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Police Jury rejects $2 million ARPA broadband allocation, approves grant applications for road and drainage projects
Summary
A motion to allocate $2,000,000 in ARPA funds for parish broadband failed; the Jury approved applications for DRA and Louisiana Watershed Initiative funding for several road and drainage projects and authorized HMGP commitment letters and a letter of support for a biomedical research park.
During the June 5 meeting, Mr. Larry Bratton moved to allocate $2,000,000 of ARPA funds for broadband planning and deployment; the motion failed after four jurors (Mr. Scotty Robinson, Mr. Jack Clampit, Mr. Shane Smiley and Mr. Lonnie Hudson) opposed it. Mr. Bratton's motion therefore did not carry.
Separately, the Public Works Committee and full Jury approved submitting DRA funding applications for Pine Bluff Road and Fontana Road repairs and approved applications under the Louisiana Watershed Initiative Round 2 for projects including I‑20 South drainage, a parishwide master drainage inventory and evaluation, Milhaven Estates roads and drainage, and the L‑11 Canal from Old Sterlington to Chauvin Pump Station. The Jury also accepted the engineer's recommendation of substantial completion for the H‑1 Canal drainage improvements project and approved Change Order No. 4 for Tanglewood Drive and Change Order No. 1 for the Cypress Street drainage project.
Mr. Shane Smiley moved to ratify a letter of support for the Biomedical Research and Innovation Park and to authorize commitment letters for the Oregon Trail and Black Bayou Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) projects; those motions passed without opposition.
Taken together, the actions formalize the parish's pursuit of state and federal grant funding for multiple drainage and road projects while reflecting disagreement among jurors on use of local ARPA funds for broadband.
