josh, was out of town at the time.

The Aug. 3 committee meeting adjourned on a motion by Sheri Young, seconded by Rusty Daigle. The Aug. 10 regular meeting adjourned on a motion by Blake Tassin, seconded by Chris Kershaw. Both were unanimous.

The Brusly Town Council holds committee meetings the first Monday of the month and regular meetings the second Monday, both at 6:30 p.m. at Brusly Town Hall, 601 S. Vaughan Drive.