Plice Jury approves $28.62 million bond sale

After adopting a resolution allowing for the sale of $28.62 million in sales tax revenue bonds, the Evangeline Parish Police Jury, during its monthly meeting Monday, November 12, discussed the need for improvements to drainage in the parish.
The 2 percent tax was approved by voters to sell Evangeline Road and Drainage District One revenue bonds  that will be repaid over a 15-year period.
A few minutes after voting to pursue selling of the bonds, the police jury heard from a representative of the newly formed Citizens Drainage Group about the need to examine drainage systems within the parish.
Tommy McFarlain, who lives about a mile from the southeast Ville Platte city limits, recently organized about 15 citizens to monitor drainage in and around Ville Platte. He and others received approval to work with the Ville Platte City Council, during a special council meeting last month.
He said heavy rainfall in January and May caused worse flooding than he has seen in the more than 60 years he has lived in the parish.
McFarlain, a geologist, said there are at least 15 weirs, or dams, in bayous in the parish that may be clogging drainage, causing more flooding than in the past.
He said his purpose in talking to the police jury was to make them aware of drainage problems that could also involve drainage south of Evangeline Parish.
After McFarlain finished speaking, Bryan Vidrine, police jury president, said there are several major drainage systems in the parish that need to be examined.
Vidrine said the revenue bonds the police jury voted to sell may be needed to fund a new parish position charged with finding and fixing drainage problems.
“We will be addressing this,” he said, adding that the police jury may vote on resolutions informing Acadia, Jefferon Davis and St. Landry parishes about drainage issues.
The police jury voted to double its monthly contribution to the Evangeline Soil and Water Conservation District, after hearing from its chairman, Jim Shipp.
Shipp briefed the jurors on the work the district is doing with land owners to develop conservation efforts. He said during the last three years, $2 million has been spent on drainage, irrigation and other projects, but  that state funding has been cut. Evangeline Parish has funded the district with a $250 per-month contribution, under a 15-year agreement that expired earlier this year. The police jury voted to increase its contribution to $500 per month.
The police jury voted to proclaim KVPI Day on November 22, the 60th anniversary of the radio station’s operations.
Mark Layne invited the jurors to an open house at the station November 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. He said the open house will include a KVPI DJ and employee reunion. Layne said more than 120 former employees have been contacted about the event, and many of them have confirmed they will attend, from as far away as California.
Before the police jury voted to proclaim KVPI, juror Eric Soileau commended KVPI for keeping residents of the parish informed. Layne said he has been covering the police jury meetings since the courthouse was opened in the late 1970s.
In other business:
•The jurors discussed complaints that some people are able to make reservations for spaces at Crooked Creek before reservations are being made to the general public. The issue specifically involves making reservations for Halloween at the beginning of the year. Juror Kevin Veillon said he received several complaints and suggested the police jury establish limits, for example on how many spaces one person can reserve.
•The police jury decided to take under advisement an offer by KDM Sales and Service of Carencro to charge the parish $130 to maintain each of the 10 emergency generators in the parish while determining if other bids can be made to the parish, or if the parish should maintain the generators.
•Heard brief comments by Chuck West, who is running for district judge.
•Learned from Ronnie Landreneau, consulting engineer, that bids for the hardening of the community center in Ville Platte will be extended until Wednesday, November 20, due to an added specification to the bid request. Landreneau also asked the jurors to confirm with him their road improvement needs during the coming week.