By Gloria Kates

Gloria Kates, Bogalusa City Council member for District A, recently hosted an observational tour with a group of concerned citizens, along with parish, district, and state officials.

The group was transported to view critical points of the district in its entirety, in an effort to be prepared for the hurricane season.

Kates said that some critical points observed included overgrown ditches, blocked drainage systems and overgrown creeks. She said officials were also concerned by the substantial amount of debris and litter in the ditches and drainage areas, blighted properties, and the substantial amount of debris and tree limbs piled on the shoulder of roads.

Also, there was concern about overgrown weeds in abandoned properties, the lack of lighting on some streets, overgrown recreational and park areas, and weeds and foliage on power lines and road signs. Finally, officials expressed concerns that some roads were damaged in the flood and will still need repair, Kates said.

Josh McNemar, the planning and special projects director for the office of Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, offered Kates the following recommendations:

• Request inmate support to clean streets and city right of ways to remove debris and litter.

• Engage the local community in a “Clean Our Streets” campaign.

• Send official notices to blighted property owners.

• Review city ordinances and code enforcement regulations.

• Request additional underground culverts from the city public works department.

• Request a meeting with Washington Parish Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Director Tommy Thiebaud and GOHSEP State Applicant Liaison to see if there could possibly be any mitigation type grant funding that could remove debris and clean out ditches.

• Explore a possibility of receiving some type of mitigation grant funds for these areas, if it can be shown that they are flood prone areas.

• Check with Mayor Wendy Perrette to see what other active FEMA projects Bogalusa has that maybe an amendment can be done to increase the affected areas.

Kates issued a response to Nungesser’s suggestions:

• I will resubmit work orders to pertaining to inmate support.

• I have been attempting to contact blighted property owners as well as city staff.

• We are in discussing on the subject matter of aligning city ordinances with code enforcement regulations at our town hall meeting.

• To my knowledge the city public works department does not place underground culverts.

• District A clean-up day is in place at least two times a year. However, the resource that was kind enough to donate the dumpsters will cease per the city’s request, so as a result, other financing for the dumpsters of the District A Cleanup Day will be sought, which may have an effect on the plan of action for cleaning the district. A request is made to expand on the “Clean Our Streets” campaign.

•  Thiebaud has been contacted on this matter and it was discussed the suggestion of contacting the GOHSEP State Applicant Liaison to see if there could possibly be any mitigation type grant funding that could remove debris and clean out ditches. Also, as prior to and after the tour, a meeting will be in the planning stages with Mayor Perrette pertaining to the tour’s resolutions.

Kates said that McNemar also commented, “I am not a disaster recovery or mitigation expert, but there may be a possibility of receiving some type of mitigation grant funds for these areas, if you can show that they are flood prone areas. If some of the debris and litter was caused by the most recent flooding in Bogalusa, then I don’t see why you cannot receive disaster recovery funding to clean up these areas.” Kates said she has reviewed LSUAG flood zone mapping for the effected areas, and is seeking additional resources.