January 20, 2019 |
OPELOUSAS – The first meeting of the St. Landry Parish Public Works Committee was held this week in an effort by Parish President Jessie Bellard to include public input into parish planning. The committee focused on drainage issues during the initial meeting.
The committee comprised of members of the public, parish council, and parish administration will look for issues facing St. Landry Parish and work toward a consensus to solve those issues.
“Public input in these committees is essential to government serving its constituents effectively,” said Jessie Bellard, parish president. “The public knows the problems in their backyards that sometimes get missed or overlooked by the administration or council. Their input can help guide our planning.”
During the first meeting held Tuesday, the committee focused on drainage issues facing the parish and agreed to survey all the parish drainage boards. After the survey, the committee will ask the boards to work together on a master plan.
The committee also visited with a grants management and engineering firm that presented options on how to complete the master drainage plan and grant options available to fund the plan’s projects.
A second committee focused on planning will be created to explore opportunities to enhance the parish’s economic development efforts. One of the first issues the committee will look into is how new subdivisions are developed and how to attract investors to the parish.
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