The state money for Brusly's sewer lagoon project hit the town's bank account Oct. 12. One more payment of about $53,000 would close out the grant.

BRUSLY — The state money Brusly's engineer once thought was a typo is now in the town's bank account.

Mayor Scot Rhodes told the Brusly Town Council on Oct. 12 that the town received its payment from Louisiana's Water Sector Program that day.

"It came in, we do have that in the bank now," Rhodes said.

In an email to WBR Independent on Oct. 15, Rhodes confirmed the town received the full $573,880.19.

A week earlier, at the council's Oct. 5 committee meeting, Rhodes said the money hadn't arrived. He said the town had filled out every piece of paperwork, but "the state still has it." People had been asking about the money, he said, after reports that the town already had it.

WBR Independent published one of those reports. Its Sept. 23 story said the money had been deposited. That story has since been corrected.

Brusly Keeps $574K From State Grant It Thought Was a Typo

Brusly asked the state for about $600,000 to cover sewer project overruns. The approval came back far higher. The town’s engineer thought it was a typo, but he says the state is letting Brusly keep the $573,880 difference. It comes with strings, and the project isn’t done.

WBR IndependentJohn Summers

Where the money goes

The payment is the lump-sum grant balance the state offered Brusly for its sewer lagoon project. Town Engineer Toby Fruge told the council in September that he first thought the amount was a typo on the state's paperwork.

Rhodes said the money will reimburse the town for engineering fees on the project. The town's auditor is reviewing how to account for it, he said, so the money stays where it's supposed to.

One council member asked whether any money left over after engineering fees could be used for something else. Rhodes said it could go toward the town's local match on the project. A match is the share of a grant-funded project's cost the town pays itself.

The state has loosened the program's rules since it launched, Rhodes said. At first, the money couldn't pay for engineering fees. Now it can.

"It came out highly restricted, sort of like ARPA did," he said.

"I don't think we're gonna have any, but if we do have any we can use it for that," he said of leftover money.

One more payment

One more payment would close out the grant. The town has applied for a final $53,431, Rhodes said in his email, but has not received it yet.

At the meeting, he said the state assured him it would be the last one. "It's the last, last, last one," he said. "They guaranteed me that."

Last repair finished

The last item on the project's punch list was a blower motor at the treatment facility. A punch list is the set of fixes a contractor must finish before a job is considered done. At the Oct. 5 meeting, Rhodes said the motor had burned up and the replacement parts hadn't arrived.

At the Oct. 12 meeting, the council was told the blower went in Friday, Oct. 9. Engineers have looked at the work, and the town expects Fruge to confirm by email that the punch list is done. Then the town will make its final payment.

The project carries a one-year warranty.

Other business

New building inspector. The council appointed Mike Guillot, the town's new public works director, as town building inspector.

Landmark plaque. The council approved a landmark plaque for the Crockett family home at 322 E. Main St., across Main Street from the post office. The block house was built in 1964 and is now owned by River City Group. The town awards the plaques to homes 50 years old or older. Town workers will mount this one wherever the owners choose.

Surplus equipment. The council declared several broken items surplus so the town can sell them at auction: an ice machine, three Generac generators more than 10 years old, and a Bobcat. Rhodes said towns can't simply throw away or give away public property. It has to be auctioned.

Police station air conditioning. The town paid about $20,000 to replace the air-conditioning unit at the police station, town officials said at the Oct. 5 committee meeting. The unit had been a problem almost from the start, and repairs were no longer worth the cost, they said. The expense wasn't budgeted, but the town has the money to cover it.

Hazard mitigation plan. Rhodes said the town will need to approve its part of the parish's hazard mitigation plan, a FEMA requirement for disaster planning, at a later meeting.

Coming up

Household hazardous materials collection: Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 a.m. to noon, at Alexander Park, 250 Elaine St., Brusly. The free event is organized by Keep West Baton Rouge Beautiful and sponsored by Dow, according to a parish news release. Accepted items include old paint, batteries, pesticides, electronics, cleaning products and tires without rims. Commercial waste, medical waste, medicines, ammunition and large gas cylinders will not be accepted.

Full Moon Market: Friday, Oct. 30, 6 to 9 p.m., at St. James Park, 1000 E. Main St.

Trick-or-treat: Saturday, Oct. 31, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The council voted Oct. 12 to match the hours set by West Baton Rouge Parish.

Veterans Day breakfast: Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Brusly Town Hall. The start time has not been finalized. Rhodes invited veterans, and anyone who knows a veteran, to attend.