Ville Platte City Council Meeting April 12. 2022 Several concerned citizens attended Tuesday's meeting of the Ville Platte City Council to voice their concerns over conditions at the City Dog Pound. Jill Stevens and Melissa Gibson shared the following list of grievances: only six kennels out of 16 are holding dogs. The same dogs have been in those kennels for months and there is no place for new dogs to come in. They stated that medical and other supplies have been donated for the care of the dogs and are not being used by the care taker. The dogs are not being given even basic care. Fencing material was donated but they never been installed. They mentioned that the care taker at the pound could be given free training on the proper handling of animals at the shelter. Stephens, an architect, has drawn up plans for a proposed new city animal shelter that could hold 16 kennels. Mayor Jennifer Vidrine told Stevens and Gibson that she is planning to meet with a welder at South Louisiana Community College to help work on making improvements at the dog pound. She also announced that she will appoint an advisory committee to work with city officials to oversee the proper operation of the city dog pound and invited concerned citizens to contact city hall. She thanked both ladies for their concern and compassion. In other business, the city approved a new ordinance, fashioned after a similar one in Lafayette dealing with restaurants serving alcoholic beverages in outside patio areas. Also, the city council approved a request from Tri Comm Real Estate to erect a new cell phone tower at the old Cedillo store location on west main in Ville Platte; Mayor Jennifer Vidrine announced there will be an Easter Egg Hunt at the Martin Luther King Park Saturday at 1:00pm for children and a second egg hunt for adults. The public is invited. The Girls and Boys Club will open June 3 with registration for those 8-16 and will operate daily from June 6-July 22. Fire Chief Chris Soileau announced there were 14 calls in March including two structure calls, one vehicle call involving a fatality and seven alarm activations. Long time Ville Platte firefighter Robert Perron was recognized by Jerri LeDoux with Congressman Mike Johnson's office with a congressional commendation for his 50 years of dedicated service to the fire department. City Engineer Ronnie Landreneau announced the patching of streets have begun which will lead to the overlay of some 25 city streets. Also in the budget will be improvements to all three city parks with the addition of splash pads, walking trails and pavilions . Sarahi and her husband Steven Sawtelle announced to the city council their plans for a "Day of Prayer" at noon May 5 at Hundredfold Coffee Shop. They personally invited the mayor and council to attend their event. Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue announced the police department answered 720 calls for the month of March, made 12 arrests including 9 felony arrests and worked 18 vehicle accidents including one fatality. Also the city council approved the hiring of two new part time jailers; Two new businesses wishing a city occupational license were referred to the city's attorney for review and guidance. Kyle Marsh, a local law enforcement officer is planning to open a new business in his home for the manufacture and sale of firearms such as AR-15's. The business will be called "Evangeline Tactical". Also, Amanda Snoke and her husband , the owners of Sooner Auto, are planning to operate a food truck in the Ville Platte area and wanted guidance and info on getting a license to operate. Mayor Jennifer Vidrine reminded residents that Acosta Foundation is sponsoring a clean up day in Ville Platte on April 23.