Morgan City Council talks demolition and rodeo

Building up and tearing down were part of the Morgan City Council meeting Tuesday.

The council heard about some municipal progress at the regular fourth-Tuesday meeting at the Morgan City Court building. And the council took steps to condemn and demolish six blighted homes.

Two relatively new Independence Day events are coming up.

Saturday’s Lake Jam begins at 11 a.m. at Lake End Parkway. Southern Roots, Cliff & Sidepiece Band and South 70 will perform.

On Tuesday, the Fourth of July Boat Parade will be at Lake End Park. Judging will begin at 2 p.m.

Lake End Park, the site for a number of improvements in recent years, has generated $110,000 in revenue, Mayor Lee Dragna told the council.

And, he said, income from business licenses is up by $64,000.

“We’re moving forward in this city, and not just falling apart,” Dragna said.

Rodeos are becoming part of the local entertainment scene, too. Timmy Quebedeaux and Javier Acuna of the Atchafalaya Bit and Bridle Club got council approval — and a promise to let the arena use city bleachers at the site — for a rodeo at 3
p.m. July 22 at the clubs arena in the 1300 block of Youngs Road.

A Mexican-style rodeo May 13 at the arena drew 700 people, Quebedeaux told the council.

The club hopes the rodeos will raise money that can be used to improve the arena.

Also Tuesday, the council voted to condemn and demolish six homes on a list of seven that are in disrepair.

The houses are at 419 Garber St., 1620 Federal Ave., 1009 Railroad Ave., 1222 Fig St., 606 Sixth St. and 202 S. Railroad Ave.

The council gave the owner of the seventh home, at 109 11th St., 30 days to take down a carport and determine whether cypress used in the home’s construction can be salvaged.

The council also approved recommendations from the Finance Committee, chaired by Councilman Tim Hymel, for nearly $900,000 in spending.

It includes $750,000 to replace an often-patched sewer system pump at Park Road; $60,000 for a new phone system for city offices, which is expected to save $2,000-$2,400 per month; $66,000 for a fund that provides grants for fixing up buildings; and $10,000 for the St. Mary Council on Aging, which runs senior centers and delivers meals to homebound residents.

And the council unanimously passed an ordinance that reduces the charge for paying electric bills past the delinquency date to 5% from 10%.