VIDALIA &045; Public works projects took up much of the Concordia Parish Police Jury’s Monday night meeting.

First, the jury approved a resolution for about $100,000 of sewer revenue bonds for extra funds that were needed because the cost of materials was higher than expected, said jury President Melvin Ferrington.

The funds will be used in the second phase of a jury project to install a sewer system along Airport Road, Moose Lodge Road and surrounding streets.

&uot;It’s a completely new system we’re putting in,&uot; Ferrington said.

Jurors voted to pay $41,000 to W.E. Blain & Co. for resurfacing the courthouse parking lot. Since the jury is tight on funds, &uot;they’ve been gracious about holding off&uot; on demanding their money, said jury Secretary Russell Wagoner. However, Finance Committee Chairman Randy Temple noted that the construction firm invoiced the jury for that amount in November.

They also voted to reapply for a federal grant to hard surface Poole and Boggy Bayou roads and voted to pay engineering firm Bryant Hammett and Associates $4,510.50 for services rendered on a project on Persimmon Mill Road.

The jury also considered several road matters. First, at the request of resident Richard Green, the jury voted to take about 200 yards of Riverside Drive into the parish’s road system pending the signing over of rights-of-way by residents living on that section of road. That would allow the jury to make improvements to that section.

The jury pledged to help improve a portion of Westside Drive that Mike Grantham &045; owner of Camo Construction, which is located on that section &045; said has become so badly potholed that trucks are torn up by running over the holes. Grantham said he will be glad to help the jury with labor and materials to get the job done.

Ferrington said the jury will also instruct its engineers to meet with a contractor that a resident said had not properly resurfaced Townsend Lane after a recent sewer project. &uot;It’s not just Townsend Lane,&uot; but several streets that are affected, Ferrington said.

In other business, jurors voted to:

4Transfer $30,000 from the sales tax fund to the sold waste fund and $782 from the general fund to the criminal court fund. Actually, the $782 had already been transferred before the meeting because the criminal court fund was overdrawn – and it’s against state law for such funds to be overdrawn, Wagoner said.

A low criminal court fund is a perennial problem, he said. In addition, members of a jury hearing a case must now be paid $25 a day instead of the previous $12, and the parish only receives $5 per speeding ticket to help defray that cost. Wagoner said he must meet with Seventh Judicial District Court judges to come up with ways to pay for an upcoming grand jury, because the funds aren’t available now.

4Approve a resolution for a certificate of indebtedness for a loan the library is taking out to pay for half the cost of its new bookmobile. The library already received a $50,000 grant to pay for the other half of the cost.

4Authorize Ferrington to sign a cooperative agreement for construction of the Black River Lake drainage structure.

4Name the Concordia Sentinel as the jury’s official journal for the next year.

4Pass a resolution supporting the efforts of the Concordia Parish Tourism Commission to raise funds from local agencies and businesses to place an ad promoting the parish in the official Louisiana Tour Guide publication. However, jurors said they will need to check into the jury’s finances to see whether the jury has enough money to contribute any funds toward the ad.

The ad would feature photos of everything from Concordia Parish’s food and fishing spots to its cotton fields, said commission member Guylyn Boles. &uot;We want everyone to know how proud we are&uot; of Concordia Parish, said volunteer Liz Brooking.

4Renew beer and/or alcohol licenses for Jeffery Paul for Paul’s Grocery, James Neely Jr. for Neely’s Spokane Resort, Kirk Montgomery for The Dock, Jake Rogers for JL’s Place, Dodge Oil Co. for Dodge’s Store, David Knapp for 84 Quick Stop, Wanda Drane for Slim’s Lounge, Marsala Beverage L.P., Panola Woods Country Club Inc., Sandra Maroon for Lakeside Mart, Bert Taunton for Taunton’s of Monterey, Larry McClure for McClure’s Grocery, the Lucky Seven Social Club and Peggy Kemp for PJ’s Corner Stop.

4Approve a beer and liquor permit and occupational license for Joey Merrill for 84 Kwik-Thru.

4Approve an occupational license for Misty Davis for Davis Tires.