Officials divvy storm recovery funds
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CLINTON — The East Feliciana Police Jury decided Tuesday to call for additional projects on which to spend the full $3 million in Hurricane Gustav recovery funds the parish is due from the federal government.
During a public hearing Tuesday, the parish’s five municipalities requested projects accounting for $1.7 million of the $3 million in Community Development Block Grant funds available, officials said.
Jurors set another public hearing for 5 p.m. Sept. 1 to receive further proposals on how to allocate the remaining $1.3 million.
George Turner, director of the parish Housing Authority, said he plans to request $150,000 to clean up blighted areas of the parish.
Officials of Clinton, Slaughter, Norwood, Jackson and Wilson made separate requests.
Clinton Mayor Don Reason said the town needs $285,000 for water treatment upgrades as well as additional funding for permanent electrical generators. Clinton would spend the $285,000, Reason said, to replace the filter system at the wastewater treatment plant, repair two sewage lift stations, as well as make structural repairs and repaint the 20,000-gallon elevated storage tank on St. Helena Street.
Slaughter Mayor Bobbie Bourgeois asked for $111,200 for roof repairs and generator projects. Jurors told Bourgeois this was not enough to meet the $150,000 threshold for each project.
Bourgeois replied she would return with updated proposals and reminded jurors her Town Hall roof was damaged by high winds and flying debris.
Norwood Mayor Rebecca Bellue called for a $266,000 grant to remove, clean and replace the rock bed of the wastewater treatment facility, repair damage to a levee surrounding the aeration lagoon and set up backup generator capacity for the treatment facility and sewage lift stations.
Juror Richard Dudley, speaking for the town of Jackson, requested $286,000 for generators.
Consulting engineer Morgan Watson said the village of Wilson needs $635,000 for repairs to the sewage pump stations, sewage pond, well repairs, and work on Williams Drive, Grant Street, Billy Goat Road and La. 19 to prevent flooding.
In other business, jurors said they would make a decision later this week on having Road and Bridge Department employees return to a five-day, 40-hour work week to end current alleged abuses of their four-day, 40-hour work week.
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