By T. Scott Boatright
Ruston’s City Council approved resolutions to create a Business Park and to upgrade segments of a significant number of streets as part of the 2023 Capital Street Overlay Program as the Board of Aldermen met Monday at City Hall.
Approved was a $28,200 contract with CSRS of Baton Rouge for developing a conceptual master plan for the 37-acre planned Business Park to be located at the north end of the old Ruston Regional Airport.
The Capital Street Overlay Project will improve some streets across all areas of Ruston.
“On May 30 the Public Works Department opened bids for our 2023 Capital Street Overlay Program,” said Ruston Public Works Director John Freeman. “There were four competitive bids, with the lowest responsive bidder by Diamond B Construction LLC out of Alexandria, Louisiana, in the amount of $6,647,295.
“That’s approximately six miles of city streets that will be rehabilitated in the 120 calendar days period in the project. Some of these streets are heavily traveled and adjacent to schools, so we’d like to award this contract and get it underway so that we minimize any impact to school traffic.”
Those streets set for repairs include sections of:
- Mississippi Avenue
• McAllister Street - North Bonner Street
• East Vaughn Avenue
• Florida Avenue
• Maryland Avenue
• South Maple Street
• Myrtle Street
• Hull Avenue
• Cornell - Road Camp
• Cedar Creek
• Jefferson Avenue
• North Chautauqua Road
Ruston’s City Council also approved a resolution authorizing the city to enter into a contract related to the 2020-21 Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Sewer Rehabilitation project.
“The city of Ruston recently opened bids and that project came in right at the budget of $1.2 million,” said Ruston Public Works manager Andrew Halbrook. “That was $1,700 over but we were able to minimize –slightly reduce the scope – and get that project under budget.
“This will rehab or revitalize sewer lines on 14 streets between West Alabama and West California throughout the Barnett Springs area.”
Ruston’s City Council also introduced a resolution to amend Chapters 11, 13 and 26 of the Code of Ordinances of the city of Ruston that would return a fire prevention bureau if it is passed during next month’s Board of Aldermen meeting.
The Council also approved introducing an ordinance amending various sections of the city’s zoning code
In other business, Ruston’s City Council adopted a motion to roll over tax millage rates for Ruston property taxes and approved the city’s portion of the proposed 2023/24 budget for the Lincoln Parish Sales Tax and Use Commission.
Ruston’s Board of Aldermen also received a 2022;/23 audit report from CPA Jerrod Tinsley from the Shreveport accounting firm of Heard, McElory and Vestal, who told the City Council his company had an unmodified opinion, meaning no problems or significant findings with that budget.
All of the voting during Monday’s City Council was unanimous. Present at the meeting were aldermen Carolyn Cage, Melanie Lewis and Bruce Sigmund while John Denny and Angela Mayfield were both absent.
