BOGALUSA CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
PRESIDING:
PRESEN T:
CHARLES E. MIZELL, MAYOR
JERRY BAILEY, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION
DALE BRANCH, CITY ATTORNEY
PRESIDENT RITCHIE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND
COUNCILMAN O’REE
ABSENT: COUNCILMAN HODGES
VICE-PRESIDENT -PERRETTE
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: Led the Invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
COUNCILMAN HODGES……………………ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE……………..ABSENT
PRESIDENT RITCHIE………………………..HERE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS…………….HERE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM………………HERE
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND……………….HERE
COUNCILMAN O’REE………………………..HERE
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Next we have the approval of the minutes on the meeting held on
October 21, 2014.
BY COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS: I make a motion they be accepted.
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: Seconded.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
COUNCILMAN HODGES…………………ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE…………..ABSENT
PRESIDENT RITCHIE……………………..AYE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS………….AYE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM……………AYE
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND…………….AYE
COUNCILMAN O’REE…………………….AYE
(MOTION CARRIED 5-0 WITH TWO ABSENT TO APPROVE THE MINUTES HELD
ON OCTOBER 21, 2014 MEETING).
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Next we have no Introduction of Resolutions or Introduction of
Ordinances so we will move on to our public hearing, Councilman O’Ree.
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BY COUNCILMAN O’REE:
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Mayor to enter into a Grant Agreement with the State of
Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Office of Cultural Development,
Division of Historic Preservation.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone in the public wishing to speak for or against this ordinance please step forward and state your name and address.
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: We have been questioned quite often on what they are maybe
Ms. Bloom could explain some about it. I don’t have a question but we have been asked time and again to explain what we are working on. Thank you.
BY SANDY BLOOM: This is the seconded year in a row that the City of Bogalusa has been approved for this grant by the Office of Historic Preservation and it is a historic structure survey.
It is a modest grant $7,000.00 with a $7,000.00 match on behalf of the City. Basically what it is it gives us the opportunity to assist the State in surveying buildings in the city that is fifty years old.
Now we all know that would probably is almost every building in the City with the exception of a few. So last year we started with our historic district downtown and we also did some areas around Austin and Memphis Street and this year we have I think three different areas that we are proposing to do. One is the rest of the area around the court house because the court house hasn’t been done as well as areas in Richardson Town which our people that did our survey last year recommended that we do because that was a traditional African American Commercial
District the area they are proposing to survey. The same holds true to the area that is East of
Highway 21 and that was also a commercial district in the early years for the African American
Communities. So that is what we are going to be doing. We get a picture and we get a total measurement and history of the bu8ilding as far as our consultants are able to research it. It would be good for us in the future as we go on so that we will know and be able to help inform citizens that they have a historic building. It will also help with Fema purposes in the future should there be a disaster. So it is an important project done on several levels and I think it is a good economic investment for the City to make.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone in the public?
BY TERRY “FOOTS” QUINN: Is that for commercial only or residents too?
BY SANDY BLOOM: Actually we are doing some residents too because they are commercial areas.
BY TERRY “FOOTS” QUINN AND SANDY BLOOM: (Inaudible speaking without microphone in audience.)
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Council discussion.
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: There being none I move that it be accepted.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: Seconded.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
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COUNCILMAN HODGES…………………ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE……………ABSENT
PRESIDENT RITCHIE……………………….AYE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS…………AYE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM………….AYE
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND………….AYE
COUNCILMAN O’REE……………………..AYE
(MOTION CARRIED 5-0 WITH TWO ABSENT AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A
GRANT AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF LOOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE,
RECREATION AND TOURISM, OFFICE OF CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, DIVISION OF HISTORIC
PRESERVATION).
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: I would like to make a motion to take an ordinance off the table.
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: Seconded.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
COUNCILMAN HODGES………………..ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE…………..ABSENT
PRESIDENT RITCHIE………………………AYE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS………..AYE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM………….AYE
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND…………AYE
COUNCILMAN O’REE…………………….AYE
(MOTION CARRIED 5-0 WITH TWO ABSENT TO BRING AN ORDINANCE BACK ON THE TABLE).
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND:
AN ORDINANCE requesting zoning change at 544 East Avenue from A-3 Residential to B-Business in order to open a Reception Hall at this address.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone in the public wishing to speak for or against this ordinance please step forward and state your name and address.
BY THEODORE NEWMAN: 542 May Avenue. I would like to speak against this ordinance. In the first place that I would like to say in the zoning committee when we met with the Zoning commission Reverend Palmer suggested that we try to come together with some kind of reservations in this thing because we have a complaint. Reverend Palmer said that maybe we can do something about the noise, muffle the noise down or whatever. I’m here tonight to say nothing at all has been done and I am one of the original petitioners. In 1987 when we petitioned this building and closed this same building down that nothing has been done to eliminate the noise. All of the problems that existed then when this place was closed it still exists. Not a thing in the world has changed. Number one problem would be the problem is traffic. I don’t know if anyone has said anything to the Council about this. I want to say tonight that every street from
Florence Avenue all the way down is one way. In other words two cars do not have enough room for any two way traffic on these streets. After you leave on Sixth Street and you are going left the first street you get to is Marx Avenue. Two cars cannot go down it. The next street is Eliot, two cars cannot go down it. The next street is the street I live on May Avenue there is not enough room on that street for two cars to come and the Lye Street is East Avenue where this building is on a dead end where two cars cannot come down that street. You will definitely have traffic problems. If the council goes ahead and votes to have this business to be open you could just go
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ahead and open a bar room down there as business. The Zoning Committee when it came to permission we found out this building the license they were referring to there would be no closing time, they could open any time that they wanted and on down the line. That is why even on Sundays they would be able to open under the B-Business license not only that but under that kind of license that if this group of people tried to sell this business then after them comes another business. There would be nothing that the City, in other words the City would have no jurisdiction over this thing. Open and close in other words it would be like a private club. Open and close when they get ready. So that is the problem that we have. The next problem is that we have all the noise that we have and I reported it to this committee and this council the last time that we met that I had called the police officers to my home and brought them into my bedroom and let him sit down and listen to the noise that was going on. Now the claim is that the noise was outside but we have definite proof the noise was coming out of the building. So having lived here all this time and having gone through this with the other with the petition we not saying what we think we are saying what we know. The trouble that we had with the other building the other the reason I mentioned it was closed under this petition. We had all kind of noise and problems with other situations. So I would just like for the committee to look at this, look at the zoning and look at the effective people. Now I want to say this the last time the testimony on this thing most of these people are from somewhere else. They were not from our community they were from Poplas Quarters even the owners of this building is from Poplas Quarters. Three or four miles in other words they are not effected by whatever happens over there. We live right next door to it.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: Mr. Newman can I ask you a question if you don’t mind? You said
Pastor Palmer made some comments about the compromise didn’t he vote in favor for the zoning change?
BY THEODORE NEWMAN: He would have voted but he was chairman and couldn’t vote.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: He voted yes he voted it was on record. I was just asking.
BY THEODORE NEWMAN: His vote was disqualified because he was chairman.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone else?
BY DORIS DAWSON: 1620 Willie Mays Street. I don’t know how he knew who was on the list because he didn’t see the list of the ones that signed their names. They were people in the neighborhood. He have tell half trues in that meeting at the zoning board we had three to vote for us that was Mrs. Crumedy, Mrs. Willene and the Pastor Palmer. There was three to vote against us and one lady said may I vote and they said yes and that made us have to loose and she said you just lost. Now let me tell you something. This building is not what he is saying and I can’t see how he can hear so much because there is no windows in the building there is only doors. This building has been a help to people. It hasn’t hurt anybody. Now I’m still wondering about his daycare. He’s already made it a business zone because he has a daycare business over there. No one ever said anything about that, we don’t care because that is his business. We are trying to run this building and we are trying to have it for recreation for the kids, for repasses, for graduation any little thing like that. There is no beer served there is hardly any time in the building. It is not every day, it is not open every day. We are the cheapest in Bogalusa. We are not trying to make no money off of this. If we wanted to open a bar my husband’s daddy had a bar up on Fourth Street and he could have had one but he didn’t want a bar. We never did want a bar and we don’t want anybody to think that. We don’t want this council to think we want to open a bar we never did. Never ever did want a bar.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you. Anyone else?
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BY REGINA OTIS: 541 May Avenue. I would like to say that constantly you are seeing things that in the paper and the Mayor is saying we need to revitalize the City. We need to do more things to make the City more beautiful. Well I’m trying to do that in my neighborhood because I am steady doing and adding things to make it beautiful. If we rezone this place then there is not any reason for me to continue doing this I would have to get up and move my house to New
Orleans or some placed like that. I’m just saying we need a place where we can call home not a place we can call a bar. Thank you very much.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you. Anyone else?
BY ANTHONY SMITH: 1016 East Sixth Street. They both have a point. There is a place where the community comes to hold different affairs. Now I live about a hundred yards, a hundred fifty yards from the place. My complaint is that if they can tone the music down because that late it is disrespect that they are in a residential area. I can hear them at the corner of the turn the loud music and rap whatever and the following day I have to go out and pick up beer bottles and empty liquor bottle or what have you and clean out the ditch in front of my yard. They park right in front of me my house. If the noise can be kept up that is my main complaint and keep their trash in their cars. So if we can stress that point I don’t see it being a problem.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: So you don’t oppose it Mr. Anthony?
BY ANTHONY SMITH: Well something has to be done about the noise because I like some rap I’m open to all music. I write, compose and direct and perform music. That use to be one of the places I played coming up as a kid in High School and a couple of years afterwards. When the clubs closed on Fourth Street we either went to a home or Sun, Varnado, Covington after hours when things closed. So we held events there you know even as a kid. As an event we always asked them to well a different kind of music going on then, the language wasn’t quite as bad we had that Motown thing.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: The soul music.
BY ANTHONY SMITH: Yes. So we still ask them to keep the music down because my mother she will be 90 in January so if they can keep the music down and keep the trash and liquor so I don’t have to clean out the ditches in my yard every day. I understand what she said it is a use to the community and people rent it for different occasions.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you.
BY TAMIRA Moss Smith: 554 6 TH Avenue. I do live by that building that we are referring to today and I did get out and speak to some of them my neighbors and my community and the only concern they would like for me to voice today is the music to make sure that it is low but they are in favor for keeping the building open because it is a recreation center that we are using as well as people going and enjoying themselves. Now I live on 6 th Street once the doors is closed I don’t hear anything. So I am just standing before ya’ll for my community would like for the building to remain open just make sure that the noise is down as far as the music. There are pros and cons to this building being open.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you. Council discussion.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: I was going to say again that I did go down and speak with the residents down there and I told ya’ll the last meeting four people down there had a problem with it and the rest of the people had no problem with it at all. Now Ms. Smith brought up the music when I was down there and I was looking at people’s eyes and talking with them they were not worried about no music. I can only take their word they live there and I know if it was a club or if
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it was something bad or this horrible I would guaranty you more than two people would be over here having a problem with it. Having a club or a bad place in the neighborhood I’m sure every person in the neighborhood, people would be here as we’ve seen in the past with different zoning change so I’m in favor of it because I’ve been there several times and I was around several people that has been there a lot of times. I can’t speak on what happen in the 70’s and
80’s, I wasn’t here, I don’t know about anybody got killed down there or got shot down there since I have been around or since I’ve been home from college since 2006. I can’t tell you one person that was killed down there or shot. In 70’s or 80’s I can’t speak for that I’m talking about
O’Ree born in 83’. Since I’ve been back from college in 2006 I can’t tell you anybody has gotten killed. Since I have gotten saved and got my life right with the Lord I was going there myself and we hadn’t had no serious problems down there and since I have been with the Lord we go down there for receptions and things of that nature and repass I haven’t seen no major problems there. I’m going to say things Sandy I said last week and I’m going to shut up if four people can control the destination of this city I think we have a sad city. That is all I have to say.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone else?
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: Yes. You know I’m listening to what the people have and the complaints about the noise and loud music the vulgar music. You can go anywhere in the city and out of the city as far as that goes you can be going in or out of a store in a shopping center and these people come3 by with this loud music and it is sometimes vulgar. We have laws and we can call the police if we have a problem with that. As far as trash being thrown down I live over a mile from a store and right at my corner is a vultural dumping ground. I can’t control it all
I can do is pick it up. I can’t do it if we could catch them doing it we could report who is doing it but you can’t stand on that corner all night and all day. The other thing as far as the building itself I have heard the pros and cons of its use but my feeling is that this is a long time established building. It has been there for many, many years for whatever its use and whoever owned it at the time and anybody that comes to these meetings know if there is alcohol involved
I’m usually nay but you have to also look at the present. Whether they have it or not this building has been there and has served this function for many, many years and I can’t rightfully fairly say no you can’t tonight. So I’m going to vote in favor when it gets to be voting time.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone else on the council?
BY COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS: Yes. Like O’Ree stated you know I am much older and I have hung out at this place and I have went there after hours when the place was still opened. My church member lives right next door and I have talked to these people on more than one occasion and asked them is this noise a problem? They are right next door to this building and they told me they do not have a problem with it. I mean like Dawson stated this is some recreation that some of us can’t afford. I’m going to tell you I’m one that can’t afford to come over here to Union Square and K-C hall. You know if I have a function and I know I can afford this place then I need to go somewhere else where I can afford. So like I said I spoke with the neighbors and they don’t have a problem with it and no I don’t live in the neighborhood but hearing what everyone else stated and said people in the neighborhood don’t have a problem except for four people. Again I agree with O’Ree if we let four people decide for us then we are in bad shape.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: Well if ya’ll were to get this approval would ya’ll be in agreement to hiring security just when alcohol is served and keep set hours so it doesn’t go on all night because literally there is no regulations. Once ya’ll get the approval ya’ll can do whatever you want to with it.
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: All you are doing is giving them something to agree with that we can’t enforce. All we are dealing with is the zoning issue.
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BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: We have plenty of witnesses and they agree to it.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: What you said Teddy is a hundred percent right we can’t enforce it but
I just think that I don’t see them doing that if they sell beer that is something different but you can call the police for any reason. The music the litter whatever the case need be.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: If they had security there then there would not have any reason to call the police.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: Right if they were to sell it or someone else gets it you can call the police for whatever the disturbance you may have in the neighborhood. The force that music is concerned I don’t know what neighborhood that is free of music period. I mean I lived down there we have some of these teenage boys come through there bumping hard all night. I guess I don’t know we ain’t going to solve no music problems in Bogalusa. We ain’t going to solve music problems nowhere. We don’t have enough police to hang on every person catching them for having their music up loud.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Mayor.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: I would like to ask a question about the litter that we are speaking about.
Would they be subject to the same rules of being responsible for litter two hundred feet of the building itself as with alcohol beverages dispensaries?
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: Isn’t that all commercial buildings? Because I’m thinking even the Funeral Homes has to obey that. That is my remembrance which may not be right. I think it is all commercial.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: I’m getting a no that they be no regulations. That was my question.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Any motion?
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: I make a motion we accept it.
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: Seconded.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
COUNCILMAN HODGES…………………ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE……………ABSENT
PRESIDENT RITCHIE……………………….AYE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS………..AYE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM………….AYE
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND………….NAY
COUNCILMAN O’REE……………………..AYE
(MOTION CARRIED 4 -1 WITH TWO ABSENT REQUESTING ZONING CHANGE AT 544 EAST
AVENUE FROM A-3 RESIDENTIAL TO B-BUSINESS IN ORDER TO OPEN A RECEPTION HALL AT
THIS ADDRESS).
BY PRESDIENT RITCHIE: Next we come to public participation. Ms. Bourn.
BY LOURAINE BOURN: 59537 Mt. Pleasant Road. I’m here just to remind everybody that on
Saturday we have our Native American Culture Day. If you haven’t received one of these I have
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some here. We have seven different tribes coming here Louisiana Tribes coming. This is the first time ever in the State of Louisiana to be done. These tribes, representatives come from way out of the out skirts of Louisiana. Some of them are traveling four and five miles to get here.
Yesterday at five o’clock in the evening I met some of the Houma Tribe and they came with two truckloads of Palmetto Palm that we are going to use to build huts and they are going to be out all day tomorrow cutting palmetto and bringing three more truckloads of palmetto palms to put around the huts. This is a touch of all of their culture and to see their dance. Down here it was the stomping. You are going to see their dress, you are going to see their bead work, their basketry, their stories and it is going to be a tremendous day. It was their suggestion that it all be free. They don’t want anyone not to be able to experience it because they can’t afford to come. The tribes themselves are putting a bunch of money into it because they are going to have to stay and travel and putting up we have sponsors helping too because we have to feed everybody and such like that. But anyway just a reminder it’s this Saturday from 9-4 free admission and please tell your friends. If you have any children in your family, grand children they really, really, really need to come see this. This is the real thing. For a long time our Native
American Museum over there has been run by us white folk now as President of our museum we have Joanne Miller one hundred percent Native American. Her father and her grandfather were
Chiefs of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe. Her father when he was Chief that is when they got the federal recognition for their tribe. It was during his ten years too that the Tunica treasure was discovered and that the Repatriation Act was passed where the museums has items from sacred burial grounds had to be returned to their tribes. So we are extremely fortunate that we have
Joanne with us and this has been her project all year long. She has traveled to every reservation met with each of the tribal councils and asked them to please come and they said yes. So want you say yes too?
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: Thank you ma’am.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you. Anyone else in the public? Administrative remarks.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Mr. President. Of course with keeping with the tradition that we have the supervisors reporting. We will start tonight with Jerry Bailey, Director of Administration.
BY JERRY BAILEY: Good evening. When you get your chart you will see we are still up with the sales taxes and you can see I have added a trim line to it. You can see it is still going upwards but it is at a rate of 1.0%. So it is still looking pretty good with that concern. I would like for you to know that the property tax rolls we have received them from the assessor last Friday and we are currently working on getting the bills out so you will be seeing your bills in the mail in the next couple of weeks. Big news this coming Monday Tyler Technology people that we bought the computers from will be in here to train us on the new system. It is already installed so we are having him come and teach us what we need to do. Other than that, that is pretty much a lot going on over there in my department anyway.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you Jerry.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Director of Parks and Recreation, Landon Tims.
BY LANDON TIMS: Good evening. We’ve had a lot going on this past month. First I would like to start with one of the events we had in Cassidy Park which would have been October 25 th the weekend before Halloween it was called the Business Block Fall Festival. This event kind of started out small and this year when I pulled into the Park that evening I was very overwhelmed to see that there was probably five hundred plus people in the front area of the park for this event with booths and the kids had character meet and greets and costume contests and the organizers of this event did a really good job. It was really nice to see all the people because that is what we are looking for. We are looking for people to get out and come to our parks and what
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we have to offer which is the same as Avenue B Sports Complex. They are having some baseball tournaments in two weeks along with soccer games and football games. So we have these three events that is going on at one complex on Saturday mornings and just the people there whether you are there to play softball or watch kids or grandkids play sports there is a ton of people getting out and a lot to do. Don’t forget Christmas in the Park is ready to kick off. I want to echo
Ms. Bourn asking everybody to please come out to the Native American Culture Day. It should be a really great event; just add another great event to what we have been doing. I would like to address one issue, really not an issue but a lot of people have asked about Lake Vista. A while back we have an air raider there that keeps the algae down in the lake and a while back we had somebody cut the lines. I guess steal the copper line or something someone cut the lines. We just got the electricity restored and the air raider is back working so when you ride by people is wondering what was happening. It was a gas pocket just get that out of the way.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: It wasn’t the lock net monster.
BY LANDON TIMS: Yes. Thank you.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Landon. Director of Public Works, James Hall.
BY JAMES HALL: Good evening. It is getting the time of the year where I can slow down on grass cutting and get some more projects done. There will be some mowers running we have a boom mower we run it year round because one person can’t keep up with the whole city. We are still spraying for mosquitoes we haven’t had a good frost yet but it will allow me more time to put out working on pot holes and digging ditches. We are starting to put up Christmas lights all over town. Some on Columbia Street up and down Willis Avenue around the Park and we are working on the water and sewer leaks every day. Code enforcement we had seven citations written this month, three issued for no water at the residents or damaged to a water leak. Rodney also writes violations and we have several a month so I told Rodney to start writing them down so ya’ll can see what we have to contend with a month. Citation resulting 4 citations issued dropped due to compliance before court date. 2 citations issued for failure to appear, one citation issued at a at hop trial, we had 43 code violations brought into compliance, and seven vehicles moved from the city’s right of way. Rodney is still staying on top of this and we have a new computer system and we will start entering these into the computer so you can go on line to see the progress of each one of these are. Thank ya’ll.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: Thank you.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you James.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you James. Airport Manager, Louis Busby.
BY LOUIS BUSBY: Good evening. It has been a busy month and it is getting into flying weather getting cool outside. Like cool weather we have had quite a bit of traffic we have had about 45 visiting aircraft plus our people flying at the airport. I just finished up on the lighting project, the center line lights for the taxiway, a new taxiway sign, some of the lights around the airport we got a hundred percent grant from the state lighting went to LED’s. Our drainage project will be starting this month and we finally got that pushed through and we should be breaking ground the next few days hopefully. Mr. Farley broke ground on his hangers at the Airport. So we should be getting three hangers out there. We got some more people coming out to see the progress so
I think that is going to be the push we need because people see the progress we have out there seeing hangers out there people will want to come see and build hangers. We have the CIP
(Capital Improvement Program) submitted to the state and the FAA and that is my basic proposals for my grants for the next five years. We do it every year where we got our Drainage
Project, the Airport Lay Out Plan actually project years past and the Lighting Project. So we are
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starting a project from the same thing I am doing now from last year. 50% maintenance reimbursement finally came in and we get half of the stuff we spend on maintaining our airport so we got that in this month. This year they reinstated the Gillian in Hansen Project this is branch space and hangers that is funded by the state. They cancelled that in years past, this year they said they re-opted the project. They didn’t put out any information but I did some digging and found out there was some money in the pot and we got that summited. That is it.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you Louis.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Chief Culpepper.
BY CHIEF CULPEPPER: Good evening. We are still on course we had 1147 calls this past month which is about average. 141 arrests, 56 traffic accidents, provided 6 escorts, 3 DWI’s, and the jail picked up 161 bags of garbage and provided 16 people doing community service from the court community center. I know Robin is not here and I know Sandy will touch on it but I had a pretty good time at the thing down on Columbia Street and like to have frozen to death on my tractor but there were a lot of happy kids running up and down. Thank you.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you Chief.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you. Fire Chief Richard Moody.
BY CHIEF MOODY: Hi. We’ve had a pretty busy month we have actually had 6 structure fires and had three in a twenty four hour period this past weekend. One of those is probably going to turn out to be arson. We were talking about historic things it was one of our historic houses in the paper mill when they first started and built where their supervisors stayed in and I hated to see that go up a lot of history there. The house had been re done it was a really nice house. We had three other small fires that went into the structures but did not go into the structure. So we ended up with nine this month. We had nine grass fires, six motor vehicle accidents, sixty three medical assists, four natural gas or power lines down, nine false alarms, two vehicle fires and ten distress or assist calls for the month we had a total of one hundred twelve. It’s getting that season and I would like to remind everybody about it but one of these calls on a huge shed that was filled with people’s belongings from people burning trash in a ditch they had a hose out there they did everything right and they thought they had it out and went in that night and the wind blowing Friday night. It went through their yard and past up their shed and burnt the neighbors shed not belonging to them. That happens a lot, people think that it is out and it is not always out so ya’ll be careful we burn a lot so make sure it is out or if you are not sure call us and we will come put it out for you. Thank you.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: Thank you Richard.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: That is not being a good neighbor is it?
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Special Project Manager Melvin Keith to speak on the Terrace Project and where it is at.
BY MELVIN KEITH: Good evening. There is a couple of projects we are working on. One in particular is the Terrace area In-Field Project and we have been working on this a year or so now and I am very glad and pleased that it is coming to a duration with some of the properties picked out and should be purchased this week or early next week. Hopefully the developer will come over by at least the end of this month and maybe sometimes before the end of the year we should start building on six or seven of those properties and hopefully get funded again for the next year and having a gain plan now how a history of what we need to do next year and be able to see this move a little more faster. The other project that we have was approved by the state
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was notified by RAD a housing rehabilitation where they repair houses that are damaged from
Katrina and Rita. That was approved and I think I stated before whatever reason when it comes to the State of Louisiana I don’t want to say anything and don’t get nervous you are lucky to get funds but you have to go on their time table. They are the ones that crosses the t’s and dots the
I’s. For my understanding it should be released from legal by now and should have been notified until we get something I know a lot of people a number of people I talked with about this project are houses repaired. But our hands are tied and we can’t do anything until the state releases the funds. At least we have some progress and movement. Thank you.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: Boy the state is not like that when you owe them money.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Director of Personnel, Sandy Bloom.
BY SANDY BLOOM: You know I always have to start off a little light harded, so I was watching
Louis our Airport Manager give his report and I’m so impressed how Louis has over the time that he has been here made that his own and is doing such a good job but what really made me realize how far he has come when it was obvious that I was going to be the last one he said to me he saved the best for last. So thank you Louis. Melvin I can attest to what you are saying about the money coming slowly. For example we have a project that is on the books that we got some minuscule Capital Outlay money from and it was through the Bond Commission and it has been approved but I think James can tell you that we are having the hardest time getting that approval to go ahead from the state. This year during the last Legislature we had some other
Capital Outlay Projects that were approved by the legislature however they never made it to the
Bond Commission so we got no new money last year. You know we are not too smart, we don’t learn so we submitted seven more projects. They had to be in by October 31 st and they were all submitted before with the exception of one. I’m going to tell you the ones that we have submitted. The Industrial Park road, water, gas, sewer and infrastructure, that is to build a new assess road to the Industrial Park so we are not having to send big trucks along City Limits Road.
That is a huge Economic Development Project that is so necessary for the continued growth of the Industrial Park. Draining, paving and water system improvements that is the kind of money we are waiting on for Austin Street they are asking for some more money so that the administration can continue to repair roads bit by bit as the money comes in. The new project is to improve East 4 th Street and Avenue U area and that is to have a gateway into our historic downtown being so successful as well as having a more attractive entrance way for people coming and visiting International Paper. The Willis Avenue that project we talked about before and I think we do have some money in transfer program for this but that one is to straighten out
Willis Avenue instead of going down martin Luther King and out on East 2 nd . It will punch through to the highway and that will be a significant improvement not only for the people that live along that corridor where big trucks comes in and makes all kind of racket all night and our streets are being tore up. It will make easier access for those trucks coming in and out of the mill.
Emergency Sewer collection system we always have problems, the money that we spent along
Austin Street to repair the sewer came from this type of fund. We are always having these kinds of problems so we are asking for more money. We are trying to be pro-active and ahead of the game. We do have hopes and plans to build a community center however there is no funding for that so we are asking for some money from Capital Outlay in order to plan that project. The last one is Cassidy Park. There are a lot of ways we can get money for Cassidy Park or City Park we have been very successful in getting some grant money for different activities there the most recent is the Splash Pad which I think everybody will agree is a great addition to the park and the children love it but there is more to do there. That is really our cap stone of the sick so we will continue to ask for money to fund the master plan in Cassidy Park. Joe yes you were right we had a great time last Friday night down at the Harvest Fest. Tons of people it has grown every year.
That is another project that began that little green space in front of the Daily News and it was a
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great little activity the first year we did it. Second year we moved it to Columbia Street, the third year we really got it right. My hat goes off to Robin and the work she did to make that happen.
She is not here because it is her mother’s birthday. We had all kinds of volunteers from the city and the community to make that a very successful thing. Since she is not here to tell you other things that is happening down there and there won’t be a council meeting that she will be at before Thanksgiving, Tis the Season Street Stroll is going to be on Columbia Street on small business Saturday and that Sunday which is the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving. We have lots of vendors coming in and a great opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done plus it brings other people from out of town to our city and we can capture some of their dollars and some of their tax money. Don’t forget the Thanksgiving night Parade that opens the
Christmas Season is on schedule for five o’clock that day if you want to be in the parade let us know, golf carts are welcome, horses welcome, cars welcome, truck welcome, floats welcome so please come and take part in that great Christmas tradition. We have been meeting with a group of people in order to kind of get that Christmas decorating spread out around our city instead of concentrating in Cassidy Park and a few places that we are able to put lights. Our next meeting is next Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. in the War Room so I want to invite the public anybody who is interested in working toward that to come and participate with us. Thank you.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you Sandy.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Well I think Sandy covered a lot of ground with that and I want to say a few words about the Native American Day in the Park. Certainly you don’t know the other half of this
Joanne Miller who has really worked hard and put this project together. Of course her silent partner is Mr. David Miller who is here and is always welcome here from Mt. Herman Web TV.
David thank you and we appreciate you and your wife working as hard as she did with conjunction with all the ladies from the Museum. They put on a fine show over there for us. I want to say thanks to everyone who qualified and ran an election yesterday and congratulations to the winners. There are some run offs in the City and I just want to say thank you for offering your services to our city. So with that Mr. Council, President and Council for taking on these tough issues again tonight I say thank you.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Next we move to Council discussion, Councilwoman Williams.
BY COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS: First I would like to say good evening. I am glad to see everyone that is here. Also Sandy and Joe I apologize for the Harvest Fest but it was just a little too cold for me. I couldn’t take it. I know that hayride going down Columbia Road it is cold so I couldn’t deal with it this time I had to stay in. I heard a lot about it with people that I talked to and they said what good of time they had but I do apologize because I can’t deal with the cold.
Also I would like to congratulate Councilman Drummond and also Councilman Ritchie. Fire
Department you know I can’t leave you out, I came to the demonstration, I was here on
Wednesday for the demonstration and they offered me to get into what I would call this box but
I refused because they told me it was twelve hundred degrees in there and looking at all that gear they had on, looking at this fire I couldn’t do it so hats off to the Fire Department. Those are my boys and I am behind them one hundred percent. Thank you.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Councilwoman Graham.
BY COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM: I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming tonight and participating in our business meeting. Look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Councilman Drummond.
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BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: I would just like to reiterate what the Mayor said round one of the election and the runoffs are set for December 6 th and I urge voters to get out and learn about the candidates. Don’t vote on how you are told don’t vote along party lines. Vote how you see fit.
Don’t let somebody tell you how to vote that is one of the important rights you have. Don’t let somebody take it without firing a shot. I also would like to say that Robin’s Harvest Fest was good, it was a little cold but I whizzed out after a little while but it was good while it lasted. I look forward to the Tis the Season Street Stroll it has been a hit too. With that being said that is all I have.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Councilman O’Ree had to leave early he had Bible study tonight. He ask me to remind everyone that he will be having a peace march, peace rally and it will start
Saturday at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I would like to say thanks to Chief Moody for that fire training that he had brought in. If I’m correct and if I’m not correct, correct me you got that at no cost to the city. These guys were from LSU for three days and I think every fireman we had went through this apparatus that they had. I was out there and I was gimping in the back. I wanted to get in there but I didn’t want to get in the way in case something happened and they would have to run over me trying to get me out. I was down in my back and I wasn’t tempting it. I do appreciate your hard work and bringing that down and I know those guys learned a lot and it was a good experience for them. I appreciate everyone that got out and voted yesterday. This is a great right that we have in our free country. We should always, always exercise that right. It is sad that not everyone turns out to vote. I don’t quite understand it, myself I have voted since I was of age to vote and I don’t think I have missed many elections if I did I was out of the country or something. Our men in the service and women in the service they fight for this right for us and this is what makes our country great is to be able to voice your opinion that way. I appreciate everybody’s support and thank you for the crowd tonight let’s keep the crowd coming, let’s keep pushing this city forward and I look forward to the next meeting to see as many people then.
With that being said—oh Councilwoman Perrette is not here tonight she has a death in her family so if you would keep her family in your thoughts and prayers I would appreciate that.
With that being said meeting adjourned.
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