[StBernard] Street Lights

[Westley Annis]

Kenny Henderson and Craig Taffaro:
 
After numerous calls to Entergy to notify them that the street lights in the
3500 and 3600 blocks of Corrine Avenue were working for the past year, and
then, suddenly, they all went out, I reached the corporate level and was
informed that Entergy no longer repairs these time of outages for St.
Bernard Parish.  I was further informed that the parish government had
chosen to bear the responsibility of insuring that the street lights were
maintained.  I told them flat out that the response was bull, and that
Entergy had repaired the lights in the 2800-2900 blocks of Corinne, and was
futher advised that this was a service provided by Entery that St. Bernard
Parish contacted for.  I stated that "if this were true, then who is their
contact in St. Bernard Parish?"  Without hesitation, the Name "Terry Doskey"
was provided. 
 
I don't claim to know if this person is or is not a parish employee, but if
so, could you obtain an explanation as to when we might expect to have
street lights again.  It is likely a blown fuse, as all the poles are in
excellent shape. 
 
On a similar note, there is a small boat filled with debris on the sidewalk
on the side of St. Mark School that faces Corinne Avenue.  The longer the
boat has sat there, the more debris has increased, and is now to the point
where the trash has spilled over to the ground.  I know that one agency is
handling the retrieval of boats, and another, the retrieval of trash, but in
this case, no one has done anything for the past two years.  The boat is not
salvageable, so why can't the trash crews simply remove the boat and trash
at the same time.  I hardly believe that anyone will remove the debris from
the boat and remove them separately. 
 
This area is coming back strong, but it the small items like this that
frustrate the homeowners.  Can either of you help?
 
On a separate note, although the inspection process was eliminated to allow
people to rebuild their homes as easily as possible, I would like to suggest
that an inspection be required on any home purchased by investors to be
renovated for sale.  We viewed several houses on Corinne Drive for my
elderly mother, and was informed that ALL wiring and gas lines had been
replaced.  By going into the attic, I was able to verify that this was a
bogus statement.  Since the company repairing and selling the company is
from Florida, someone purchasing these properties could easily cut corners,
provide incorrect information (as in this case), and the new homeowner would
have no recourse.  Personally, I don't believe that a final inspection on
all properties prior to sheet rocking  would be out of line.  I wouldn't
care if the homeowner did it himself, even if he was not licensed,but knew
what he was doing.  At least this way, any serious cutting of corners to
repair the property and sell it would be immediately recognized by the
inspector.  Long term, buyers could feel confident that the repair work at
least meant electrical and gas codes. 
 
Thanks for any involvement in rectifying these situations.