Police Jury to revive loan committee
GREENSBURG — The St. Helena Police Jury will reactivate its Economic Development Committee to receive new applications for the $150,000 revolving loan funds the committee administers.
One application was recently submitted and several others are on the way for the U.S. Department of Agriculture loan funds available to small businesses to bolster economic development in the parish, Juror Major Coleman said during Tuesday night’s Police Jury meeting.
“We need to get the committee active again because people are asking for the money,” Coleman said.
If the loans are not used, the parish will lose the funding, parish Grants Administrator Virginia Bell said.
Committee member Lester Easley said the four-member volunteer group held its last meeting a couple of months ago, but had canceled previous meetings due to member absences.
The committee originally had six members, including a juror and someone with a financial background, Coleman said.
Coleman previously served as that juror, but said Tuesday that he cannot serve again because he may apply for a loan through the program.
Juror Warren McCray Jr. offered to fill the role instead.
Coleman said he would offer a nomination for the final committee seat during the next jury meeting.
Other business before the Police Jury included:
COURTHOUSE REMODEL: District Attorney Scott Perrilloux asked the jury for approval to begin preliminary discussions about renovating the 21st Judicial District Court building in Greensburg to accommodate an additional courtroom.
The three-story courthouse, built in 1938 and owned by the parish, houses only one courtroom.
Perrilloux suggested converting a second-floor conference room and office into a second, smaller courtroom to be used for family court and to assist with trial scheduling conflicts.
Determining a funding source for the renovations can come later, Perrilloux said. “We just need to start the process,” he said.
Jury President Jule Charles Wascom appointed Coleman and McCray Jr. and Maintenance Director James Chaney to a new courthouse committee to oversee the process.
HEALTH UNIT ROOF: Parish officials are gathering quotes to repair the Health Unit’s roof, after Hurricane Isaac caused minor leaks in 16 rooms, Environmental Clerk Anita Wascom said.
The roof was still under repair from Hurricane Gustav when Isaac blew through in late August, Wascom said.