By T. Scott Boatright
Public Works proved to be the predominant order of business Monday evening as the Ruston City Council held its September meeting inside the courtroom at City Hall.
Ruston’s Board of Aldermen passed six resolutions under the Public Works part of the meeting agenda while also passing another resolution to lead off the meeting under the Administration agenda items.
That first passed resolution authorized the City to enter into a nonexclusive franchise agreed with Uniti Fiber GulfCo, LLC, for the purpose of constructing and maintaining a fiber-optic transmission within certain public rights of way within the city of Ruston.
It’s just a matter of signing new paperwork with the city’s provider which is now operating under a new name.
“In 2002, the city entered into a franchise agreement with Southern Light Company, a subsidiary of Uniti Fiber Company for the purpose of providing telecommunication services in the city,” said city attorney Bill Carter. “Since that time, Uniti Fiber, the parent company, is in the process of restructuring its assets and desires to convey those assets of Southern Light Company into a new limited liability company by the name of Uniti Fiber GulfCo.
“The bottom line of all this is that Uniti Fiber has requested that the city enter into a new franchise agreement with the company now called Uniti Fiber GulfCo. So, they will continue to operate and serve their customers here in the city of Ruston. The franchise agreement will be identical to the earlier one with Southern Light.”
During the Administration part of the agenda to start the meeting, the City Council also introduced an ordinance that would authorize the city to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Bulldog Microchips, LLC, and to convey property to Bulldog Microchips, LLC for a microchip facility.
That matter will be discussed and potentially voted on during next month’s City Council meeting.
Ruston Public Works Director John Freeman had a busy meeting as he explained the six resolutions passed during the Public Works part of the agenda.
Those resolutions are as follows:
- The first resolution authorizes the city to enter a contract relating to the Goodwin Road Cross Drain Project. Four bids were received with the lowest being awarded to BWG Construction based in Dubach at a cost of $59,048. That project is expected to begin within 60 days.
- Next, the City Council passed a resolution authorizing the city to enter a contract relating to the Louisiana Highway 544 Water and Sewer Relocation Process. That is for relocation of utility lines as part of the DOTD’s Cooktown/Tech Drive Bridge Overpass. A consulting engineer’s estimate for that project was $600,000. Five bids were received with the lowest being awarded to David Lawler Construction at a cost of $531,132. Contract time for that project is 120 calendar days.
- The third Public Works resolution passed during the meeting authorizes the city to enter a contract relating to the Vaughn Avenue and Strain Street Drainage Improvements Project. Four bids were received with the lowest being awarded to the Mabry Company of Ruston at a cost of $34,700. Freeman said he expects that project to be done around the end of the calendar year.
- Next, the City Council passed a resolution authorizing the city to enter contract with JBar Corporation for construction relating to the 2025 Street Overlay Sewer Rehab Project Phase II. An engineering consultant’s estimate for the project was $2,250,000. Four bids were received with the lowest being awarded to JBAR Corporation at a cost of $1,969,194.19. The proposed contract time is 300 calendar days.
- The fifth Public Works resolution passed during the meeting authorizes the city to enter a contract relating to construction of the city of Ruston 2025 Street Project Phase II. Four bids were received with the lowest being awarded to Regional Construction LLC of Natchitoches at a cost of $995,545.
- And the last Public Works resolution passed during the meeting establishes specified fees for permits and inspections and fines and/or penalties for violation of certain provisions of Chapter 8 of the Code of Ordinances of the city of Ruston.
“Recently we were notified by the state that we needed to institute a permit for reroofing of residential or commercial houses,” Freeman told the City Council. “That’s a service we were not previously requiring a permit for. This resolution will update our fees and fines.”
Mayor Ronny Walker said that this new law requires permits for new roofs and that the work must be inspected.
“This is a new unfunded, as I like to say, mandate from the state,” Walker said. “So, everyone needs to be aware of that moving forward.”
Carter said that the new rule will go into effect on Oct. 1.
The City Council also passed a resolution authorizing the city to submit an application for funding assistance to the state of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Division of Aviation, for improvements to the Ruston Regional Airport and also authorized the city to enter into agreement with Louisiana DOTD for those improvements.
“This is our annual resolution for submitting our capital improvement plan, or CIP is what we call it, to the state of Louisiana,” Freeman said of the application submission.
As far as the resolution is concerned, Freeman said for years the DOTD has reimbursed the city for work at the airport including mowing and that this year the DOTD has determined the city should be awarded a grant to receive a total of $10,306.58.
In other business, the City Council approved a final plate for Tanyard Creek Subdivision Unit 6 and introduced an ordinance amending the Zoning Code of the city of Ruston creating the I-20 Corridor Major Travel Center Overlay District.
That matter will be discussed and potentially voted on next month.
The City Council also granted permission to start the property condemnation process for structures located at 1011 Jones Street.
Ruston’s Board of Aldermen also selected Heard, McElroy and Vestal, LLC to continue its role as city auditor for the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30 and adopted the Budget of Revenue and Expenditures for the fiscal year running from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 of 2026.
