Committee and Commission members named at Gonzales City Council meeting

Monday night’s Gonzales City Council meeting saw a lower resident turnout than those held recently, but that didn’t stop the Council members from making some important decisions.

City Council appointments were made by Mayor Barney Arceneaux, with each councilman finding himself with a commissioner position. The complete list is as follows:

Recreation Commissioner, Terance Irvin; Treasurer: Kirk Boudreaux; Assistant Treasurer, Gary Lacombe; Drainage Commissioner, Timothy Vessel; Streets Commissioner, Kirk Boudreaux; Tourist Commissioner, Gary Lacombe; Utilities Commissioners, Terance Irvin and Kenny Matassa; Environmental Commissioner, Timothy Vessel; Fire Department Commissioner, Kenny Matassa and Sanitation Commissioner, Kenny Matassa.

Committees were also formed, with each committee including two councilmen. The complete list is as follows:

Engineering Review Committee, Kenny Matassa and Gary Lacombe; Insurance Review Committee, Terance Irvin and Gary Lacombe; Public Safety Review Committee, Kenny Matassa and Timothy Vessel and Ordinance Review Committee, Kirk Boudreaux and Terance Irvin.

Each councilman will serve on these commissions and committees for the duration of their term.

In other council news, City Engineer Jackie Baumann brought to the attention of council members that a state law passed recently has meant all brass needs to be replaced on city water meters. This has led to a surplus of meters, including 113 1/4 in. sections and two 2 in. pieces. The council agreed to advertise these pieces for bid, with all funds generated going into the General Fund.

Baumann also pleased many residents in attendance by stating that plans for a proposed dog park may once again be coming to light. The City, through grants, currently has $250,000 budgeted for the project. The proposed site, behind Southwood Subdivision off of Hwy. 30, met with strong resistance with resident groups last year, as they did not want the additional traffic going through the neighborhood. Baumann stated that talks were currently in place with a land owner to see if terms could be met for a new, primary entrance into the dog park, which would take traffic away from the subdivision entrance. She requested that bidding be allowed to begin, and if plans had not been finalized by the close of the bidding process, the City Council would then decide what direction to take the plans. The Council agreed, and the bidding process will begin shortly.

City Clerk Clay Stafford sought approval  of a resolution that would see the restoration tax abatement application sent to Louisiana Economic Development for the Robert Family Partnership. The group, who are behind the recent Premier Lanes Entertainment Complex, would be approved for both a referendum on state tax for the construction of the project and a five-year property tax freeze on the entire site. The council agreed to send the required paperwork to the LED for approval.

Alvin Broussard, with the City Public Works Division, was able to clarify plans what some residents have felt is becoming a hazard along Airline Hwy. throughout the city limits. Street lights are not completely in operation, and after speaking with David Herring with Entergy, he informed the council that the issue falls under the jurusdiction of the Department of Transportation, not the Entergy Corporation. DOTD is expected to complete the work on the street lights in the next 30 – 45 days.

In other news, the council agreed to move the March 11 City Council meeting to March 18, as a number of members will be at a conference in Washington during the regularly scheduled time. City Clerk Clay Stafford also reminded residents that the last days for softball and baseball registrations would be February 16, February 23 and March 2. The registrations will take place at the Gonzales City Hall building from 9 a.m. until noon, and a fee of $40 will be charged. Any late registrations will be charged $60, and will only be taken until teams are full. It was also announced that the City Recreation Committee had agreed, due to the success of last year,  to again hold the Gonzales Junior Grand Prix Tennis Tournament from April 12 – 14.

Charlotte Guedry is Editor-in-Chief of The Creole-Ascension Parish Online Newspaper. She can be reached by emailing charlotte@thecreole.com.