Two boat launches in Vermilion recognized

Two Vermilion Parish public boat launches were recognized Tuesday morning by officials who had a part in building them.
Although the boat launch in Intracoastal City has been open for 10 years, there had never been an official ground opening. When it first opened, not long after came the storm surge from hurricanes Rita and Lili. The Abbeville Harbor and Terminal District had to rebuild the boat launch twice after the storm surges.
Police jurors, former police jurors, plus, Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza, along with Abbeville councilmen Francis Plaisance, Louis Joe Hardy and Brady Broussard Jr. were there. Sen. Jonathan Perry and Rep. Bob Hensgens, and former Sen. Nick Gautreaux were present for both ribbon cuttings.
Glenn Lege, owner of Glenn Lege Construction, was there because his company constructed the boat launch.
The Abbeville Harbor and Terminal President Tim Creswell thanked everyone who had a hand in building the boat launch in Abbeville and Intracoastal City.
Creswell said over the last 10 years, the boat launch has handled more than 6,000 boat launches.
Creswell also thanked Harbor and Terminal Commissioners Wayne LeBleu and Gerald Libersat for their guidance in helping acquire property from four different families. Land had to be purchased from the Pierce family, the Montgomery family, the Vallee-Hiers family and the Broussard family before the boat launch could be built.
Robert Barham of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was in Abbeville at the boat launch. The Wildlife and Fisheries donated federal monies under the Wallop-Breaux Boating and Fishing Federal Air Project to help build both boat launches.
“Working closely with the Abbeville Harbor and Terminal District, the City of Abbeville, DOTD and the Vermilion Parish Police Jury, our office of Fisheries staff utilized Sports Fish Restoration funds and a funding match from our partners to make this happen,” said Barham. “Fishermen, hunters and pleasure boaters will continue to have easy access to the Vermilion Bay, Gulf of Mexico and inland marshes via this renovated facility.”
After the ribbon cutting in Intracoastal City, everyone went to the Abbeville Boat Launch next to the old Pub. That boat launch opened a couple of years ago and it was a joint effort between the City of Abbeville, the police jury, Wildlife and Fisheries and the Abbeville Harbor and Terminal.
The boat launch in Abbeville was completed two years go. Abbeville Mayor Piazza thanked everyone who had a hand in building the boat launch, and then they cut the ribbon.