The city of Mandeville is in line to receive funding necessary to dredge the Lakeshore Drive boat launch.

Meanwhile, the City Council tabled the administration’s request to award a contract to dredge the harbor area.

Last week, the City Council approved 12 resolutions required by the state before the city can receive the $270,870 dollars in Community Development Block Grants it has been promised. Finance Director Milton Stiebing told the council the resolutions are necessary for the city to complete the city’s application for Long Term Community Recovery Funds.

“It’s just red tape,” he said, when questioned about the need for the resolutions.

The money should cover the cost to not only dredge the area at the foot of the boat launch, which is located at the end of Jackson Street, but will also provide funding for a new wall to be built.

The wall should prevent future silting of the area.

The new wall, which will be similar to the one on the east side of the boat launch, will be built along the west side of the boat launch. It will be designed to stop eastern winds from pushing silt into the boat launch area.

Currently during storms, the waves push silt, which is then trapped at the boat launch by the existing wall.

An area south of the Prieto Wall, which runs parallel with the shoreline, will also be dredged. Stiebing said silt has also gathered along this wall making the water in this area very shallow.

Hopefully, Stiebing said, the three walls will work together to break up the waves and stop them from pushing silt into the boat launch area.

He said the city has not received a definite approval for the grant, but the paperwork he received from the state indicates the money has been allocated for Mandeville.

In a separate manner the council postponed awarding the contract to dredge the harbor.

The original lowest bidder, Sieverding Construction, was thrown out because the company did not hold the proper licenses.

Public Works Director David deGeneres recommended the council award the contract to the second lowest bidder, Inland Marine Services out of Baton Rouge, with a base bid of $385,000.

That bid came in at $70,000 above the estimated cost, but Stiebing said the project is still within the $550,000 budgeted for the project.

Mayor Pro Tem Trilby Lenfant questioned why the cost is so much more than it was several years ago when the city had the harbor dredged.

She said at that time it only cost $80,000 or $90,000.

“Why is it five times that now?” she asked.

DeGeneres said the area being dredged is larger this time, but Lenfant wanted to postpone awarding the project until she can look at what area is proposed to be dredged this time compared to last time.

DeGeneres said he would get a copy of the scope for both projects and have it ready at the next council meeting.