The Natchitoches Parish Council held a brief meeting Monday night, March 16. No department heads were present as the Parish Government is trying to limit the number of people in the same area during the coronavirus outbreak. Everyone at the courthouse will be scanned for their temperature and asked to use hand sanitizer before visiting any of the offices.

Agenda items included:

Appoint Sonya Hall and LaMario Fortson to the Natchitoches Parish Children and Youth Planning Board

Appoint Mike Newton to the Natchitoches Parish Hospital Service District Board

Introduce Ordinance No. 005-2020 creating Natchitoches Parish Sewer District No. 2, establishing the geographical boundaries of the District, creating a Board of Commissioners to manage the District and establishing the makeup and authority of the Board. This just establishes the fact that the Parish Council will set up a Board so there’s no delay once they’re ready to begin. The Parish is still in negotiations with TESI.

Surplus the Parish Library roof, which received hail damage. The money for the new roof is coming from library funds and an insurance claim. The Library Board voted to donate the old copper roofing to the Parish, who will resell it for scrap material for an estimated $60,000, which can then be put back into the general fund or the highway department fund (the Board will decide at a future date).

Execute an agreement with 4-K Farm and Trucking for the transport and disposal of scrap tires that are left at the landfill. The company leaves a trailer on site and picks it up when it’s full. The Parish gets about $750 per truck with about 3 trucks filled per year.

Approve an agreement with the Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments and the Coordination and Development Corporation for the purpose of applying for grant funding and acting in support of watershed region management activities and in conjunction with the State of Louisiana Watershed Initiative. This is a proactive step as the Parish tries to mitigate its flood damage in the future.

Award contract to Tarver Industries LLC of Alexandria with the lowest bid of $766,943 for the resurfacing of Payne Subdivision, Phase 2.

Execute an online agreement subscription with Dude Solutions Inc., which will allow Department of Public Works employees and members of the general public to have an online tool that tracks completes and ongoing projects performed by the Department of Public Works. This agenda item did not pass as Council member Patsy Ward Hoover had left the meeting and John Salter and Jim Kilcoyne voted against it. Parish President John Richmond brought this item before the Council as a measure to increase the Parish’s transparency when it comes to road work. The first year fee would be $13,000 with a $9,000-10,000 annual maintenance fee thereafter. This item will have to be brought back up before the Council.