Chataignier village council reviews grants

The Chataignier Village Council reviewed the status of several grants during its regular monthly meeting Monday, August 18.
Wilbur Rozas, village clerk, reported that about $9,000 is left in a sewer improvement grant. The village had been awarded a grant of more than $400,000 that has been used to make improvements in the village’s antiquated sewer system.
During the meeting, the new sewer maintenance supervisor, Robert Perron, briefed the council for the first time since the retirement of the previous supervisor, Hurley Mose, earlier this year. Perron briefed the council members and Mayor Jackie Thomas on what he found when he recently inspected the system, and what immediate repairs he recommended should be made. The council voted to allow Perron to make the repairs he recommended and to submit bills to the village for payment.
Rozas said slightly more than $12,000 remains of a grant the village acquired to make improvements to city hall. Funds from that grant were used to improve the building’s air conditioning system, and Mayor Thomas said the next project will be used to make structural repairs.
Rozas said there are two $25,000 water enrichment grants that can be used by the independent water distribution system in Chataignier.
A new grant of just under $16,000 has been awarded to the village by the Louisiana Office of Community Development, Rozas reported. Mayor Thomas said one of the first projects that will be paid for with that grant is removal of a large tree behind the city hall building that is causing cracks to the foundation of the building.
The mayor said she is working on a grant that will be used to purchase a new police car.
Rozas said the council should decide on how to spend the funds that remain in a tourism grant awarded late last year, or the village might risk not being awarded a new tourism grant in September or October, when the grants are normally awarded. The council voted to repair or improve the sign in front of the city hall with the grant awarded last year.
During the time set aside toward the end of the agenda for public comment, a Chataignier resident complained about a neighboring property that is overgrown and abandoned. He asked if grant money could be used to clean up the property.
Mayor Thomas said the village must use the grants for purposes specified by the entity awarding the grants, and the village does not have the funds to clear all the properties that need clearing.
She told the resident to turn in a written statement that includes the address of the property and to sign the statement. The statement will be presented to the village’s attorney for further action, the mayor said.
The issue of overgrown property, often including abandoned structures that can present a hazard to the public, especially children, is being addressed by other communities in the parish, and the police jury. Legal advisors have said state law allows local governments to clear the properties and include the cost of the clean-up to the owners’ property tax bill.