Next week, the Lafayette councils will tour a controversial drainage project, hear the "next steps" and have the chance to ask questions.
The council will meet in joint session at the Homewood Detention project, 499 Homewood Drive, at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 26.
On the agenda is a briefing on the project, to include a site tour, a project overview, next steps and questions from the councils.
The project was the subject of a lawsuit by the Bendel family, the original owners of about 372 acres of land on the Vermilion River. They sued LCG over the use of a "quick-take" procedure that the family said wasn't justified and short-changed them.
Courts ruled that LCG did not follow proper procedures, and as a result the government agreed to pay the Bendel group another $11.5 million for the property. Originally, LCG had proposed buying the property for $2.58 million.
Work on the project had begun when the lawsuit was filed, and the courts ordered it stopped.
It's one of several drainage projects launched by the past administration that have drawn lawsuits and investigations. Those investigations - by the FBI, the state Legislative Auditor, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - are reportedly still underway.
The Current has been covering these drainage controversies in great detail for the past couple of years. To read some of their stories about this project click here.
