VPCC makes traffic changes, discusses water system

Traffic flow and water flow problems dominated discussions of the Ville Platte City Council at its regular monthly meeting Monday evening.
The council unanimously approved creating two new four-way-stop intersections. Both of the changes will be in place within the next two weeks. The new stop signs will be placed at the intersection of Lincoln Road and N. Chataignier Street; and at the intersection of Laran and Jefferson streets.
The third traffic flow problem it addressed concerns drop-off/pick-up at Sacred Heart School, but no decision was reached. A public hearing about the Sacred Heart traffic problem will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, just before the start of the next regular council meeting.
Currently, there are stop signs on N. Chataignier. The change would add stop signs on Lincoln Road. Also, there are currently stop signs on Jefferson Street. The change would add stop signs on Laran Street.
Concerning the new stop signs to be placed on Lincoln Road, Mayor Jennifer Vidrine was adamant that the council address the issue.
“That intersection has become dangerous,” she said. “I am afraid someone will be killed.”
Rather than move to put stop signs so quickly on Lincoln Road, Councilman Taranza Arvie wondered whether it wouldn’t be more prudent to have a caution light placed over the intersection first.
“We need to give people warning” that a change is coming, Arvie said. If not, “I’m afraid there will be major problems.”
Vidrine explained that putting a caution light would take too long. She said she spoke with the state Department of Transportation and Development, who would have to do studies before agreeing to put up a caution light or a red light. But, Vidrine said, the city has it in its own authority to put up four-way stop signs.
The mayor asked Chief of Police Neil Lartigue to place officers at the new intersection during the busy morning and afternoon hours. It was also agreed to purchase the largest-sized stop signs for visibility.
There was a change in plans for the next new four-way stop intersection. Originally, Vidrine wanted to create a four-way-stop at the intersection of N. Coreil and Jefferson Streets “to deter speed and increase safety.”
Arvie, who represents that area, disagreed with the mayor.
“I spoke with residents who said they would prefer not to have a four-way stop right there,” Arvie said.
“The real problem,” Arvie explained, “is at Laran and Jefferson. We’ve had people killed there. There is glass on the street there right now because of an accident.”
Following Arvie’s advice, the council decided to place the new stop signs at the intersection of Laran and Jefferson streets.
In addition to adding the new four-way stop signs, the council also agreed to hold a public hearing next month on changing the traffic flow for dropping-off and picking-up students at Sacred Heart School.
Robert Soileau presented a plan to the council to relieve the congestion on Main Street in the mornings and afternoons caused by parents dropping-off and picking-up students at Sacred Heart School. Soileau represents First Student, which operates school buses in Evangeline Parish.
Soileau’s plan would basically reverse the current traffic flow situation. Soileau had a map of the plan with a letter attached to it from Sacred Heart Principal Diane Fontenot. Fontenot said in the letter that she is in favor of the plan for “non-bus pick up days and rainy day pick up.”
According to the proposal, for car traffic, Pine Street, which runs south of the football field, would become a one-way going toward the baseball field and elementary. School buses would enter Sacred Heart Elementary from Main Street, using the driveway to the Little Shed. Everyone would exit the Elementary through the church parking lot.
For the High School, Trojan Lane would become a one-way going south from Main Street toward the football field. Buses would pick up students at the shelter facing Main Street, not on Trojan Lane.
As it happened, when the plan was presented to the council, there were several parents of Sacred Heart students in the City Hall lobby. They were there to celebrate the accomplishments of the youth baseball and softball all-star teams. Vidrine asked some of the parents into the meeting to review the plan and give input.
Based on the input of the parents, the council decided not to take action on the proposal. Instead, a public hearing will be held before the next regular monthly meeting, at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 14.
Flooding, rather than road congestion, was the focus of the second half of the meeting. Toby Landreneau addressed the council concerning drainage issues. He and the Arnaud brothers, Greg and Mitch, have been documenting debris and vegetation blocking the gutters, drains, and canals in the city. The amount of trash in the system, they say, is contributing to the flooding problem in Ville Platte.
He noted that the current drainage system is probably outdated to handle the current amount of runoff produced by moderate rains.
However, he said, “The canals need to be cleaned even to be able to assess the inadequacies of the drain system. With the debris and vegetation clogging the system, it is difficult to see which drains are inadequate and how much.”
Landreneau also noted that part of the city’s drainage problems is due to blockages that lie outside the city limits.
“Outside Ville Platte,” Landreneau said, “unapproved weirs have been built across the bayous and coulees, keeping them full. When Ville Platte drains into them, if they’re already full, then they back up into the city.”
Landreneau encouraged the city to cooperate with the Police Jury and other government agencies in trying to get these unapproved weirs cleared out.
One of the main problems, Landreneau assessed, is the perennial problem of funding. He told the council that he is currently laying the groundwork to try to get a drainage district created for Ville Platte, which would be able to levy a millage that would collect money for drainage maintenance.
Vidrine told the council that she was aware of the drainage problems, going as far as riding through the city with Lartigue during a recent rain to see first-hand the problems.
She noted that two of the canals with problems have already been addressed; and that another one would be addressed within the next week. In October, she expects the city to once again have a street sweeper, which could clean out the curbs so that the trash doesn’t end up in the drainage pipes.
She also noted that the tractor that is used to clean out the canals is undergoing repairs, but should be serviceable soon. Arvie asked the mayor contact St. Landry Parish about leasing or borrowing a tractor until that time. Vidrine said that she would contact someone.
Continuing with the water flow problem, City Engineer Ronnie Landreneau updated the council on the progress of replacing the antiquated water supply lines. Some of the old lines are continuously leaking, which adds to the drainage problems for the city.
“We are aware of the leaking pipes,” Landreneau said. “However, we are doing some triage in regard to replacing them.”
Landreneau explained that some of the leaks are on pipes slated to be completely replaced in a short time. Rather than use manpower to fix a pipe that is about to be replaced, the pipe might be allowed to leak for the short term.
Meanwhile, the manpower could be used to repair a leak at another part of town that is not slated for replacement in the near future.
Phase II of the waterline replacement project is nearing completion, he said, and Phase III is ready to begin.
Landreneau also informed the council that the project for tying the hospital walking trail to the Heritage Garden walking trail is progressing smoothly.
The council approved a request by Lartigue to hire four new fulltime patrolmen and one parttime jailer.
Acting on a motion by Jerry Joseph, the council agreed to hold a public hearing at 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 14 on an ordinance to set the pay for an interim fire chief to be equal to the pay of the actual fire chief. It would also set the pay for an interim assistant fire chief to be equal to the pay of an actual assistant fire chief.
Currently, Asst. Fire Chief Chris Harrison is acting in interim duties for Chief Ted Demoruelle, who is on sick leave.
In other news, Vidrine announced that Ville Platte will receive another $20,000 grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful to purchase some more red trashcans for placement around the city. It is the third such grant that Ville Platte has received. Vidrine noted that these trashcans might be able to help alleviate the problem of trash clogging the drains.
“My hope and prayer is to cover the city with trashcans,” she said, “with one on every block.”
Vidrine also announced that the city is closer to getting “community crime cameras”, which will be placed in high crime areas of the city. They will be used to assist law enforcement with deterring crime and apprehending criminals.
In sporting news, the mayor and council honored three Ville Platte all-star teams. The national runner-up eight-year-old softball team; the state runner-up Super 10s baseball team; and the Dixie Majors World Series 12-year-old baseball team each were given individual proclamations and city pins.