Police Jury Meeting Notes: June 21, 2023

Bossier Parish Police Jury highway department workers didn't have the opportunity to celebrate a long holiday weekend last week after storms blew through the area knocking down trees and power lines and blocking many roads throughout the parish.

"Our people were going to take off for the holiday last Friday, but around 2:30 in the morning Mark (Coutee, Public Works Director)  had crews out not in one location, but parish wide," Parish Administrator Butch Ford told police jury members Wednesday.

"This was a much different event. It was more wide-spread," Ford added.

During his report to jury members, Coutee said crews worked through the weekend  cutting and removing trees from 82 parish roads in the aftermath of the weekend storm.

"Our crews had no electricity at their homes, but they were out working to help everyone else," he said.

Ford said the parish has received requests for mutual aid from Bossier City, Haughton and the state Department of Transportation and Development that would allow the entities to move storm debris to parish burn pits for disposal.

One pit is located in Plain Dealing and a request has been made to the state DEQ to allow a second pit to open at the parish's Maeshack Rd. stockpile facility. Jury members approved the mutual aid agreement.

Jury members also approved Ford's request to hire two independent contractors to assist in removing storm debris from parish rights-of-way.

"It's going to run about three hundred thousand dollars to pick up everything, but we will recoup 75 percent of that cost," he said. "Using contractors will allow Mark to continue to work on our road program."

Ford said parish staff will be checking every road and subdivision over the next few weeks to be sure debris is removed and that roads and ditches are cleared.

In other business at Wednesday's meeting, police jury members:

• Adopted a resolution of appreciation honoring Col. Gene Barattini who is retiring as Assistant Director of the Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
• Approved the plat of the proposed development of Redwood Place at Legacy subdivision, Unit No. 12, a planned unit development, located in Section 21, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish; located off Airline Drive.
• Approved the plat of the proposed development of Redwood Place at Legacy subdivision, Unit No. 13, a planned unit development, located in Section 21, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish; located off Airline Drive.
• Approved the application of Ryan Estess, Raley and Associates, Inc., to the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission for a zoning amendment to change the zoning classification of a certain tract of land being 16.4 acres, more or less, located on the corner of Highway 80 and Forest Hills Boulevard, in Section 14, Township 18 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish, from R-LD, Residential Low Density District, to B-1, Business Commercial Office District, for future commercial development.
• Agreed to abandon Bellevue Road subdivision, Unit No. 5C, located in Section 12, Township 19 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish; located at Parker Road and Joe Lewis Road; previously approved by the Bossier Parish Police Jury on May 18, 2023. 
• Scheduled a public hearing on August 2 to consider the application of Coyle Engineering Co., Inc., to the Benton-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission for a zoning amendment to change the zoning classification of a tract of land being 8.94 acres, more or less, located in Section 23, Township 20 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish, from R-A, Residence Agriculture District, to B-3, Community and Central Business District, for a proposed storage facility; generally located at 1196 and 1198 Highway 162, East of American Freedom Storage.
• Scheduled a public hearing on July 19 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Turtle Creek subdivision, Unit No. 4, located in Section 11, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish; located off West Lakeshore Drive.
• Scheduled a public hearing on July 19 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Turtle Creek subdivision, Unit No. 5, located in Sections 2 and 11, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish; located off West Lakeshore Drive.
• Scheduled a public hearing on August 2 to consider the application of Staci Gray, Coyle Engineering Co., Inc., to the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission for a zoning amendment to change the zoning classification of a certain tract of land being 2.295 acres, more or less, located in Section 21, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish from R-LD, Residential Low Density District, to B-2, Limited Business District, for a proposed expansion of an existing childcare facility (Kid Company Subdivision) and a private event center; located on the north side of North Willow Drive, east of Airline Drive.
• Scheduled a public hearing on August 2 to consider approval of the plat and site plan of the proposed development of Kid Company subdivision, containing a portion of Lots 4 and 5, North Airline Acres subdivision, Unit No. 1, located in Section 21, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish; located on the north side of North Willow Drive, east of Airline Drive.
• Scheduled a public hearing on July 19 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Trosclair subdivision, being a resubdivision of Tract 1 of the Minor Plat for B&L Bearden, LLC, located in Section 23, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish; located off Deen Point Road.
• Scheduled a public hearing on July 19 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Williams subdivision, Unit No. 3, being a resubdivision of a portion of Lots 10 and 11, Williams subdivision, located in Section 15, Township 18 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish; located at the corner of U.S. Highway 80 and Remco Drive.
• Scheduled a public hearing on July 19 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Craig subdivision, Unit No. 1, being a resubdivision of Tract “A” and Tract “B”, Julie Craig McCoy and Linda Craig Boyd Minor Plat for daughters, and an adjacent tract of land, located in Section 34, Township 19 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish; located off Bellevue Road.
• Scheduled a public hearing on July 19 to abandon Adner Estates subdivision, Unit Nos. 4 and 5, located in Section 3, Township 18 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish; located off Adner Road.
• Accepted report on meeting of the Property Standards Board of Review; granted a 30-day consideration on property on Gay Rd., agreed to move to condemnation hearings on properties on Parish Camp Rd. and Fairview Point Rd.
• Accepted report from the Road/Subdivision Regulations Committee.
• Approved publication of draft regulations for consideration and public comment for final adoption on August 16 creating regulations for solar farms in Bossier Parish.
• Declared various parish vehicles as surplus to be sold at auction, date of auction to be determined at a later date.
• Adopted a resolution honoring Dr. Woodrow Wilson, Jr., and extending congratulations and well wishes to him on his retirement.
• Accepted the resignation of Ms. Trudie Abner from the Northwest Louisiana Human Services District effective June 20.
• Adopted an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 4837, previously adopted on June 16, 2021, to reflect creation of certain precincts, alphabetical splits, mergers, and relocation of precincts required by the Louisiana Secretary of State.
• Adopted an ordinance establishing new precinct polling places for the Parish of Bossier to reflect creation of certain precincts, alphabetical splits, mergers, and relocation of precincts required by the Louisiana Secretary of State.
• Approved an amendment to the Contract with Prevot Design Services to extend Contract Administration and Construction Observation services for the Bossier Parish New Central Library project.
• Approved the Third Supplement to the proposal from Civil Design Group for engineering and surveying services for the Covington Road extension project.
• Accepted a proposal from David W. Volentine, MAI, for appraisal review services for Country Place Utilities, LLC’s, water system in connection with the funding through the Water Sector Program (WSP) – Consolidated Waterworks/Sewerage District No. 1 of the Parish of Bossier-Subrecipient LA WSP10905 for the Bossier Parish Police Jury.
• Approved a variance of parish regulations to allow a home to be built below the road surface level located at 114 Faith Plantation Drive, Princeton, Lot 40, Faith Plantation subdivision, Unit No. 1.
• Approved change order granting eight additional days to contractor on new central library project.
• Granted variance to build below road level for residence in Cypress Shores subdivision.