VP City Council discusses summer feeding program, litter problem at meeting

Although the Mayor’s and council members’ reactions to the Justice Department report on the misconduct of the police department generated the most interest, the Ville Platte City Council also disposed of several other business items at its January meeting.
The Council hired Darryl Davis as the city business manager and tax collector. According to Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, Davis is the first business manager for the city who has an accounting degree. He has 40 years of accounting experience.
The Council also approved sponsoring the Summer Feeding Program, which will start in June. It granted longevity pay increases to city employees with more than five years of experience; and it approved a slate of 15 paid holidays for city employees.
City Engineer Ronnie Landreneau was given approval to advertise for bids on a $1 million project for the sewage treatment plant. The project, paid for by the Community Development Block Grant, will replace the plant’s tertiary filter system.
Because the next regular council meeting would have fallen on Valentine’s Day, the Council unanimously voted to change the date for the February meeting to Wednesday, Feb. 15.
In other business, the Council received a request from Arthur Sampson to grant benefits to veterans. Sampson is a veteran. He said that some other municipalities give benefits such as reduced fees at public parks. Vidrine promised to look into it and report back at the next meeting.
Councilman Mike Perron asked Vidrine what can be done about the innumerable potholes in the city streets. The mayor said that she has already directed the street commissioner and water department manager to survey the situation and create a prioritized schedule of repairs.
Vidrine did caution that some repairs, especially on the south side of the city, cannot be done until the water line replacement project is complete.
Bryant Riggs, District F councilman, bemoaned the trash in the yards and streets of the city.
“The litter problem is bad,” Riggs said. “Our city workers do a great job trying to clean it up, but it’s a 50-50 responsibility. The public also needs to do its part to keep the city clean.”
Vidrine agreed with Riggs.
“Please,” Vidrine said, “clean up your property so we can get some pride in our city again. Neighbors can get together and give each other a coup de main. If you see somebody littering, politely ask them to clean it up. If they don’t, then call us and let us know.”
The mayor announced that the Harlem Ambassadors will be back in Ville Platte on Feb. 8 for a basketball game against local dignitaries and citizens. The game is part of an effort to encourage students to make positive choices for their futures.
Vidrine also announced a friendly competition between Ville Platte and Opelousas designed to encourage people to become more physically active. The program, sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Health, is a three-month wellness challenge. The losing mayor has to wear a city employee shirt of the winning city.
Participants in the fitness challenge wear pedometers to record their movement. Each participant is eligible to win prizes each week. Individuals who sign up can choose to be part of the City of Ville Platte team, no matter where they live.