By T. Scott Boatright
Ruston’s City Council pushed forward a pair of public works projects and renewing a contract with Delta North Louisiana Gas Company LCC were primary orders of business as the Board Aldermen held its December meeting Monday evening at City Hall.
The Board approved a resolution authorizing the city to enter into a $578,626 contract with Budd’s Construction of Haughton relating to the Bonner Street Water Improvements Project, for which six bids were received with the contract awarded to the lowest of those bids.
“That’s Bonner Street from Mills Avenue to East Railroad Avenue,” said Ruston Public Works director John Freeman.
Construction on the project, which will replace a 6-inch cast iron water main pipe with a 6-inch PVC main is expected to be completed within 190 calendar days.
Ruston’s City Council also approved authorization for the city to enter into a $35,350 contract with The Mabry Company, the low bidder, for work on the North Maryland Street and Maryland Avenue Intersections Drainage Improvements Project.
“Recently our Public Works Department did some drainage improvements along East Maryland (Street) and at the time noticed an improvement that can be made facing a crossdrain at the intersection and also improving the radii on the intersection.”
Also approved was a resolution authorizing the city to enter into a $1,741,446 contract with Amethyst of West Monroe to enter into a Federal Aid Project for Ruston for Ruston Downtown Revitalization Phase IX.
“That’s the next phase of our downtown revitalization — Phase IX — from East Park Avenue to East Georgia Avenue,” Freeman said.
The estimate for the project was $2.3 million. Amethyst was the only bidder on the project with a bid coming in significantly lower than the estimated cost.
During the meeting Ruston’s City Council also passed an ordinance granting Delta North Louisiana Gas Company, LLC, (formerly known as Centerpoint Energy), the right to construct, install, operate and maintain facilities for the transportation, distribution and sale of gas in the municipality and, for such purposes, to use and excavate in the public highways, streets, sidewalks, alleys, squares, commons, grounds and other publicly-owned areas and levying a franchise (privilege) tax for that purpose.
“This refers to the renewal of our long-standing contract 10-year renewal for that contract,” said city attorney Bill Carter. “There’s no real change to that franchise agreement, including the amount of franchise fee. The only real difference is this provision includes 5-year renewals, so this will maybe alleviate having to come back every 10 years (for renewal)).
“Otherwise this franchise agreement is the same. Centerpoint, now Delta, provides residential, commercial gas service to our residents.”
The City Council also passed an ordinance providing the date, time and place of regular Board of Aldermen meetings for the Calendar Year.
As has been for years previously, those meetings are set for 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month with meetings moved to the second Tuesday of the months of January, July and September of 2026 because of conflicts with holidays.
In other business, Ruston’s City Council also approved giving 30 days before starting the abatement process of an abandoned property at 217 Union Avenue; approved a final plate for Pelican Pointe Subdivision, Unit 2; approved a preliminary plat for Lot 1 of the Ruston Business Park Subdivision; and introduced an ordinance to amend various sections of the City Zoning Codes.
That introduced ordinance will be discussed and potentially voted on during next month’s Council meeting.
