Several East Baton Rouge Parish officials raised concerns internally about a federally funded effort to remodel three small houses, calling the price excessive and saying the affordable housing project violated construction laws by ignoring important safeguards, emails obtained by The Advocate show.
In an internal memo dated Jan. 23, 2023, former purchasing director Kris Goranson and former Office of Community Development director Marlee Pittman raised concerns about the $480,000 cost of developer Jason Hughes’ Central Road project in Scotlandville, which they said was “well above” the average cost of construction in the area.
The two also said Hughes was acting as a contractor but had no license, was working without proper permits and invested in the properties beyond his budget. And the city-parish missed steps to make sure the rules were being followed, the officials noted…