Mayor Lee Posey assured community members at a City Council meeting Sept. 26 that he hoped to reopen the after school program at the John Below Center by Oct. 15. At Monday night’s meeting, Oct. 10, community members were present again to voice their concerns.

It was also announced that there will be a new director for the program, as Delores Bivens was removed from the position. Posey thanked Bivens for the time she put into the program and took all the blame.

“I felt it was time to change some things,” he said. “We’re going in a different direction.”

Posey hopes to have the program running by Oct. 17.

Another matter of contention was the confirmation of Chris Laurence as the new recreation director for the City. The matter was tabled after much debate. Sylvia Morrow made the motion to table it until the Council’s next meeting so she would have time to learn more about Laurence. After interviewing five candidates, Posey was ready to move forward with the hiring and didn’t want to table the resolution. Morrow, Lawrence Batiste and Eddie Harrington voted in favor of tabling it, with Dale Nielsen and Don Mims in opposition.

A group of NSU students accepted a proclamation declaring Oct. 18 as “Paint the Town Purple Day” and Oct. 17-22 as “Homecoming Week” at NSU. Students included Leighann Westfall, Anthony Cannata, Abby Hinds, Curtis Fennell, Emily King and TJ Gorham.

Other agenda items included:

Introduction of Zoning reclassification for Dickey’s Barbecue Pit to sell low alcoholic beverages for consumption on premise
Award bid for liquid chlorine for water treatment plant
Award bid for water system improvements-Phase 1
Award bid for water system improvements-Phase 2
Amend 2016-17 budget to reflect additional revenues and expenditures
Execute a certificate of substantial completion to contract between Pat Williams Construction LLC and the City for improvements to the East Fifth Park
Execute second amendment to lease for later tower space with Verizon entity to install additional equipment
Appointing Charles Rosette as the interim director of utilities for the City
Execute change order to contract between the City and Regional Construction LLC for the City Park Walking Track and Parking Project
Execute change order to the agreement between the City and Regional Construction LLC for schedule I mill and overlay runway 17-35 at the Natchitoches Regional Airport
Advertise and accept bids for the Rue Beauport Riverfront Project
Adopt the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant voluntary acquisition policy for the FY 2016