Police Jury Meeting Notes: May 1, 2019
Posted: May 1, 2019, 3:04 PM
A major bridge disaster roughly 1,300 miles to the north nearly put Bossier Parish in a bind, but parish police jurors learned Wednesday that a large financial bullet may have been dodged.
Our state DOTD is under a new compliance order from the federal government after the Minnesota bridge collapse,” Parish Engineer Butch Ford reported. “They have to make sure all bridges are load rated appropriately.”
Ten years ago, an interstate highway crossing the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour traffic, killing 13 and injuring 145 more.
“We were being told we were going to have to call our engineers to rate all the bridges. Those ratings can cost from ten to thirty thousand dollars each. There are 34 unrated bridges in the parish. We can’t afford that kind of money,” he said.
Ford said 22 of the unrated bridges in the parish were built by DOTD, but none were load rated at the time.
“DOTD met and decided if they built the bridge they will rate it for free,” Ford said. “If it’s a non-DOTD bridge, they will charge us five thousand dollars per bridge. And they won’t send us a bill. They will deduct the total from our Off System Bridge Fund we receive.”
Another parish bridge will soon be rebuilt, Ford told the jury members. Foxskin Bayou’s structure on Sligo Rd. is scheduled to go out for bids next week. That bridge work is part of the wish list Ford put together last month and will be funded by a portion of the $20.5 million the parish borrowed for infrastructure projects.
In other business Wednesday, police jury members:
- Authorized the advertising for bids for Official Journal of the Bossier Parish Police Jury for the period of July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.
- Awarded bid for the Kelli Road bridge project in accordance with bids received April 26, 2019.
- Approved the plat of the proposed development of Country Place Subdivision, Unit No. 9, a replat of a portion of Lots A, B and C, Country Place Subdivision, Unit No. 4-A.
- Approved plat of the proposed development of Montgomery Suburban Acres subdivision, Unit No. 1-A, a resubdivision of Lots 38 and 39.
- Heard and accepted reports from the Housing Authority Committee, the Insurance Committee and the Road/Subdivision Regulations Committee.
- Adopted two resolutions of appreciation to Sen. Ryan Gatti and Sen. Barrow Peacock for their efforts in moving forward the construction of the new gate entrance off Interstate 20/Interstate 220 into Barksdale Air Force Base.
- Adopted resolution proclaiming May 22 as National Maritime Day.
- Approved recommendation of the Bossier Parish Industrial Tax Exemption Program Review Committee, in the matter of the ITEP application of CellXion, LLC (DBA Sabre Industries Building Systems by CellXion).
- Okayed recommendation of the Bossier Parish Industrial Tax Exemption Program Review Committee, in the matter of the ITEP application of Centric Pipe, LLC.
- Approved proposal of Denmon Engineering Company, Inc. for engineering design services for sewer system improvements for Haymeadow and Cypress Bend Subdivisions.
- Approved change order No. 13 for Bossier North/South Corridor Swan Lake Road (I-220 to Flat River).
- Approved certificate of substantial completion for fiscal year 2014-2015 Community Water Enrichment Fund.
- Denied a request for a variance of parish regulations to allow a 7-foot stone wall to be constructed in a drainage easement located on Lot 1, Kingston Plantation Subdivision, Unit No. 6 with stipulations that (1) a notice is to be recorded in the deed records for this property that the 7-foot stone wall is located in a parish easement, and (2) an agreement is to be signed by the property owner stating that the Bossier Parish Police Jury will not be responsible for any damages caused by the parish to the wall when accessing and maintaining the easement.
- Approved proposal from Owen Engineering, LLC, for professional engineering services for bridge load rating of Dutch John Road.
Bill Altimus holds one of several posters reflecting a piece of life in Bossier City, designed from a postcard shown at the recent State of Bossier address. The posters will be displayed at the parish courthouse.