By T. Scott Boatright
Abandonment of a pair of currently parish-owned roads was discussed by the Lincoln Parish Police Jury during its November meeting on Thursday at the Lincoln Parish Courthouse.
LPPJ President Glenn Scriber and LPPJ Vice President Greg “Big Coach” Williams were both absent from the meeting, so in order to conduct business the Jury voted to name Juror Joe Henderson as President Pro Tem for the meeting.
One of those roads on the LPPJ monthly agenda was not voted on after the person wanting the road to be abandoned asked to withdraw that request while the Jury set in motion to abandon the other road.
Abandoning a road means a road is permanently closed because it is not intended for use by motorized vehicles
The first road discussed was Cantrell Road in Choudrant. Dennis Cantrell originally asked for the road to be abandoned by the parish with the LPPJ introducing a motion to do so last month before. However, over the past month Cantrell asked to withdraw his request.
After holding a public hearing concerning the requests for road abandonments, Parish Administrator Courtney Hall explained the change in the request to abandon Cantrell Road.
“Last month we introduced a request from Mr. Dennis Cantrell to abandon that road, but since last meeting, Mr. Cantrell has contacted me and requested that his request be withdrawn,” Hall said. “So I recommend that until we get more information on what’s going on, we take no action on that.”
After agreeing to take no action on that request, the LPPJ discussed a request to abandon Liggin Bluff road.
“Back in 2023 we had talked about abandoning this road,” Hall said. “So I sent out letters at that time and got some no responses, some in favor and some against. So when we decided to go through with the actual abandonment this time, I sent letters out again.
“I didn’t get quite the feedback that I got in 2023. Actually, the only written correspondent I got was from Mr. Doyle Colvin. He was in favor of the abandonment.”
One area resident in attendance during Thursday’s meeting said that because the road is so secluded and relatively unused, it was attracting drug users and those involved in other illicit activities.
The LPPJ voted unanimously to abandon the road, with Hall pointing out that the abandonment isn’t official until the approval of minutes from Tuesday’s meeting are made during next month’s LPPJ meeting,
In Public Works business, the LPPJ approved final plats for Red Haven Subdivision Unit 2 and the Pylant Road Subdivision, and also authorized action to purchase hot mix, gasoline and diesel fuel and gravel materials and for Hall to advertise for bids on road box culverts for Pea Ridge Road and to replace the Shady Grove bridge.
Jurors also moved to reject the previous bids for culvert materials except for the lowest bid and authorized advertising for bids again.
In other business, the LPPJ authorized the purchase of Health Hub furniture on state contract and introduced an ordinance for sale of an adjudicated property parcel.
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