The St. Bernard Parish Council met for a relatively quick and speed-bump free meeting on Jan. 18.

Here are the some of the agenda points:

Meraux diversion
Parish President Craig Taffaro reminded the council and the meeting’s attendees of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ freshwater diversion plan for Meraux. The diversion is an attempt to preserve natural wetlands and halt erosion. However, some people have said that creating a waterway through Meraux would cut the parish in half, and potentially call for erecting another overpass akin to Judge Seeber Bridge. At the Executive Finance meeting, Council Chairman Frank Auderer said he plans to take this project up with the Corp when he and the council go to Washington D.C. next month.

Womb-to-Tomb month
Also included in the president’s report was an announcement that in addition to Black History Month, February will be dedicated as Human Dignity month, with the theme “From Womb to Tomb.”

Jan. 22 marks the 38th anniversary of the landmark court decision for the women’s rights movement, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion on a federal level.

“Dr. King’s message is uniquely connected to the annual observance of the Roe v. Wade decision and underscores the importance of the need to recognize all human life as sacred,” said Taffaro.

Citizen’s recovery plan
Two of the members from the council-appointed task force, Citizen’s Recovery Committee, spoke during the meeting to let the officials know they are continuing their work for a lot redevelopment program.

Judge David Gorbety, former justice on the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, and Cliff Reuther, vice-chairman of the economic development commission and local realtor, presented the council with a lot give-away program last year, and have continued to share the idea with other clubs and groups throughout the parish since then.

“The response has been really, really good,” said Gorbaty.

The program is designed to enable residents who fled after Hurricane Katrina to come back, and also entice young professionals who aren’t already “St. Bernardians,” Reuther said.