Metz Motel Update

The Gazette continues to follow the issues surrounding the demolition and removal of the Metz Motel and other uses of public resources on private property by the town.
Inquiries by the Gazette to the Town of Farmerville and the Union Parish Police Jury have produced less than substantive or meaningful replies as to who made these decisions and why they were made.
As previously reported by the Gazette, sources indicate that the motel contained asbestos, was torn down and removed to property owned by the police jury near the National Guard Armory and the Union Parish Detention Center.
It is not clear if only town equipment was used or if both town and parish equipment was used for either the tear down or the movement of the debris. It is very clear that Mayor Crow authorized the town workers with town equipment to perform the work, which was performed in October and November of 2023; and was performed despite law enforcement officials informing Mayor Crow that it was illegal to use public resources such as workers and equipment on private property without following proper procedure. Usually this means notice to the landowner, condemnation of the property and liens on the property to recover the public cost incurred in the cleanup.
Although Mayor Crow will not grant the Gazette an interview, sources indicate that the mayor denies wrongdoing, claiming he followed town policy and the town attorney’s advice on use of public resources on private property.
There is apparently no record held by the town reflecting that any private landowner paid any amount to the town for the use of town equipment and labor on private property. There is apparently no question that Mayor Crow regularly used town employees and equipment to demolish houses and remove debris and groom private property, including his own. See photo of town track hoe on Mayor Crow’s private property on July 9, 2023, on Gulley Street as one example.
The mayor’s claims that he followed long established town policy in using public resources on private property have raised questions as to whether that is true. The Gazette has interviewed one citizen, Julio Haulcy, of Farmerville who is familiar with the policies and who worked with Mayor Baughman on identical issues prior to Mayor Crow’s election.
Under Mayor Baughman, the policy was that the private citizen was required to have an asbestos assessment performed by a qualified person and obtain a certificate. If asbestos was present, it was required to be abated. If asbestos was not present, the town would demolish the structure for a fee of $500 to cover the cost to the town of the demolition.
Under Mayor Crow, no certificate of asbestos status was required, and Mr. Haulcy’s property was demolished and removed by the town at no cost to Mr. Haulcy.
During December 2024, when prolific and opinionated social meeting postings on this and related issues were being heatedly exchanged, the town attorney, Joseph Cusimano, posted that the demolition of the Metz Motel was not illegal because it was done under a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement [CEA], a document which should require council approval and is between the town and a third party establishing an agreement between them to work cooperatively for the benefit of both. But the document must define the benefit to the town.
The Gazette had previously requested, under the Freedom of Information Act, all documents from the town related to the Metz demolition and had been told there were none. Upon reading the “CEA post” by Mr. Cusimano, the Gazette requested a copy of the CEA from the town clerk and received a copy just last week.
Surprisingly, or maybe not, the CEA document was only recently created and signed by Mayor Crow on behalf the town and Champakbhai aka Charlie Patel as owner of the Metz, on December 16, 2024, claiming they had reached a verbal agreement before October 31, 2023, more than a year before reducing the agreement to writing. See CEA printed with this article.
The ”agreement” allegedly obligated the town to tear down the motel and assess any cost as increased taxes to the Metz property. The agreement did not address asbestos.
The town now claims that no taxes were assessed because it received value from the debris of the motel exceeding its costs of demolition.
Neither the “after the fact” written document nor the alleged “verbal agreement” were approved by the town council, raising questions as to its validity and enforceability.
Meanwhile, the remnants of the Metz are believed to be piled on parish property, as noted above. Sources indicate the LA DEQ was called two weeks ago when reports surfaced that it was to be moved to Union Christian Academy as fill beneath construction dirt being staged there; and following a review by a DEQ official, the town and parish were informed that the debris contained materials that could not be used for fill. This leaves the parish and town with the problem of how to deal with this debris, some of which requires special disposal practices.
Meanwhile, Mr. Patel has listed the Metz property for sale with a realtor for $550,000; and Mayor Crow owns significant property in very close proximity to the Metz location.
The after the fact creation of the CEA to justify the mayor’s actions as to the Metz, becomes more suspicious given that the Gazette also requested copies of the town policies relating to use of public equipment and town resources on private property under both Mayor Baughman’s administration and under Mayor Crow’s administration, given the mayor’s defense that he is just following policies.
Town Clerk, Gay Nell Pepper, stated that as to Mayor Baughman’s administration, a policy could not be readily located; but that as to Mayor Crow’s administration, one was currently being created by the town attorney, leaving one to wonder if he followed any policy or if the policies are just made up as he goes along and documents created as needed to justify his actions.
The Gazette will continue to follow this story.