City of Sulphur to acquire new property
The former home of the old Tyme Variety store may not be standing vacant for much longer. On Monday night, the City Council agreed to allow Mayor Chris Duncan to enter into an agreement for the purchase of the property from owner George Theriot Super Food Marts, Inc. The purchase price for the 12,000 square foot building and property: $475,000. Mayor Duncan spoke with Southwest Daily about the potential purchase. “Opportunity knocked. The building came up for sale, [and] the owners offered it to us at a good price,” said the mayor. “we tentatively have a plan for the building but there are some logistics that we have to work out. There are some parties we need to talk to,” he added. So far, none of the plans include tearing down the structure but rather giving it a much-needed remodel. “It’s a solid building,” said the mayor. “we had it checked out and inspected.” Aside from the structure, its parking lot has proven to be a major asset for that area of the city. The property is located at the corner of Ruth and Cypress streets. “The use of the parking lot during the recent Christmas under the Oaks festival was very much needed. The continued use of it for the Judicial Center is very valuable,” said Duncan. as for the project’s cost, the City is looking at funding options. The Council agreed on Monday to proceed with possibly borrowing up to $1 million from the Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority for the development, acquisition, construction and furnishing of the building and property. The Council’s resolution, according to Mayor Duncan, was a starting point for getting the issue before the Bond Commission. “this is a step to get it placed on the Bond Commission’s agenda,” said Mayor Duncan. “whether we use the full million or use less than a million will all be determined by some other factors down the road.” “we are going in as an option. we don’t necessarily have to accept that option. we are just starting the process so that if we elect to do it, we can do it.” according to the mayor, the city does have a building fund and the other entities involved in the project will likely offer funding as well. Finalization of the purchase may take anywhere from 60 to 90 days. In other Council business: The Council agreed to enter into an agreement with the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s (D.a.) office for the Local Agency Compensated Enforcement (LACE) detail. The program, according to D.a. John DeRosier, works to “put more officers on the streets of Sulphur” without the taxpayers shouldering the expense. under the program, officers earn extra pay while working on a traffic enforcement beat. “The purpose of this program is public safety,” said DeRosier. “this puts more officers on the street, [and] that’s what it’s all about.” The officers are paid through the program and the City is reimbursed for such items as fuel and insurance. Funding for the program comes directly from those who violate the law and get a ticket. “The individuals who are ticketed under this program have 30 days in which to pay their traffic ticket,” said DeRosier. “Depending on the nature of the offense, the ticket will be a certain amount of dollars. if they pay that ticket within 30 days, then it does not go on their traffic record.” “if the ticket is not paid within 30 days, then it goes through and we would refer the ticket to Ward 4 City Court or handle it like any other ticket,” he added. Mayor Duncan spoke in support of the program. “It’s a means of getting good quality overtime [for police officers], helping the citizens of Sulphur, [and] deterring crime in Sulphur,” he stated. Sulphur Police Chief Lewis Coats, along with Mayor Duncan, spoke to the Council about personnel changes within the department. By filling a vacancy in the patrol division with an officer already in that division, abiding by the seniority list for promotions and not wanting to force an efficient specialized officer out of his division, four officers will be promoted to the rank of sergeant. “we have a vacancy on patrol right now. In order to fill that vacancy on patrol, we have to promote [further down the seniority list] to Michael Molitor, who is a PFC on patrol, in order to fill that position. All the other officers above him are filling specialized divisions at this point, and it would really hamper any division that we would be pulling them out of to force them to fill patrol,” said Chief Coats. “These officers are basically going to be promoted in position. we are not pulling them from any other position. There is not going to be any vacated positions if all the officers get promoted,” added the Chief. Duncan stated that no budget changes were needed for the promotions. The promotions should be official by next payroll date – December 18. The mayor also discussed the current hiring process for new officers. according to Duncan, the department’s possible new hires have already gone through the interview process and agility test and are now in the polygraph stage. Duncan also spoke about building up the department’s corps of reserve officers. currently, there are six but the mayor would like 10. “when you have a position come open, [the reserve officers] have already worked with [regular officers]. They know what they can do,” said the mayor. “you are building a crop of possible police officers in the reserves.” Monday night was the final public meeting on the redistricting of the district boundaries in Sulphur based on the recent Census Bureau figures. as was the case during the October and November hearings, no member of the public spoke before the Council on the issue. The Council voted to accept the new city districts. The Council agreed to adopt the Comprehensive Master Plan for the City of Sulphur, which establishes a vision for the future of the city and provides recommendations on how to implement that vision. Council member Mike Koonce expressed concerns about the plan’s rigidity and whether acceptance of it changes the city’s ordinances.
Plan consultant Tim Jackson responded to Koonce's concerns.
“[The plan is] meant to be updated and looked at again. It’s definitely not set in stone in terms of what’s required,” said Jackson. “It’s not a law. It’s a set of guidelines.” “this is far different,” said Mayor Duncan. “It is nothing like that.” The plan can be viewed on the city’s website sulphur.org The Council agreed to donate four City of Sulphur vehicles – three Chevrolet Impalas and one Ford Crown Victoria – to the City of Jennings. The vehicles had been declared surplus and Mayor Duncan stated that they were no longer worth maintaining for the City. The Council then later agreed to advertise bids for two new equipped police vehicles. Mayor Duncan stated that the new vehicles will be purchased from drug seizure funds. Sulphur native Brant Parish was the mayor’s recommended choice from a field of three to represent the City of Sulphur on the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. The Council unanimously agreed with the recommendation. Parish is the General Manager of Candlewood Suites. “It will be an honor to serve on this board and represent the City of Sulphur,” stated Parish upon receiving the Council’s vote. Mayor Duncan announced that plans are in the works to feature the January 9th LSU vs. Alabama BCS national title game on the City’s big screen at the Heritage Square pavilion. The event will take place pending weather conditions. The mayor stated that he will not be able to make any confirmations until at least 10 days before the event. The next regular meeting of the City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 5:30 p.m., in the Council chambers, located on North Huntington.
