Ward 2 in parish to get sewage upgrades

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 15, 2015

VIDALIA — Concordia Parish’s Ward 2 is getting a long-awaited upgrade in sewage removal.

Concordia Parish Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington said Monday the jury has received approval for a $664,000 sewer project through a community development block grant that will install bigger lift stations and bigger sewage lines in Ward 2, a need juror Willie Dunbar has discussed with the jury for years.

“This is going to help Mr. Dunbar’s area in getting rid of sewage like it is supposed to,” Ferrington said. “This is something we have been working on for several years.”

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The jury also discussed what it will do about waste collection services with White Oak Landfill.

Ferrington said the parish had received good service from the company in the past, but in the last couple of months garbage collection has been spotty enough it might be considered a breach of contract.

“They have missed whole areas for three days,” he said.

Ferrington said the company does not currently have a supervisor in the area.

“They have been doing a good job, and they will continue to do a good job if they get the right supervision,” he said.

In the meantime, Ferrington told the other jurors to log every complaint they receive about pickup with jury secretary-treasurer Kevin Friloux so the jury can have its own list when it meets with representatives of the company.

In other news:

– Ferrington said representatives with the jury will meet with representatives of the U.S. Corps of Engineers and landowners of property near Lake St. John at 10 a.m. Friday to discuss plans to expand the Mississippi River levee and address questions the landowners have.

The Corps had a public hearing about the matter scheduled for the jury’s meeting Monday, but Ferrington said he canceled it until some of the questions the landowners had could be answered.

– The jury discussed the air-conditioning unit at the old courthouse in Vidalia, which has been out of operation for several weeks.

The plumbing associated with the unit had to be fixed because it was leaking, and though the work is complete the unit still needs a new sensor to operate. While the Concordia Parish library’s branch in the building is not affected because it uses a separate cooling system, the other tenants — including the parish extension service and the council on aging — are without a central cooling system.

The needed part has been ordered but has not arrived

Juror Randy Temple said the council on aging is currently keeping cool with open windows and fans. Temple said the jury should do something — perhaps installing window units — to help its tenants.

“We have got people up there who are sweating, and they have been good tenants, and we need to accommodate them,” he said.

– Temple said American Midsteam should be contacted about its proposed new pipeline through the area.

The juror said when the new pipeline is installed it should be directed to be placed under the Vidalia canal. The current pipeline passes through the canal and often serves as an obstruction and collects debris.