CONVENT — There's a sandpit in St. James Parish that's creating a lot of dust for a small business owner across the street.

Keith LeBlanc says he began renovating an old bank along La. 44 a few years ago. He officially opened Nannie's Convenience Store in late March and is pleased to serve the community in which he grew up. 

"We hadn't had a convenience store in years," said LeBlanc.

His only headache is that the sandpit across the street from him constantly kicks up dust. LeBlanc says it's getting into his store and has coated his air conditioning unit. He's worried about the road conditions it creates.

"It's a hazard, it could cause an accident," he said.

All day long, dump trucks enter and exit a ramp over the levee. The trucks fill up with sand and take it to an off-site project, then return to fill up again.

"Depending on which way the wind is blowing, it's just a lot of dust," said LeBlanc.

When it rains, as it did on Monday, the roadway is coated in a thick layer of mud. LeBlanc says he's made several phone calls about the trouble he's having, hoping his plea for a change will be answered.

The sandpit is not new to the area. It's been in operation for several decades. However, LeBlanc says the solution to mitigate the dust could be putting asphalt on the driveway up the levee. 

The sandpit is owned by several groups. The pit is primarily owned by Zen-Noh Grain. The area is leased out to Fill Materials, LLC, and the work is done by Rene's Industries, LLC, a fill material and trucking company from Belle Rose. Rene's Industries says it maintains the levee crossing as much as possible, using a water truck to spray the area and a street sweeper to clean the highway.

As far as making the drive up the levee more permanent, the company says it has considered the idea, but says there is no guarantee it would alleviate the dust problem.

LeBlanc wishes they would take another look.

"Work all these years and put all the time and effort into this business, and for them to come and disregard it and disrespect the community as a whole when it's a problem that could be fixed," said LeBlanc.

The sandpit area is zoned industrial. There is a St. James Parish council meeting on Wednesday night, and LeBlanc plans to attend to voice his concerns.