Zachary Food Pantry plan on track
ZACHARY — The Zachary Food Pantry may have a new building by Thanksgiving, Mayor David Amrhein told the City Council on Tuesday.
The Zachary Men’s Club donated a parcel of land 260 feet by 65 feet to accommodate the larger building. The council also voted to accept the low bid for the construction.
“It came out to about $303,000, plus a few cents. I have the name of the company in my office, but I forgot to bring it with me,” the mayor said.
The bid came in $54,000 lower than expected, he added.
The mayor also told the council that the local Rotary chapter offered to pay for landscaping for the front of the new Food Pantry.
Other items included:
TRUCK BRAKES: The council voted unanimously to take the first step to remove all references to “jakebraking” or “Jake Brakes” from city laws as well as signage within Zachary.
The compression release braking devices are mostly manufactured by Jacobs Vehicles Systems Inc. and are used on commercial vehicles with diesel engines. The company notified the city that the wording on the signs and laws are “unlawful infringements on their registered trademarks,” attorney John Hopewell told the council.
Many municipalities, including Zachary, ban the use of the engine-based braking systems within city limits due to noise pollution.
PLANTATION HOUSE: The council tabled a resolution to terminate the donation of the Annison Plantation House to the city. The antebellum home was given to the city in 2002 by owner Ethel Brabham Annison.
Museum director and council clerk Jean Byers told the council that two entities that did not wish to be named are interested in the property, but they couldn’t make the Tuesday meeting,
“We’ve spent $100,000 to $125,0000 maintaining this house and we wanted to be able to spend that money on the Historic Village,” the mayor said.
LITIGATION: The council voted unanimously to hire attorney Stacey Moak of Stacey Moak & Associates in Baton Rouge to represent the city in two ongoing lawsuits.
Zachary Housing Partners LLC has filed suit against the city for blocking the developer’s plans to build a 156-unit apartment complex off McHugh Road south of Lane Regional Medical Center.
David Mansur is suing the city for injuries to a 12-year-old boy who allegedly fell in a fire pit. The city was burning trees at the time as part of a project to widen Pope Road, Hopewell explained.
According to the contract, Moak will be paid $125 per hour for her work on both cases.