Council approves agreement for more auditorium parking spaces

About 150 additional parking spaces are set to be added to the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium grounds after the City Council approved an agreement with the Port of Morgan City Tuesday relating to the port’s new Government Emergency Operations Center.
The council approved a resolution to sign a servitude agreement between the City of Morgan City and the Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District.
The work is the port’s compensation to the city in exchange for the use of city land on La. 182 to build the center, which is adjacent to the auditorium. The port commission had already approved the servitude agreement at its Sept. 8 meeting.
Port of Morgan City Executive Director Raymond “Mac” Wade said the agreement will allow port officials to spend about $450,000 on parking at the auditorium, which fits into the city’s master plan for the auditorium. About 150 parking spots will be added to the auditorium grounds, Wade said. “Whenever the city’s ready to go on that, we’re ready,” Wade said of the parking lot work.
There will be about 50 parking places actually on the center grounds, he said. Port officials or the tenants of the Government Emergency Operations Center will then be able to use a portion of the additional auditorium parking during working hours on weekdays, Wade said.
The first phase of work at the center site is underway, which includes clearing the land and drainage work, Wade said. The second phase will start probably in November, he said. By December, Wade hopes to see some pilings driven at the site, he said.
Also at the meeting, Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi presented his 2015 budget message at the council meeting for the city’s proposed $38,757,039 budget that was introduced at Tuesday’s meeting. The proposed budget is a roughly $2 million increase over the city’s 2014 amended budget of $36,708,661.
In the message, Grizzaffi said the 2015 proposed budget reflects a steady increase in revenues while city administration will again concentrate on operating expenses. Total revenues for the 2014 amended budget came in at $37,884,768 compared to $38,273,901 for the 2015 proposed budget.
The council accepted the low bid of $1,174,298 for three new cabins at Lake End Parkway. City Recreation and Culture Director Dwayne Barbier said the city had to re-bid the project due to the state rejecting the bid that the council had originally approved in July.
The low bid again was from Legacy Construction Services of Rossville, Tennessee. The state is putting up $990,000 in grant money toward the project, and the city has to come up with the rest of the funding in order to proceed, Barbier said.
The bid includes wharfs and road work at the site of the cabins and was about $140,000 more than Legacy Construction Services’ original bid, Barbier said.
Councilman James Fontenot addressed an issue during the meeting regarding Veterans Boulevard that was brought to his attention by a resident, he said. Dump trucks driving on Veterans Boulevard have been an issue for a long time, Fontenot said.
Several of the dump trucks are not turning onto the truck route when they cross the levee on Levee Road, which would mean taking a left on Fig Street to get to La. 70, Fontenot said.
Instead, the trucks are crossing the bridge on Veterans Boulevard, he said. The resident that Fontenot spoke to has concerns about what the weight of the loaded dump trucks is doing to the stability of the bridge, Fontenot said.
The resident has contacted the public works department and police department, Fontenot said.
Police Chief Michael Banks said he planned to attempt to contact all of the dump truck drivers today and hand them copies of the city ordinance that prohibits loaded dump trucks from traveling across the Veterans Boulevard bridge.
In other business, the council:
—Approved a resolution to accept the Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Audit Report.
—Accepted a resolution to move the December city council meeting to Dec. 17.
—Approved a resolution of support for the St. Mary Parish Hazard Mitigation plan.
—Approved a resolution of support for state constitutional amendments 3 and 10.
—Rejected a bid tabulation for upgrade of the sewer plant head works.
—Approved the St. Mary Outreach/United Way to use the Morgan City Petting Zoo from Oct. 20 to Oct. 25 for the annual pumpkin patch and Boo-to-Zoo activities.
—Approved the Krewe of Dionysus’ request for a parade permit for its Italian/Irish Heritage parade to be held March 14, 2015.
—Approved Holy Cross Knights of Columbus to hold its annual Tootsie Roll Drive.
—Approved the Tri-City Track Club to hold its Double Trouble Bridge Run at 8 a.m. Nov. 1.
—Rejected Hoodstock’s request for $2,500 to fund the organization’s annual event to be held Oct. 11.
—Approved Oct. 17 to 26 as Red Ribbon Drug-Free Week.