Neal McClelland
Correspondent
Parks — The biggest news from the September Parks Village Council meeting was that the long-awaited new water well will finally be dug.
Mayor Kevin Kately announced that contracts for the project have been finalized and approved by the council. The well will be constructed by Griner, while Southern Contractors will handle the building attached to the site.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Kately said. “Everything still has to go through the engineers, but hopefully the new well will be started by the end of the year or the beginning of next year.”
While the mayor did not provide a final cost, he noted that potential grant funding may help offset expenses. Regardless of the total price, Kately described the project as welcome progress.
“We have been at this process for a long time,” he said. “We have been needing a new well for many years, and now it’s finally here.”
New Water Rates
Alongside the well project, the council also approved new water rates.
“It’s not going to add that much to the current bill, maybe one or two dollars a month,” Kately said. “We know there’s still a lot of work to be done with the system, but we also know customers can’t handle large increases. That’s why we are raising the rates gradually so it doesn’t come as a shock.”
Parks
Kately also reported discussions with St. Martin Parish President Pete Delcambre about addressing blighted properties in the village.
“For whatever reason, past administrations pulled the tax money that was supposed to be used to remove blighted properties in the village,” Kately explained. “But the parish still collects those funds, and we’ve worked out an agreement so they can help us with those properties.”
Whereas only one or two lots were previously affected, Kately noted that the number has grown significantly.
“Just a casual look around shows there are upwards of 10 properties now that need attention,” he said, adding that many of the owners have moved out of state and are no longer maintaining their land.
The council also passed a resolution recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned until October.
