Jury: drilling damaged road

Published 12:03 am Tuesday, October 27, 2015

VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish Police Jury is in “limbo” awaiting answers about what will be done to repair a road reportedly damaged by an oil company.

The jury alleges that D&D Drilling caused approximately $79,000 in damage to Deadning Road during drilling operations earlier this year, and was not bonded against the damage as is required by the parish.

The jury has sent letters to the company requesting information repairs in an attempt to keep the matter out of court, Jury President Melvin Ferrington said at Monday’s police jury meeting.

Email newsletter signup

The jury previously asked District Attorney Brad Burget to look into the matter, and Ferrington said the jury doesn’t know why there has been a delay on movement on the issue.

“We’ve been discussing this for the last two or three months, and it’s time to make a move one way or another,” Ferrington said. “The (district attorney) had said he wasn’t going to defend us on this, and we need to know, so we know if we need to hire our own outside attorney.”

A representative from the district attorney’s office told the jury the issue is being addressed, but Judge Leo Boothe needs more time to review the case.

Ferrington expressed concern about further delay because impending colder weather would make the repairs more difficult.

Ferrington said the jury is hoping attorneys for both sides can come up with a compromise the parish and D&D can agree on. The jury, he said, may even be willing to use its employees and equipment to repair the road if D&D purchases the materials.

“We’re waiting on some kind of answer from our district attorney and their attorney,” he said. “Right know, we’re just in limbo.”

In other news from the meeting:

-In light of recent the heavy rainfall in the area, the jury voted to lift the previously imposed burn ban.