Drainage, street contracts addressed

Although its agenda was short, the Public Works Committee accomplished a lot of business at the City Council committee meetings held Wednesday, Dec. 1.
After a brief report from Street Commissioner Gilbert Onezine, City Engineer Tim Mader brought a number of issues before the committee. Actions taken included:
• Approval of a resolution for Partial Payment Estimate No. 17 to Southern Constructors, Inc., for work completed on the City-Wide Drainage Improvements Project. Because the cut-off date was Nov. 30, the payment amount was not available but will be presented at the full council meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 8.
• Approval of a resolution for Partial Payment Estimate No. 2 in the amount of $147,721.40 to Glenn Leger Construction, LLC, for work completed on the City-Wide Street Improvements Project (Contract A).
• Approval of a change order in the contract with Glenn Leger Construction, LLC, for the City-Wide Street Improvements Project (Contract A) to allow the contractor to use flowable fill instead of limestone as a backfill method. The estimated effective cost of to the change order is $7,000.
• Approval of a resolution for Partial Payment Estimate No. 9 to Triton Construction, LLC, for work completed on the City-Owned Parking Lot Improvement Projects. The payment amount was not available due to the Nov. 30 cut-off date but will be presented to the full council on Dec. 8.
• Approval of a resolution authorizing the preparation of specifications and the letting of bids for fiscal year 2021-22 Materials Purchases for the time period March 2022 through August 2022.
• Approval of a resolution to extend the E.L. Habetz fiscal year 2021-22 Builders Labor and Equipment General Construction Work contract for another six months, through Sept. 1, 2022.
All votes taken were unanimous, with Chairperson Clint Cradeur, Vice Chairperson Brad Core and Byron Wilridge present. Both Lyle Fogleman and Vernon Martin were absent from the meeting.
In the absence of Martin, Utility Committee Vice Chairperson Sammy Reggie conducted the meeting.
Wastewater Superintendent Tim Cradeur reported that during the month of November, his department had received 332 Louisiana One Call locate requests and filled 20 work order tickets. No money had to be spent on pump repair or removal.
At the request of City Engineer Tim Mader, the committee adopted a resolution approving the plans and specifications and authorizing the advertisement for bids for the replacement of the communitor at the main pump station. The action was unanimous by Reggie, Jeff Cavell and Clint Cradeur; in addition to Martin Fogleman was also absent.
In his report to the Recreation Committee, Recreation Director Peter Kirsch advised that youth basketball was re-starting following its having been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic; that the plans for the new outdoor restrooms at the Martin Luther King Center should be completed by the end of the week and will be sent to the mayor to begin the bidding process; that parking lot construction continues to progress both at the Martin Luther King Center and the Mill Street campus; and that the Recreation Department’s agreement with Coca-Cola, which provides a $3 per case sold rebate to the Recreation Department, had been finalized.
The committee also unanimously approved the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce’s request to co-sponsor the Farmers Appreciation Banquet by waiving the Rice Festival Building rental fee but not the clean-up fee. The vote by Cradeur, Cavell and Reggie was unanimous, with committee members Premeaux and Fogleman absent.
Due to the absences of Fogleman, Martin and Premeaux, there was no quorum present for the Zoning and Annexation Committee meeting.
There were no action or discussion items for the Public Buildings Committee, the Insurance and Personnel Committee, the Community and Economic Development Committee or the Revenue and Finance Committee.