Meraux Foundation donates 4.6 acres of land on Paris Road to Sheriff’s Office to build a sub-station and support building near a parish border; Sheriff said it will be a key part of crime suppression

Sheriff Pohlmann, right, is shown after signing the documents. To his right is Pete Tufaro, in charge of the Sheriff’s Office building projects, and at left is Chief Deputy Sheriff Richard Baumy.

Rita Gue signs papers donating the land to the Sheriff’s Office, with Lena Torre and Floyd Gue seated next to her.

Meraux Foundation President Rita Gue and Sheriff James Pohlmann at the ceremony where the foundation donated 4.6 acres of land on ParisRoad to the Sheriff’s Office to build a sub-station and another building.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office has received a donation of 4.6 acres of land on Paris Road from the Meraux Foundation to build a sub-station and support building near the border with Orleans Parish, making it a key part of the department’s crime suppression strategy, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The buildings, to have the address of 4601 Paris Road in Chalmette, will be part of three sub-stations being built at entrances to St. Bernard.

The address of the other stations will be 6501 St. Claude Ave. and 7001 W. Judge Perez Drive, both in Arabi. All three new sub-stations are being paid for with money from FEMA, replacing buildings destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. The Sheriff’s Office currently leases a building its sub-station is in at 5429 Paris Road.

An official transfer of the land took place Thursday, Feb. 27.

“We are happy to donate this land to the Sheriff’s Office to help make our community safer and stronger,’’ said Rita Gue, president of the Meraux Foundation. “We give land for projects that add value to the property, have long-term effects and improve the parish – and this new sub-station meets all our criteria.’’

“We are proud to do this,’’ Gue said of her and her husband, Floyd, also present for the donation. The location of the sub-station would be ideal for allowing the Sheriff’s Office to monitor traffic in and out of St. Bernard, she also said before signing papers to donate the land.

Sheriff Pohlmann, in receiving the donation, said, “We are very grateful for the land the Meraux Foundation has given to us and the community.’’

“This donation is major for us,’’ the sheriff said. “The new sub-station will serve as an important resource in our strategy to suppress crime and keep the parish safe.’’

Maintaining sub-stations at all entrances and exits of the parish is vital in trying to prevent a fleeing criminal from leaving the parish after an incident, he said.

Gue said the Meraux Foundation has donated land to other public purposes including the parish hospital, the library and the animal shelter, saving the parish millions it woud have taken to buy the land.

The new sub-station on Paris Road would be 4,991 square feet, with a larger support building where equipment or vehicles could be kept. Bid-opening for the buildings will be in March.

The sub-station on St. Claude, which will be 8,193 square feet, is 35 percent completed and should be ready this fall, the sheriff said.

The West Judge Perez sub-station, which will be 4,191 square feet with a larger support building, will have a bid opening in March.