Creole Recreation leaders ask Cameron Parish Jury for short‑term cash flow to start FEMA‑funded repairs

Miss Lindsay Fontno, identified as the Creole Recreation District board president, asked the Cameron Parish Police Jury on Monday for interim cash‑flow help so the district can go to bid on a FEMA‑funded rebuilding project.

Fontno said the district has been awarded about $1.4 million in FEMA funds and is on an Express Pay plan that expedites reimbursements but withholds an additional 10% until close‑out. "We were awarded about 1.4 million in FEMA monies... we are on the express pay plan," Fontno told the jury, adding that the district can cover engineering costs and the 10% non‑federal share but lacks the full million‑dollar cash balance to fund upfront construction draw requests.

Staff explained the Express Pay mechanism and timeline, saying invoices submitted under Express Pay typically receive payment within about 30 days instead of the roughly 90 days common under standard FEMA reimbursement. Staff recommended the jury could structure payments as progressive, engineer‑certified disbursements so the parish would not need to front the entire amount at once.

Why it matters: The recreation project includes replacing baseball/softball fields, adding a multiuse court (basketball/tennis/pickleball), seating, restrooms and concessions — amenities used by school teams and community leagues. Jurors pressed for clarity on the district’s current cash balances and on safeguards should FEMA later deobligate funds at close‑out; staff suggested an agreement with the rec district to make the district responsible for any deobligation, similar to prior drainage agreements.

Staff next steps: jurors asked staff to discuss progressive payment clauses with the parish engineer and the rec district and to bring proposed language back to the voting session. The district said it is ready to proceed to bid once interim funding arrangements are clarified.