Vermilion Parish Police Jury votes to put back Cessac arch at no cost to the Cessacs

 

The Cessac family crowded into the police jury room to find out what the Vermilion Parish Police Jury was going to do about the arch the jury knocked down over the summer.

When the meeting was over, they were happy because the police jury voted to repair and put back the arch.

The arch, which has the name, “JM Cessac”  on top, was placed there by Joseph Murphy, who  farmed the land half a century ago.  Joseph Murphy died around 25 years ago. 

His children and their children still live on the land, known as “Happy Hill.” 

The arch, which has been standing above a cattle guard for more than 50 years, was knocked down by a police jury truck when it was leaving the area. 

For months the arch laid in a ditch along Pleasant Road (road that passes in front of Palmetto Island State Park)  which has members of the Cessac family upset. The Cessac family was under the assumption  the police jury would  repair it and lift  it back over the road since a police jury vehicle  knocked it down.

The Cessac family contacted their police juror, Kevin Sagrera, who grew up near the Cessac farm.

The police jury determined that the arch and the cattle guard on Pleasant Road belongs to the police jury.  It was up to the jury to put it back or not.

“This arch is their heritage,” said Sagrera. “Their culture.”

Before the jurors voted, Megan Richard spoke about the arch.

“It has been there 50-plus years and it has never been a problem before,” she said.  “It was never knocked down before.” 

The jury voted to repair it but will remove the cattle guard because it is on a parish road. The arch will be 16 feet high and the distance between the two poles supporting the arch will be wider than the road.