Gonzales backs study of possible links

• By C.J. FUTCH
• Advocate River parishes bureau
• Published: Nov 11, 2009 - Page: 5B

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GONZALES — The city is willing to chip in $25,000 toward studying possible north-south routes connecting the Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsonville to Interstate 12 in Livingston Parish.

The City Council voted Monday to contribute the funds toward a $250,000 feasibility study, provided that other municipal and parish governments contribute proportionally, Mayor Barney Arceneaux said.

Henry Picard, of Burk-Kleinpeter Inc., the engineering company working on the project, said at the July 27 council meeting his firm has been in talks with the parishes of Ascension and Livingston, and the cities of Denham Springs and Donaldsonville.

Both parishes have east-west arteries with I-10, I-12, U.S. 190 and U.S. 61, but lack north-south highways with similar capacity. If the project moves forward, it will be used as another evacuation route, Arceneaux said.

In other council news:

• The council accepted a low bid of $533,392 for the city’s water system improvement project. The improvements will include systemwide upgrades in older water lines and enlarging some water lines to account for growth.
• The council voted to allocate $10,000 to upgrade city entrance signs on La. 30, La. 44 and Airline Highway, contingent upon permit approval by the state. Though the city already has welcome signs in those locations, council member John Cagnolatti said, “Even if we replace the sign exactly where it is, we need another permit because its on a state highway.”
• The council voted to clarify a change in the code that capped city employees’ compensatory time to 80 hours each year. Previously, the time was calculated such that once the 80-hour cap was reached, no more time could be accrued, even if the employee used some of that comp time before the end of the fiscal year. The council clarified that employees could keep earning and using comp time after reaching the cap, so long as their net comp time remains under 80 hours.

The leftover comp time is reconciled at the end of each fiscal year, City Clerk Clay Stafford said.