Morgan City Council OKs plan for Lake End tiki bar

Lake End Park could soon be getting a tiki bar.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Morgan City Council approved a request from local businessman Jonathan Scully for a letter of support to seek the necessary permits to sell a limited number of alcoholic beverages.
Scully recently opened Lake End Rentals at the park and said he would like to build on that by offering three to four different beers, margaritas and limited food items, such as shrimp tacos. The business would be called The Tipsy Pelican.
Scully said his goal isn’t to “create another club” but to simply give the option of adult beverages to families who can consume them in a responsible manner.
He said he would not be bringing in a tiki bar immediately, and would instead start by selling from a tent.
“Our goal is to make the experience even more enjoyable for the campers, locals and out of towners that visit Lake End Park. … I believe this idea would only attract more people to our parish,” he said.
Scully said he thought the rentals have increased traffic at Lake End Park.
“I really feel like this is just the beginning,” Scully said. “I’m not asking for the city’s money on any of these things. I’m asking to put up my own.”
Mayor Lee Dragna agreed there are a lot of people at the park now.
Scully said he has the support of Mike Liner, a concession vendor on site, and has told Liner he would not sell items that Liner sells. Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Solar said he has discussed the idea with Liner, who had no objections to the items Scully would be selling.
“I believe this would only be another step in the right direction towards bringing in more people to our town and utilizing our beautiful park,” Scully said.
Also Tuesday, the council unanimously approved permission for Deep South Racing Association to hold drag boat racing on Flat Lake at the Joe C. Russo Boat Landing July 24-25.
The event will be called the Marvin Catrett Memorial Drag Boat Races.
Shawn Jetton of Deep South Racing Association, who sent correspondence of his request, said he hoped there would be around 50 boats at the event.
In another item, the council heard from local business owner Thane Aucoin about drainage issues on his property during heavy rains. Aucoin, who owns Highway 90 Storage, said the issue has been going on for a few years and appears to becoming a bigger problem.
“Now when we have a strong rainfall, we experience flooding in our parking lot, and it seems as though the water is not draining properly,” Aucoin said. “I don’t know what’s happening. … I’m willing to work with you guys in any way, pumps or whatever we need to do, but it’s at the point where I really do need help addressing this problem.”
Dragna said there is an issue in the drainage system away from Aucoin’s business, and he intends to get with Solar and Public Works Director Mike Loupe to fix the problem.
While Dragna said there is the option of redirecting the water to a retention area nearby, he said the optimal choice would be to unclog the area preventing proper drainage.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the council:
—Learned from Finance Director Deborah Garber that there were favorable variances in the city’s three funds when comparing them to budgeted amounts for the period ending May 31.
She reported a $562,736 variance in the General and Ancillary fund, about a $155,000 variance in the Utility Fund and a $59,199 variance in the Sanitation and Sewer Fund.
—Approved The Daily Review as its official journal.
—Approved the appointment of Wesley Thomas to the city’s land and development board.
Absent from Tuesday’s meeting were councilmen Tim Hymel and the Rev. Ron Bias.