By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – In a unanimous vote Monday, the St. Charles Parish Council declared that property in the parish zoned as Open Land could be used to build fire stations and firefighter training facilities.

The ruling opens up the opportunity for a training center near the Luling Volunteer Fire Department’s station on Paul Maillard Road.

“This will give the service more flexibility and more opportunity for stations,” Luling Fire Chief Barry Minnich told the council. “As the parish grows, we constantly need new places to build.”

The Luling Volunteer Fire Department had previously applied for a coastal use permit for the facility back in February. The proposal calls for seven buildings of various sizes, a tower, a drainage ditch along the northern boundary of the project area, and a drafting pond. The training center would take up about two acres of land near the station.

Minnich told the council that facilities of this kind normally don’t burn any forms of dirty fuel, and usually work with clean burning propane. He told the council that on occasion, a training exercise may involve setting fire to bails of hay, but it would be done inside one of the buildings.

District 5 Councilman Larry Cochran said before the vote that the proposal would give firefighters in the area another location to engage in training. He said at the present time, firefighters are restricted to Jefferson Parish, or Baton Rouge, where there is an expansive training facility and school at Louisiana State University.

“This measure will save time and money,” said Cochran.