ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / November 18, 2000

LAPLACE – Leaving an East St. John High School football game at Joe KellerStadium should be a lot easier next year, thanks to St. John the BaptistParish administrators.

Parish engineer C.J. Savoie has just finished drawings for a road that wouldconnect Airline Highway with the stadium, located behind East St. JohnElementary School. Right now there is only one road in and out of the area, and leaving a footballgame has been a traffic nightmare for years.

Parish President Nickie Monica was able to secure $150,000 from the trustfund set up from the United Gas pipeline explosion settlement to finance theconstruction.

According to Savoie, the road for the present time will only be a limestoneroad with culverts and will extend about 1,300 feet. As soon as acontractor is picked for the project, the road should be completed in 90days.

“This road will be used only for football games and emergencies,” said Monica. He would like to see the road extended all the way to West Fifth Street, andMonica is in the process of asking the state for funds to do so.

“Right now, someone who lives on W. Fifth Street has to go all the wayaround to Airline Highway if they want to get to River Parishes Hospital,” saidMonica. “I see this road as a safety issue for residents.”One of the major drawbacks to extending the road is the Kansas CityRailroad. At this point that company is not willing to build another roadcrossing because the railroad company is in the process of closing downrailroad crossings for safety reasons.

Monica is looking in another direction to solve the problem. He thinks theparish could build a bridge over the tracks.

“It is costly,” admitted Monica. “But it would help the parish.”Monica said he is looking to the federal government to help the parish financean overpass.

In other Parish Council business: Public Works Director Henry DiFranco announced the substantialcompletion of the new driver’s license office on Airline Highway in Reserve. Monica said the office will be opened in January 2001. Right now the parish iswaiting on delivery of computers and other office equipment. The parish isalso looking to extend the parking lot, which has only eight spaces at thepresent time. DiFranco has requested from the state limestone and fillmaterial to extend the parking lot, and the state has agreed to help out withenough material for 15 more parking spaces.

Steve Lee and Duaine Duffy got a resolution passed requesting the stateDepartment of Transportation and Development do a traffic study and installa signal light at the intersection of Belle Terre Boulevard and St. AndrewsBoulevard. “Traffic has really grown in the past few years,” said Lee. “And I think it istime we put a signal there.” Monica asked the council to pass a resolution that would ask the state tore-instate the $50,000 in road funds that it cut from the budget earlier thisyear. The money is needed for parish road maintenance. The council passedthe resolution unanimously.

Starting next spring, Mosquito Control will begin a program to inform St.

John residents of where and when their trucks will be spraying formosquitoes. Wayne Machado, president of Mosquito Control, said a map withall the spray zones will be published in L’Observateur. Then the parish willbroadcast on channel 55 when each zone will be sprayed.

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