By Carolyn Roy
carolyn@natchitochestimes.com
The City hopes to clean up a blighted area on Jefferson Street with the acquisition of three pieces of property.
At the City Council meeting Monday, the first ordinance introduced will authorize the purchase of property belonging to the Cush Family at 137 Jefferson. The City will contribute $38,500 and the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission and Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission will pay $11,500.
The City will buy property in the same area on Jefferson from the estate of Tom Paul Southerland for $50,000.
The City will also acquire property next to the Southerland property from TG Investments LLC through an act of donation. The ordinance says the property has a fair market value of $120,000. The building on the property for many years housed a clothes cleaners. An environmental study from SRP Environments indicates there are chlorinated hydrocarbons present and the estimated cost of the remediation and monitoring will be $65,000.
Mayor Lee Posey said the City will clean the three properties for a green space with no current plans for its use. He said a parking lot on the site of the cleaners building would require no environmental cleanup.
The City also plans to buy one acre from Michael Bowen on University Parkway. It is contiguous with the east side of the property the City bought for a sports park. Posey said it would provide a better entrance to the park and provide better traffic control. The purchase price is $25,000.
The ordinances were introduced Monday with the final vote scheduled for the next meeting Aug. 14.
