Porchfest gets council OK

The fifth annual Lawrence Park Porchfest will be April 17 in Morgan City.
The City Council gave approval for the event at Tuesday’s meeting.
The event is free, but food and drinks will be sold.
“We want everyone to get out of the house, bring their lawn chair and come out to the park and have a great time listening to live music,” Chairman Ryan Yager said in a letter to the city requesting permission to hold the event. “There is plenty of room in the park, so everyone will be able to social distance from others and still enjoy the music and the outdoors.”
Plans are for the first band to begin playing at 11 a.m. and the last band to finish about 7:30 p.m.
The council granted permission to block off Third Street from Everett to Freret streets and block the roadway on Everett Street from Third to Second streets. Houses on Third and Everett streets will be used.
If the state allows it, the Kiwanis Club of East St. Mary will sell alcohol, city Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Solar Jr. said.
Event proceeds will be used to help with the Lawrence Park playground equipment and the park’s beautification.
In another matter Tuesday, the council awarded a bid for construction for its Maple Street sewer lift station to its lowest bidder, Volute of Houma. It includes a $387,000 base bid with an “additive alternate” totaling $30,000. The alternate will pay for two 50 horsepower pumps.
“For an extra $30,000 we get brand new pumps,” according to Jacob Guillory of Pan American Engineers in Alexandria, who is handling the project.
Guillory told the mayor and council the project includes tearing down the current lift station and rebuilding it. The only thing that will be left during demolition is the wet well.
“There will be no interruption to the sewer service during the replacement,” he said. “We have bypassing operations in the project to handle the sewer during the construction.”
Work could begin as soon as June, Guillory said. It will take about five months to complete.
The project’s cost will be paid for evenly through the city’s Pollution Abate-ment and Beautification funds.
In other action, the council:
—Introduced an ordinance for the creation of the Morgan City Development District. The commission under the district will be used to develop the Hellenic property for a subdivision, Mayor Lee Dragna said.
—Accepted the monthly financial statements. They include a favorable variance of $102,834 compared to budget in the General and Ancillary Funds, an unfavorable variance of $38,609 in the Utility Fund and a favorable variance of $46,194 in the Sanitation and Sewer Fund. Despite the unfavorable variance in the Utility Fund, Finance Director Deborah Garber said the variance is a lot better than a month ago when it was down $154,000 from what was budgeted.
—Approved a resolution authorizing the signature for the Lake End Rentals LLC contract. The company is owned by Jonathan Scully. Dragna said Scully will invest $50,000 to $60,000 in equipment for citizens to rent at the lake. That includes golf carts, paddle boats and beach chairs. Recreation and Culture Director Dwayne Barbier said Scully wants to start bringing equipment to the lake in May. Plans are for him to be at the lake Fridays through Sundays to rent equipment, but it also will be available other days upon request, Barbier said.
—Approved the execution of a lease purchase agreement for a new street sweeper.
“Our street sweeper is technically, 100% dead,” Dragna said.
The lease includes a three-year warranty with the city paying nearly $4,300 per month. They can buy it for $80,000 at the lease’s conclusion. Dragna said the street sweeper only has about 2,000 miles of usage. It already has been tested around the city.
—Authorized a signature for a cooperative endeavor agreement with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office for a patrol boat the department does not use. It’s an aluminum, 20-foot boat with an engine that is just a few years old, Dragna said. He recognized Sheriff Blaise Smith for offering to donate the boat, rather than sell it.
“It’s a really, really nice boat,” Dragna said.
—Adopted an ordinance for the creation of an Economic Development Commission and the issuance of $2 million in revenue anticipation notes.
—Approved a resolution authorizing a cooperative endeavor agreement with the Town of Grand Isle for a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria police car.
—Approved resolutions authorizing the recreation trails grant application and declaring items surplus.