Bids to remove the emergency flood protection closure system on Bayou Chene are being accepted until 3 p.m. Thursday.

Mark Rogers of T. Baker Smith LLC told the St. Mary Levee District board that a pre-submittal conference on Monday has been moved from the Levee District office to the Port of Morgan City operations office at 800 Youngs Road.

The board passed a resolution authorizing T. Baker Smith to oversee the bid process and district president Bill Hidalgo to sign the bid award contract.

“The resolution talks about the economic impact to St. Mary Parish,” due to the navigation obstacle created by the closure system, said attorney Gerard Bourgeois.

Bid specs include restoration of the waterway to its pre-emergency condition.

The board also learned that steps are being taken to remove sand baskets and bags from private properties along waterways in the Amelia area.

Duval Arthur, parish Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness officer, told the board that he would immediately put in a request for National Guard personnel to remove the bags.

District Executive Director Allan Kelly said that invoices through Friday last week total $5.4 million for all emergency flood protection work done in the parish. Of that, he said, $3.9 million has so far been submitted to FEMA for reimbursement with the balance to follow.

In other business the board:

—Heard from state Rep. Sam Jones (D-Franklin) that House Bill 611 just passed by the legislature contains a $2.491 million line item appropriation for the flood protection work done on Bayou Chene. Jones said those funds will be there to cover the 25 percent cost share to match FEMA’s 75 percent contribution. He also commended the flood protection work by the district that was a benefit to multiple parishes.

—Received a resolution of appreciation from the Terrebonne Levee District for the flood protection effort.

—Received a clean audit report on the 2010 fiscal year from Barbara Watts of the Darnall, Sikes, Gardes & Frederick CPA firm.

—Heard from Nicole Cutforth of the Shaw Group that while funding has not yet been secured for the Hanson Canal and Yellow Bayou flood protection systems, engineers are surveying both waterways. Also, construction of the protection system on the Franklin Canal is on schedule to begin in December, she reported.

—Heard from Kelly that a search for a permanent district office location is ongoing. He said available sites in the Morgan City and Patterson areas have proven to be too small and those in the Franklin area too large. Board president Bill Hidalgo said once the flood threat and its aftermath are over the focus on the site location can resume.

—Heard from Kelly that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is donating $1 million worth of limestone for levee crown repairs across the parish. The 25.500 tons of stone to be shipped in on 16 barges will arrive by the end of the month.