STATUS UPDATE: September 2, 2019
As you may have noticed, the detention pond was recently cut and we are very pleased with the end result. It was a very interesting process to find a company with the right equipment to cut the “dry pond” which is apparently too wet for heavy machinery. The company we found has something called a swamp buggy and it was able to do the job with ease! We secured a yearly contract with the company, to keep the pond regularly maintained and it will be cut three times a year.
Any service on the pond with the parish is still a pending matter. However, Department of Public Works stated that they have cleaned seven inlets and pipes leading to the pond at the HOA’s request. We have requested that all of the drainage be cleaned, and hope to provide homeowners an update when it’s completed.
STATUS UPDATE: August 1, 2019
After the Parish’s recent response to no longer assist, and the landscape company is unable to cut any closer to the center because the pond never drys, the Board has received quotes to service the pond, which we hope will commence in August. We will update the website once we have additional information.
STATUS UPDATE: July 30, 2019
Where to begin… The detention pond… as we all know this was the biggest topic of our HOA meeting in November. During the past year, the dry pond has been the focus of the Board, and every email and phone conversation with the Ascension Parish and Department of Public Works (DPW) has been carefully documented. Past updates have included information that was specifically agreed to by the Parish, but on June 13th, the Parish has now stated, “At the present time, the Parish will not be responsible for any maintenance of the common area.” The Board would like to provide the resident’s of the Shadows at Manchac with a short clip of one of the emails sent to the parish.
The Board would like to address the statement that Lot CA-1 is private and the maintenance is responsible by the homeowner association. The Board has in writing that the parish has accepted the responsibility of the 30’ servitude that runs through the center of the detention facility.
The Board would like to provide you with background information regarding the detention pond facility. Currently, the detention facility has excessive vegetation growth the inflow pipes and debris and excessive vegetation growth around the outfall structure. This has caused a tail water situation for the inflow pipes. The pipes have become obstructed from the siltation building up within the pipes themselves due to a lack of flushing velocity. The drainage pipes, from the roadway to the detention facility, are obstructed to the point where they are not functioning properly, and the roadways are flooding. The detention facility has thirty-foot parish servitude in the center. Siltation within the pipes and the current condition of the detention facility is due to lack of monitoring erosion control due to the following:
1. During construction, felt paper covered the inlets/street gutters. During rains, the developer would open the storm drains in the street allowing sediment and debris to flow into the drainage system completely unfiltered.
2. The Board have personally witnessed and captured videos and pictures of an entire yard of sod being scraped and dumped into the Detention Pond.
3. Residents have reported having pictures of the developer’s concrete trucks using the pond as a concrete cleanout station. There are visible concrete “chunks” in the pond.
Secondly, The Board has filled out the public records form to view the survey conducted in the detention facility on December 26, 2018. The Board has not received a copy of the document. The Board would like validation that the survey points agree with the design elevations in the pond.
Also, it appears by view that the slope on the east side of the detention pond was not built according to specification of a 1 on 4 slope which is designed for a ten-year storm. The detention facility is suffering from extreme erosion on the east bank and minimal erosion on the west bank. Permanent vegetation has not been established, and the Board is uncertain if guidelines were followed regarding the 12′ clean space as indicated on the drainage map, as some of the east bank of the detention facility is lined with trees. The Board has been told that it is wetland;, however, this is the area that is experiencing the most extreme erosion.
Next to address the statement that the servitude that runs through lot CA-1 would cause a drainage problem for the residents outside of the subdivision. If the dry pond was designed by engineers and approved by the parish, how would mucking out the center of the dry pond to the elevation specified on the drainage plan cause problems to other residents on David Drive?
Furthermore, the HOA has reached out to the Parish about this issue for nearly a year. During this time, The Board has been issued a service ticket number of #13873. The Board has obtained written agreements from the Parish outlining their legal responsibilities, specific verbiage of their plans to remedy the current situation. The Board has pictures of their recent survey, and all documentation to support these claims. These are not issues that the HOA are not handling. These are issues of a very active HOA who are aware of the fact that the developer handed them a detention facility that was not properly functioning or built according design specifications, yet it was approved by the Parish. The HOA is actively trying to pursue a solution to a problem that not only impacts the residents of The Shadows at Manchac, but also our neighboring communities. The Board respectfully ask for the Parish to rethink their stance about not being responsible for any maintenance of the common area at this time, and request that the Parish do what is right for our residents and our neighboring community.
To this email, the Parish’s only reply was to request for an Engineer to meet with them to discuss what is the HOA responsibility and what is the Parish responsibility, which The Board responded. For clarification purposes, DPW with Ascension Parish is now requesting that The Shadows at Manchac needs to hire an Engineer to represent them at a meeting, when acceptance of the 30′ servitude within the detention pond has already been determined by Ascension Parish’s internal legal department, plans to rectify the current situation have already been outlined, and work has already commenced within this property?
After giving the Parish a week to respond, the Board provided them with pictures, videos, and asked for them to give me a definite answer by Friday, June 28, 2019, of their stance on the pond. They failed to contact me. At this point, we as the Association have options of how we would like to proceed. The Board would like to ask if we have a lawyer in our neighborhood who would be willing to help. If so, please contact the Board. The Board knows there are others in the neighborhood who have offered their assistance if we feel that we may need it. If you are still available and willing, please contact the Board as well. Meanwhile, the Board is working on alternative options, and the dry pond is already contracted for service by the landscape company.
STATUS UPDATE: December 28, 2018:
As many of you may have noticed, Department of Public Works (DPW is in the process of surveying the detention facility or what we commonly refer to as the “dry pond”. We want to provide everyone with its current status and keep the community abreast on future changes. Director Lindsey Oliver has continued to communicate with Ascension Parish and they have AGREED to service the detention facility and clean the outfall pipes. Details about the dry pond service include the following:
- Currently, a surveying crew is shooting grade to determine specific depths, elevations, slopes, as needed within the 30’ servitude and the servitude areas around the outfall pipes. After surveying is complete, we should expect to see a lot of digging. They will muck out the center of the detention pond to the specification of the original drainage design.
- DPW will address the area where rock is placed on the servitude. Rocks will be cleaned, removing dirt and trees, placing a culvert and back filling with the same rocks to the same elevation that the rocks were placed originally.
- The detention facility has debris and vegetation growth around the outfall structure causing a tail water situation. The pipes have become obstructed from siltation. The silt is also within the pipes due to a lack of flushing velocity and to the point where they are not functioning properly causing roadway flooding. DPW has agreed to check all pipes and flush if needed.
- The common lot that we refer to as the soccer field is holding a significant amount of water. DPW will also address the grade of the common lot to ensure that it drains according to the original drainage design for our neighborhood. *We ask everyone to not attempt to dig any trenches or remove any dirt from the common area.
We are very pleased with our current progress with DPW and with Ascension Parish’s assistance! While there still may be a cost to the HOA, having their assistance to repair the dry pond will provide much savings. The Board will continue to stay in communication and keep the Association informed as it progresses and will keep everyone informed in the monthly newsletters and on the HOA website. We are committed to provide our best effort for our community. If you have questions or concerns, please email us at info@theshadowsofmanchac.org.
STATUS UPDATE: January 28, 2018