Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority
Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting
The regular meeting for the Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority was held January 29, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. in Senator Circle at 124 K Senator Circle, Houma, Louisiana.
Chairperson Hebert called the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners to order at 3:00 p.m. followed by the Invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Chairperson Hebert stated that this is the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
Upon roll call, the following Commissioners were recorded as present:
Commissioners: J. Boykin, D. Picou and C. Hebert
Absent: D. Sherman and G. Burke
Also present: Mrs. Nikita Gilton, Executive Director, Mr. Brandon Decuir, Legal, Mrs. Tiffany Stokes, Housing Supervisor, Ms. Tamara Matthews, Procurement, Justin Coleman, Maintenance; and Mr. Dean Duplantier, Broadmoor Design Group
Continuing with the agenda, Item #4, Order of the Day/ Approval of Agenda; Mrs. Gilton said the agenda will proceed as published.
Continuing with the agenda, Item #5, Public Comment; There were no speaker cards.
Continuing with the agenda, Item #6, Approval of Minutes from December 17, 2025, regular board meeting; motioned to approve by Commissioner Boykin, seconded by Vice Chairperson Picou. Chairperson Hebert called for the vote:
UPON ROLL CALL THERE WAS RECORDED
YEAS: J. Boykin, D. Picou, and C. Hebert
NAYS: None
ABSTAINING: None
ABSENT: D. Sherman and G. Burke Motion carried
Continuing with the agenda, Item #7, Bills and Communications, Item #7A, Approval of Pay
Vouchers for the period of December 12, 2025-January 22, 2026; motioned to approve by Vice Chairperson Picou, seconded by Commissioner Boykin. Chairperson Hebert called for the vote:
UPON ROLL CALL THERE WAS RECORDED
YEAS: J. Boykin, D. Picou, and C. Hebert
NAYS: None
ABSTAINING: None
ABSENT: D. Sherman and G. Burke Motion carried
Continuing with the agenda, Item #7B, Monthly Financials-September 2025; Item #7B1, Memo from Fee Accountant to Board of Commissioners; Item #7B2, Balance Sheet for September 2025; Item #7B3,Income and Expense Statements for September 2025; Item #7B4,Public Housing Financial Assessment Score for the month of September 2025; Item #7B5,Bank Reconciliation.
Continuing with the agenda, Item #7C, Monthly Financials-October 2025; Item #7C1, Memo from Fee Accountant to Board of Commissioners; Item #7C2, Balance Sheet for October 2025; Item #7C3,Income and Expense Statements for October 2025; Item #7C4,Public Housing Financial Assessment Score for the month of October 2025; Item #7C5,Bank Reconciliation.
Continuing with the agenda, Item #7D, Monthly Financials-November 2025; Item #7D1, Memo from Fee Accountant to Board of Commissioners; Item #7D2, Balance Sheet for November 2025; Item #7D3,Income and Expense Statements for November 2025; Item #7D4,Public Housing Financial Assessment Score for the month of November 2025; Item #7D5,Bank Reconciliation.
Continuing with the agenda, Item #8, Report of the Secretary / Executive Director– The agency update in their packet.
Mrs. Gilton reported that on January 5th, the last two residents moved out through the eviction process. Senator Circle is completely vacant.
Mrs. Gilton reported that in the second week of January the gas abandonment process was completed for Senator Circle. There will no longer be gas in Senator Circle.
Mrs. Gilton reported that after the holidays, HTHA has its audit. She did receive it today to for the agency to review. There was no findings. At the next meeting, in March, she will have the board’s copy.
She reported that the agency will be going out, hopefully sometime next week, for a FEMA Consultant. She did place a letter at all of their station. The Sulzer Group is out of contract. The agency is going to move forward and put out an RFP for others to put in bids/ proposals in regards to becoming the agency’s FEMA PA.
Regarding Duson, the other agency right past Lafayette, there is an RFP out for A/E. The fence project is complete. It’s a 6ft barbwire fence. Calls are also be made for quotes to board up Duson. It is 17 buildings there. The property has been vacant since 2017/18. She is receiving reports from the neighbors that there were squatters. She does not want anything to happen on public housing authority property. She has had a talk with the Mayor and Sheriff and a sweep will be done first before the units are boarded up to make sure that no one is being boarded inside.
She reported that she had Mr. Dean from Broadmoor Design Group, who works for the housing authority with the A&E, designing the buildings. He did do the designs for the duplexes that they were going to move forward with. She wanted him to come up and introduce himself and give an update with the demo plan for Bayou Towers. They are working on that plan as well. She said they need a win from somewhere. She thinks when Dean gives the update in regards to the demo plan at Bayou Towers, she thinks it might give them something to smile about.
Mr. Dean Duplantier introduced himself. They have been working with the housing authority for about a year and a half now. Their work has been at Senator Circle, as well as Bayou Towers project. Primarily at Bayou Towers, they are dealing with demolition protocol which significantly involved with the environmental abatement of that steel framed building. He is about 50% finished with that bid package and it will be ready to be released in six weeks or so, to demolish the building. Part of that process is taking care of the environmental issues and cleaning the site down for potential redevelopment for future use. Mrs. Gilton asked if they had any questions for Mr. Dean regarding the demo or anything with Senator Circle or Bayou Towers. Mr. Duplantier said right now their approach would not be to recommend an implosion but to be mechanically dismantled. Mrs. Gilton asked Mr. Duplantier to explain to them why, like the conversation he had with her as to why it would be better to do it that way. Mr. Duplantier said considering the environmental issues, the type of construction, he believes that avoiding implosion would be less impactful to the surrounding properties and homeowners. He thinks that is a more appropriate approach to confirm there is a mechanical means by which this building could be removed from ground level starting at the top. Considering the failure, they had with the section of the original facade. He thinks it needs to be expedited to try to take that down so they don’t have similar panel failures in other sections of the building. Vice Chairperson Picou asked if he is saying it right, the machine is like a grab that goes up. Mr. Duplantier said it’s like a very, very large backhoe with a claw on the end and they basically chew it up, bringing pieces down to the ground as opposed to trying and knock it down and as they bring it up at the end of the day, they haul off what they have chewed up and brought down every day. They won’t have a big accumulation of waste. Commissioner Boykin asked what was the cost on that. He said estimated. Mr. Duplantier said right now they are thinking it is around 3 to 3.5 million dollars and about 40% of that would be dealing with the environmental issues. You have to clean the asbestos off every piece of steel that is in the building before you can start to dismantle. Mrs. Gilton asked if that was one of the things reimbursable by FEMA, the demo. Mr. Decuir said that was debated when they had the conversation with FEMA. It was specifically asked about the demo of Bayou Towers. The Sulzer Group represented that the cost were recoverable. FEMA wasn’t so quick to confirm the recoverable nature of the cost, in that in the amount of money obligated, if you need a portion of that for demo, they will allow you to use that for demo and the net amount remaining is what you have left to build the units. FEMA is going to make one large obligation and then how you use it depends on what you need it for. Chairwoman Hebert asked if they are closer to knowing anything even with the building. Mr. Decuir asked for Bayou Towers. Chairwoman Hebert said yes. Mrs. Gilton said the PDMG for FEMA last day is tomorrow. The agency will be getting a new FEMA rep. Chairwoman Hebert said they have to wait and talk to them. Mrs. Gilton said they have to go through the files and see what the previous person have. She does not want to say they are going to move forward or not. Chairwoman Hebert said it has to be soon. Mr. Decuir said he wanted to make sure he was clean on the reimbursement. It is not that they will have to find their own funding for it. It’s just the total amount of the award will be inclusive of demo. They will have to be very efficient with the funds that do come down. The FEMA amount is going to be less or netted against the insurance monies the they are holding. He said let’s just say the total replacement of the building is 100 million dollars and they are already holding 50 million in insurance. This is just fictitious numbers. FEMA is only giving you the difference of 50 to bring you whole to a hundred. Within that 100, you have to use that to do your demo. There is not a separate pot for demo. He wanted to make sure he was clear about that. He said he believes at some point there was a misnomer that it was a separate pot for demo and replacement.
Continuing with the agenda, Item #9, Commissioner Comments; Chairwoman Hebert said she probably could have asked this before the meeting and it kind of went off. She asked why do they have such high water bill? Is it because of the leak. Mrs. Gilton said they had leaks but the previous two residents, one was on the outside and one was on the inside, they couldn’t turn the water off. Now they can. Moving forward the water bill shouldn’t be as expensive. Chairwoman Hebert said she thought they just paid for the water they used. Mrs. Gilton said you have to pay for the meter. She reminded her that she had called her regarding the meter at Bayou Towers, asking could she get that removed. Chairwoman Hebert said yes. Mrs. Gilton said she believed it was $25,000 a month. You don’t just pay for what you use, you pay for the meter as well. Chairwoman Hebert said that is a lot for the office and two tenants. Mrs. Gilton also said the piping is old. There were a lot of leaks. They could not just leave the water shut off.
Commissioner Sherman arrived at 3:13p.m.
Chairwoman Hebert said moving forward, when they start rebuilding, are they going to do anything with the piping. She said it was just a question. Mrs. Gilton said she would want to, if they have the funding. Vice Chairperson Picou said it is shut off by sections, if they need to. Mrs. Gilton said yes. She thinks it would be better if they do inside, outside.
Chairwoman Hebert asked if there were any other comments. She told Commissioner Sherman what number they were on and asked if he had any comments before she move on.
Mrs. Gilton reported that Chairwoman Hebert leaves for a NAHRO conference in Washington DC, the first week in March. Chairwoman Hebert says March 7th. Mrs. Gilton said it is a national conference. Chairwoman Hebert said that is where you go knock on all of your Representatives and Senators door and you beg for more money. She said it works sometimes. It’s a lot of walking.
Continuing with the agenda, Item 10, Next Regular Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2026, 3:00 p.m., 124 K Senator Circle; Houma, LA 70363.
Continuing with the agenda, Item #11, Adjournment; Motioned to approve by Commissioner Boykin, seconded by Vice Chairperson Picou. Chairperson Hebert called for the vote:
UPON ROLL CALL THERE WAS RECORDED
YEAS: J. Boykin, D. Sherman, D. Picou, and C. Hebert
NAYS: None
ABSTAINING: None
ABSENT: Burke Motion carried
Meeting adjourned at 3:15 p.m.