The issue of North Roosevelt Street has taken up considerable time and ink over the past year or so.

We can understand the frustration of area residents and church parishioners, who had for years driven and walked across a road that had been pockmarked with potholes. However, late this summer, the parish road department repaired the road using a three-shot process. The repair job has been heavily criticized and Bogalusa City Council member Gloria Kates is leading the charge to further fix the road.

Yet at the time of the repair, the parish road department said the road would not be settled until February. The three-shot process takes months to properly settle itself and any repair work prior to that time would be wasteful both in man-hours and money. Kates is aware of the timetable and we encourage her to relay this information to her constituents. We urge patience while the road settles.

If, after February, the road is still unsatisfactory, residents and parishioners should bring up the issue again. But as it stands, to continue protesting the condition of the road prior to February will not accomplish anything.
The city has been quite clear that no additional work on North Roosevelt Street will happen until after February. Therefore, getting estimates on asphalt work now is a waste of time, as those estimates will likely not be honored at the same price next year. In addition, the city has been quite clear it cannot afford any asphalt work as it is.

There is a possibility the road will be sealed after February. If sealing the road benefits the community and improves the road, we hope the city will do that. But even this step can only happen after the road has settled. In the meantime, we urge everyone to remain calm and be patient.