Chataignier administrator discusses issues with highways at council meeting

Village Administrator Gayle McDavid briefed the Chataignier Village Council about issues involving the highways in the village while the council held its monthly meeting Monday.
The main item was the sinkhole that has developed in the village. McDavid acknowledged that work had begun on the project to repair it, but it was noticed that the sinkhole was coming from underneath the highway.
“We stopped digging because we didn’t want to dig underneath the highway and have it collapse, and then we’d have to get the highway department involved,” said McDavid. “It’s something that I think we need to pursue fairly soon because they’re getting ready to blacktop that road in the near future. We need to find out what’s collapsed because all of the water in that ditch goes into the sewer system.”
McDavid told the council that Louisiana Rural Water will come out next Monday to look at the problem. “Then the council can decide what to do,” McDavid said.
He went on to thank the Department of Transportation and Development for clearing some ditches in the village in an effort to improve the drainage problems. “They are going to come back and clean Highway 29 the rest of the way around to the city limits on the northwest side,” said McDavid.
Upon request of McDavid, the council approved the contract from J&J Exterminating for termite treatment of the village hall. According to McDavid the price for J&J was $716.00 for the initial treatment and $275.00 a year compared to Orkin which was $1,107.00 for the initial treatment and $300.00 a year.
In other business, Mayor Jackie Malveaux Thomas stated that the village will begin enforcing the weed ordinance this month.