The Natchitoches City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on July 22 to approve the following agenda items:
ORDINANCES – FINAL:
Approve A Cooperative Endeavor Agreement And Indemnification, Defense And Hold Harmless Agreement With The Cane River Waterway District And The Cane River National Heritage Area To Provide For The Development And Construction Of Improvements On The Millstreet District Riverbank, Authorizing The Mayor, Ronnie Williams, Jr., To Execute The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement On Behalf Of The City Of Natchitoches.
MOTION TO TAKE ORDINANCE NO. 072 OF 2023 FROM THE TABLE
This agenda item was originally tabled at the Council’s February meeting to give the hotel owners more time. The agenda item is to declare the Motel 6 building on the Hwy. 6 Bypass as dilapidated and/or in a dangerous condition and order the condemnation and demolition of the same (H-Town Hospitality LLC).
The owners have spent $447,000 remediating the mold on the property. They are doing everything they can to apply with requests from the City’s Planning and Zoning Department. It hasn’t all been done as timely as it should have, but the property is almost finished and the owners have committed a lot of dollars to get it back into shape. Sixteen of the 144 rooms have not been cleared by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. There will be some additional work required because the owners want to change the zoning from R-1 to R-2 to allow them to do extended stays for over 30 days and to have cooking equipment in the rooms.
The Council chose to not take the item off the table to allow the owners an additional 60 days, pending fire marshal approval, and will receive an updated report on the progress after the time has elapsed.
RESOLUTIONS:
Award An Engineering Service Contact And Enter Into An Agreement With Halff Engineering Firm For The South Natchitoches Drainage Improvements
Enter Into A Grant Agreement With The State Of Louisiana Department Of Economic Development For The Louisiana Development Ready Community Program Grant
Appoint Shanna LeBrum as the Community Development Director for the City of Natchitoches. LeBrum managed pass through funds from US Department of Housing and Urban Development for Harris County for 23 years. She hold a bachelors and masters in business administration.
Appoint the following members to the Natchitoches Historic District Commission for the City of Natchitoches: Jared Dunahoe, Ralph Wilson, Sharon Gahagan, Dr. Steve Horton, Melissa Robinson, Marion Salter and Drake Owens.
Execute Change Order No. 2 To The Contract Between The City Of Natchitoches And Martin Metal Construction, LLC Love Louisiana Outdoors Project – Professor F.M. Richardson Park Improvements (Bid No. 0664)
Appoint J. W. Scarborough To Fill The Unexpired Term Of Dan Simmons As A Commissioner On The Natchitoches Parish Port Commission For The City Of Natchitoches
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The next scheduled City Council meeting will be August 12, 2024.
