Harlan Kirgan
Eunice aldermen voted Tuesday to condemn two properties and gave a reprieve to others until their August meeting.
A house damaged by fire last year at 1050 Faris Ave. has been condemned, which means the city may eventually demolish it.
Raymond Cole, code enforcement officer, said, “I don’t see any difference; nothing has changed” about the Faris Avenue property.
Genevia Datley, who has been identified as the owner of the property, was not present at the meeting held at the Eunice Municipal Complex.
The other condemned property is at 530 South Martin Luther King Drive.
Cole said a trailer on property is being torn down.
Jack Burson, alderman at-large, asked the Board of Aldermen to proceed with the condemnation process because it would speed up the demolition process of the property owned by heirs of Edna Daigle.
Once the trailer is removed the condemnation order would be a moot point, Burson said
The other two properties that were one the Board’s agenda were at 120 and 130 W. Bacciochi St. and owned by Farrel Fontenot, who was present at the meeting.
Fontenot said he is not aware of any problems with his properties. One structure is used as an office and the other for storage, he said.
The buildings are not falling down or open to the weather, he said.
The properties had been in the condemnation process in 2013, Burson said, but were brought up to a condition that gained the approval of the code enforcement officer at time. Fontenot also paid the city’s expenses incurred in the condemnation process, he said.
Aldermen approved tabling the matter to the August meeting and asked Cole to do an inspection and report back with photographs.
Burson said the time should allow aldermen to ride by the properties.
In other business:
— Robert Johnson, recreation director, gave an update on recent activities that included reporting that there were 650 participants in the PONY baseball and softball season.
— Approved a 20-year contract with water supplier LAWCO. The contract includes 500,000 gallons a month free water for public uses and a 4 percent franchise based on gross water service revenues.
—Approved a resolution asking the state Department of Transportation and Development to repair La. 91 (West Maple Avenue) from La. 13 to the west city limits, which is about two miles.
— Approved Capt. Garrett DeVille and Lt. Donnie Thibodeaux to the Eunice Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board. DeVille, of the fire department, replaces Capt. Edward Keith Vidrine. Thibodeaux, of the police department, won re-election to the Board. The current terms expire on July 29.
— Introduced a resolution to designate the police chief as the appointing authority for the police department. Currently the police chief must president hiring and firing decisions to the Board of Aldermen for approval. The action also allows the Board to rescind the police chief’s hiring and firing authority and states staffing is to be based on the city’s budget.