DPPJ approves opioid settlement agreement, takes action on other projects

MANSFIELD, La. – DeSoto Parish is in line to get more money from a national opioid settlement than originally thought, but the proceeds will be dedicated to administration of a drug court that has already kicked off.

Approving an agreement on the funding was among a number of items DeSoto Parish police jurors approved at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, which also included updates on a splash pad, new compactor site buildings, road projects and brownfield site cleanup locations.

Drug court funding

DeSoto Chief Judge Amy Burford McCartney went before police jurors at a committee meeting earlier this month and asked for approval for funding through an opioid settlement that the Police Jury and other parishes across the state are benefiting from.

The drug court is already underway with the screening process of prospective participants. McCartney said the state Supreme Court had approved the specialty court and its funding.

But the Police Jury had not yet formally signed an agreement with the Louisiana Opioid Abatement Administration, which is administering the program statewide. Executive Counsel Curtis Nelson told police jurors Tuesday the money can only be used for an opioid abatement purpose, but that can come in different forms.

There’s no hurry to spend the money, he said. Some jurisdictions are putting it in LAMP accounts to draw interest.

DeSoto Parish has over $420,000 in reserve, which is more than originally thought. Nelson estimates another $250,000 could be added by this fall. Nationwide, the settlement amount has reached $680 million to be shared by each state. The payments will be spread out until 2042.

Stonewall splash pad

Police jurors approved a cooperative endeavor agreement for $150,000 for construction of a splash pad at the Stonewall Town Park.

No timeline was given when construction will begin. The town of Stonewall will head up that part with the money the Police Jury has provided.

Road projects underway

Administrator Michael Norton said patch work is underway on Gravel Point, George Hunt, White Springs, Naborton, True Vine and the south end of Jesse Latin because of damage caused by heavy trucks used in the natural gas exploration. The gas companies are footing 100% of the bill.

Work is about to begin on other roads, including:

• Brown Road – bid opening date on Sept. 1.
• Linwood Road and White Springs Road – APEC Construction was awarded the bid and will start within the next 45 days.
• Red Bluff Road – advertisement for bids goes out in August.

Brownfield assessment sites

The Brownfield Assessment Coalition team members met July 1 and selected Terracon Engineering for a $1.2 million grant to possibly clean up various selected locations in the parish.

The sites being looked at include the old Walmart building in Mansfield, a vacant building on Oak Hill Road in South Mansfield that has operated in different capacities such as a grocery store and skating rink, and the DeSoto Parish Airport.

The engineers will identify which ones need to be cleaned up, Norton said. The process is expected to take three to five years.

Compactor site buildings

New, larger portable buildings are being added to the compactor site locations. The buildings are better insulated to provide improved shelter for employees during the summer and winter months.

The sites getting the new buildings first are those where the current structures are in worse shape. They include Evelyn, Lula, Frierson, Kickapoo, Logansport, Sloan Road, South Mansfield and Stonewall.

Next  year’s budget will include funding for the eight remaining sites.