Evangeline Parish Police Jury Meeting Feb 7, 2022 The Evangeline Parish Police Jury Monday voted to continue meeting and negotiating with Sheriff Charles Guillory on a plan to construct a new parish jail. Sheriff Charles Guillory showed a proposed sketch of the new jail complex. The sheriff had been meeting with the president and vice president of the jury along with the secretary treasurer. He proposes to build a 32,000 square foot, 200 bed jail that will cost $14 million dollars to be constructed at the Ward One Industrial Park. The plan calls for the parish to contribute 6 million dollars and the sheriff will come up with the rest of the funding. The sheriff said "We need to build a new jail. Let's not put a band aid on an old building". The police jury is looking at coming up with their share of the money from federal funds from the A.R.P. program and from funds from the re-dedication of taxes from the Health Unit and the Parish Library. The re-dedication will be decided by parish voters in March. It will take about two years to construct. In the meantime, the sheriff offered to help pay the costs for inmates that are housed in out of parish facilities that has been an extreme burden to the police jury. The sheriff stated the industrial park is the perfect location because it has all of the utilities and the land is owned by the police jury. In other business, the police jury received a report on operations at Crooked Creek Park. During 2021, the park grossed $460,000 and had a total of 4200 campers. Among the upcoming events planned at the park are: On Feb. 12, the Acosta Foundation will have a 5K Color Run for the Heart Association, Memorial Day weekend, Horace Trahan will perform and July 4, Ashton Dupre will be the featured performer. The police jury, in other action, --approved a plan offered by Sheriff Guillory to maintain the courthouse grounds, the police jury office grounds, health unit as well as five parish cemeteries using inmate labor at a cost of $800 a month with the parish providing the necessary equipment. --received a hint from Jury Secretary Treasurer Donald Bergeron that he will soon have exciting news in connection with the parish broadband application for the parish; --will be calling a public hearing soon to get public comment on a proposal to merge the Lone Pine Fire District and the Ward Five Fire District; --received news from Jury President Bryan Vidrine that there is a number of investors that are starting Solar Panel Farms in the parish. He said one person is leasing 1000 acres for their project; --referred to their legal advisor a proposal to enter into a lease agreement with E.P.A.R (Every Paw Animal Rescue) to lease property for the construction of an animal control shelter east of Ville Platte; --received news from Section 8 Director, Anna Frank that her agency has 176 families in the program with 81 applicants on the waiting list;