The Village of Parks is considering a proposal to allow Cajun Broadband to extend service there.
A company representative was at the Feb. 11 council meeting to inform the public and council about the possibilities and was given the go-ahead to prepare a detailed proposal.
If a deal is reached, the village would allow the installation of a transmitter on the water tower. That would provide broadband service to customers within a five-mile radius. Mayor Kevin Kately said that other attempts to find a provider for the unserved areas have involved cable-based service that would require installation of a cable at prohibitively high set-up fees to remote customers.
The representative said he will prepare an offer in time for the March 12 meeting. Subscribers would receive the signal through a small roof-mounted dish.
Poché Park
As the new city hall building takes shape across from Cecile Rousseau Poché Memorial Park, improvements to the park continue.
Kately reported that two of three planned small pavilions around the playground areas have been completed. Picnic tables will be installed for use by parents with children using the playground equipment.
The mayor also said that the improved baseball field will be ready to provide a much better experience for players and spectators this spring. A total of 75 truck loads of dirt were hauled in and the field will now be smoother and will drain more quickly.
“Now the field will be playable, even the day following a hard rain,” he said. “The lighting system is ready to use and new dugouts, including one for the T-ball area, have been added. An additional restroom facility will be built for the field as well.”
Also, Kately remarked that more automatic flush valves are being added to the water lines and customers report improved water quality. “We have had to raise rates a little, but they remained the same for decades while costs have steadily risen,” he said. “Improvements like the flush valves are costly and more flushing necessarily means more treatment costs, so it had to happen. We are making the system better while keeping the rates as low as possible for our customers.”
The mayor reminds customers to register on the water system’s website to receive notifications and announcements. He said just 400 of the 4,200 customers have registered. Go to villageofparks.com.
