VP Council discusses activities for seniors, youngsters

New activities for the elderly and young people in the community were among issues discussed during the monthly meeting of the Ville Platte City Council Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor Jennifer Vidrine said hot meals would be served to seniors, at no cost, at the MLK Center Monday through Friday starting July 1, in a partnership with the Evangeline Council on Aging.
The director of the Council on Aging, Lisa Derouen, told the council the meals at the MLK Center will be an extension of a program at the Village De Memoire. Similar programs are being offered in Basile and Mamou, she said.
The MLK Center will open for the seniors at 8 a.m., and the meals will be served starting at 10:30 a.m. Mayor Vidrine said the event will include time for the seniors to socialize and other activities, such as bingo, are being considered.
“No one will be turned down,” she said, adding that she considers “senior citizens the jewels of our community.” The mayor said the program is in response to the realization that there are seniors in Ville Platte who are unable to cook and have no care givers.
Mayor Vidrine also said the city plans to offer a van transport service “for everybody” 18 years and older. She said the idea stemmed from seeing people walking to and from stores with groceries. The service will be offered for any purpose, such as doctor appointments.
The mayor and council also discussed programs for younger people. “They need something to do,” Councilman Taranza Arvie said, adding that people have been asking him what activities the city plans to offer its younger residents.
Mayor Vidrine said she hopes the Boys and Girls Club will be functioning in June. The city must first secure a charter from the umbrella organization, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, based in Atlanta, Georgia. “We should know by this Friday,” when the charter will be granted. In the meantime, the building the club will occupy has had utility service restored and has been inspected by the fire department, she said.
Mayor Vidrine said a variety of activities are being planned at the club, and that volunteer coaches have been invited to a meeting at city hall Tuesday, May 20, to plan activities. Among possible activities the club will offer at the Northside Civic Center are dances and tennis lessons.
The mayor said she wants the city to set aside $30,000 in its annual budget for the Boys and Girls Club, and “there has been great support,” from local businesses to help support the club.
The club will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the summer and 3:30 to 7 p.m. during the school year. Mayor Vidrine said students will be required to complete their homework before taking part in club activities.
The mayor also said improvements to Hargrove Park, next to the MLK Center, should be made soon. She held up a plan for a walking trail that will include a quarter-mile outside track designed for people who prefer to walk faster and a quarter-mile inside track for the elderly or those who prefer to walk more slowly. Bicycles and four-wheelers will be prohibited from using the walking trail.
Other planned improvements at the park include volleyball courts and picnic tables.
Mayor Vidrine said because of the very successful KFLA live broadcast at the Northside pavilion May 7, the city should build on that success by offering a monthly event there on Fridays with Zydeco bands and perhaps food and beverage vendors. Council members discussed starting those events at 5 or 5:30 p.m.
Mayor Vidrine had two positive economic reports to make during the meeting:
•The city’s expenses in April -- $163,062 -- were $60,078 less than the city’s expenses in March.
•The city’s workman comp dividend for 2013 was $103,983. That was up from $48,746 in 2012 and $12,645 the year before that.
Ronnie Landreneau briefed the mayor and council on two major water-related projects:
•The 3,400 residential and commercial water meters have been replaced with new “smart meters” that are read remotely from city hall, without the need for meter readers. One of the benefits of the new meters is that the city will be able to determine if there are leaks without customers having to wait until a larger monthly bill than usual is received. Councilman Mike Perron said some residents have noticed their bills issued after the change to the new meters have been higher than usual. That’s because their previous bill -- the last calculated with the old meters -- were unusually low. The mayor said while most water bills will be about the same as they were with the old meters, the new meters will provide more accurate readings than the old ones. Landreneau said any attempt to tamper with the meters will be detected in city hall. The city has imposed fines for water meter tampering.
•Landreneau said phase 2 of the city’s water distribution system upgrade -- which included installing of new water mains and hydrants -- should be completed in a couple off months. Phase 3 will include upgrades south of Main Street, and Phase 4 will involve commercial customers along LaSalle and Main streets. As work crews shut off older lines during phase 2, leaks in the distribution system are being eliminated, he said.
In other city council business:
•The council approved the mayor’s request for the city to become a member -- at no cost to the city -- of the Louisiana Community Development Authority, which funds infrastructure -- such as wastewater, drinking water, and solid waste facilities -- in municipalities at no cost to those communities.
•Mayor Vidrine said Cabot Corporation is replacing the heating and cooling systems at city hall and the Northside Civic Center at no cost to the city. She said the total cost of the upgrade is more than $100,000.
•The mayor said the city is getting prices for a replacement for the city’s 20-year-old sewer cleaning equipment. She said she had hoped that equipment could have been paid for out of next year’s budget, “but we need it now,” adding the existing sewer cleaner “is just old. It’s just finished.”
•The council approved a memorandum of understanding with the Recreation Board to split the annual salary for the new ball park director, Thomas Scully. Mayor Vidrine said the ball park is expected to be self sustaining at some point, without the city’s help. The mayor also praised Scully’s experience and leadership and said “there were a lot of great applications” for the director’s position.
•Virginia Coreil of Ping Enterprises, Inc., briefed the mayor and council on that company’s second year of planning for the Smoked Meat Festival at the Northside Civic Center, which will feature Kyle Veillon, James Dupre and Daryl Singletary on Friday, June 27, and Mike Dean, Jarred Lane and Mark Chesnutt on Saturday. The city council approved of a cooperative endeavor agreement that will allow the festival use of city property, the help of city employees and $500 toward expenses. Coreil said the festival “promotes Ville Platte and our culture.” Mayor Vidrine said the festival organizers did a “miraculous job” with their first involvement with the festival last year.
•Gene Buller briefed the mayor and council on expanded plans for this year’s Creole Families Festival. The city helped to stage the event at the parish courthouse last year. Organizers are working on a larger event at the Northside pavilion on July 12 this year. That festival is expected to attract people from New Orleans and Europe. The council voted to waive the pavilion rental fee and to help with setting up the festival.
•Councilman Arvie asked for an ordinance requiring an accounting of city expenses for travel and for gift baskets that are given to people who are being honored by the city. The council set a public hearing before its meeting on June 10. Arvie also said city court fees and fines should be accepted as money orders or cashiers’ checks instead of cash. Consulting attorney Greg Vidrine said the city council has no authority over how the court is operated.
•Fire Chief Ted Demourelle reported his department responded to 19 calls in April, 11 of them in Ville Platte, involving six structure fires. Police Chief Neal Lartigue reported police received 761 calls for assistance in April, resulting in 63 arrests, seven of them on felony charges.