At Tuesday’s meeting of the Ville Platte City Council, Mayor Vidrine announced that street repairs for an initial 25 streets in Ville Platte will begin on or before March 31, 2022. Repairs for other roads will be announced at a later time.

 

Fire Chief Chris Soileau announced that there were no fatalities for November, but that December started off its first week with a fatal house fire in Chataignier. During the colder winter months, please remember to check on elderly relatives and make sure that your homes are equipped with working smoke alarms. If you or a loved one needs assistance of any kind, please contact your local fire department.

 

Dewey Guillory addressed the council on behalf of his neighborhood about an unauthorized commercial property at 228 Hickory Street. He alleges that an unnamed individual is going ahead with the creation of 2 new businesses: a wrecker and a used car dealership. Since renovations began, Mr. Guillory says that his property has decreased in value, damaging he and his neighbors financially. Councilwoman Williams says that authorization will not be given to the individual until he has a fence built around his businesses; however, Mr. Guillory asserts that though construction of such a fence has begun, it is inadequate. The council agrees that such a business should not be located in the middle of town, and assures residents that the issue has been turned over to their legal department to find a way to stop it.

 

The council also heard from Coach Sweetman in regards to population increase, new employment, and internet access. Over the past 30 years, Ville Platte has seen a steady decrease in population on-par with world trends. Mr. Sweetman says that “less residents equal less money.” To combat this, he suggests affordable apartment complexes targeting retirees and immigrants, and also recommends pushing tourism since there are dozens of empty buildings in town that could be turned into something great. He says that the first step is to get a 4G internet tower for more affordable and reliable internet. Mr. Sweetman lives in Ville Platte and wants to help the council better our community. Anyone who wishes to speak with him can email him at coach.sweetman@yahoo.com.

 

November and December have been good months for grant applications, with the city approved to apply for $400,000 from the state for park improvements. Ville Platte also received an NLC grant for a French-language mural on City Hall which will represent Ville Platte’s culture and history. The city plans to apply for an NLC water and drainage grant, but will first need to assess the amount needed for repairs and improvements. New street signs are coming to Ville Platte once the manufacturer receives their shipment of metal, and City Hall is still waiting on their new phone system.

Evangeline Parish Police Jury All French Meeting December 14, 2021 The Evangeline Parish Police Jury conducted their annual all French meeting today (Tuesday) at the courthouse. A large group of well wishers were in attendance to view this unique event. It is the only known governmental meeting to conduct a meeting in French in the state. District Six Police Juror Eric Soileau conducted the meeting in the place of President Ryan Williams. One of the highlights of the meeting were students from the French Immersion program who led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and sang three Christmas songs in French. Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court Randy Deshotel led the group in the invocation all in French. Ville Platte native Amanda Lafleur Giambrone attended the meeting and praised the police jury for their efforts in supporting our Cajun French heritage. She urged the public wanting to learn how to speak and write in French to buy the new book by David Marcantel about the funny Cajun stories by Avoyelles Parish storyteller Marion Marcotte. The new book has the original French lines on one side of the page and the English translation on the other side. State Senator Heather Cloud reported that seven million dollars has been allocated by the state for the resurfacing of US 167 in Evangeline Parish. Also efforts are underway to get funding for LA 106 to Allen Parish. The police jury approved the following: --approved the reappointment of Greg Morein to the Mamou Fire Protection District Board and Allen LeJeune to the Acadia -Evangeline Fire Protection District Board for another two year term; --approve the appointment of Lucas Berzas to the Acadia -Evangeline Parish Fire Protection District Board replacing Randal Fruge; --received a report from Secretary Treasurer Donald Bergeron announcing that this parish received $368,057 in sales tax collections for November; Recognized the following guests in the audience: former Jury Secretary Treasurer Doug Deville, Jerrie Ledoux with the Congressman Mike Johnson's Office, Clerk of Court Randy Deshotel, Senator Heather Cloud, former Secretary Treasurer Dale Reed, Sheriff Charles Guillory, Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, Evangeline Chamber of Commerce President Dr. Gwen Fontenot, Assessor Chris Guillory, Registrar of Voters Lucas Buller and Evangeline Parish Tourism Director Elizabeth West.

Ville Platte Woman Dies in Duplex Fire EVANGELINE PARISH- State Fire Marshal (SFM) deputies continue investigating the circumstances surrounding a duplex fire in Ville Platte that claimed the life of a female resident. Around 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, the Ville Platte Fire Department responded to a call at a 2-unit residential structure, or duplex, located in the 5600 block of Vine Street. While first responders were able to safely evacuate the occupant of one of the units, firefighters unfortunately located the body of a woman in the living room of the second unit. While official identification and cause of death are pending with the Evangeline Parish Coroner's Office, the victim is believed to be a 62-year-old resident of the unit where the fire began. Following an assessment of the scene, deputies determined the fire began on the couch where the victim was located. Deputies learned the woman, who was disabled, was also a heavy smoker. Based on witness statements, and evidence found at the scene, deputies cannot rule out improperly discarded smoking materials as a likely cause of the fire. The SFM always recommends smoking outdoors and ensuring all smoking materials are properly extinguished in the appropriate manner. Also, refrain from smoking when tired or under the influence of alcohol or medications that make you drowsy. In addition, all spark-producing objects, like lighters, should be kept out of the reach of children. Deputies were able to locate smoke alarms in the home, but they were not in working order due to the batteries being removed. Working smoke alarms are a proven tool to alert residents to a fire danger in order to escape safely. The SFM's Operation Save-A-Life partners with local fire departments to install smoke alarms for free for families that need them most. To learn more about Operation Save-A-Life, or to register for a smoke alarm installation, visit lasfm.org.

Despite the cold weather, Ville Platte residents as well as residents in Mamou, Pine Prairie and Basile braved the cold to help the needy and hungry this holiday season. It was the annual Food Net Food Drive held locally at the Ville Platte Civic Center pavilion for the benefit of the Ville Platte Christian Care and Share Center. KVPI covered the food drive with live on the scene reports with Misty, Deet and Mark for part of the day and viewed many people make food and monetary donations. Volunteers opened up at 5;00am until 8:00 tonight. DJ Jude Dardeau provided the holiday music. Even Santa Claus showed up to bring cheer to the volunteers and to the children who showed up. We hope to have a report on much food and money was raised by Care and Share Director Gene Fontenot during the La Tasse de Cafe radio show in the morning. Thank you and God bless you for caring and sharing.

Mamou Police investigate Shooting incident December 7, 2021 On Monday, December 6, Mamou Police were dispatched to the 500 block of Second Street of Mamou to reports of multiple shots fired in that neighborhood. When the police arrived, they discovered a victim, an unknown black male, left the area on his own to seek medical attention for possible gunshot wounds. Officers began investigating the incident and received information that a suspect involved was in the 600 block of Second Street. Police located the suspect and detained him without incident. The suspect's residence was searched and a firearm was located in the suspect's room. With the help of the Ville Platte police department, officers discovered the victim was not injured by gunshot but that his vehicle was struck several times. His vehicle was taken into evidence. Mamou police made two more arrests. One person of interest, Vindezz Thibodeaux, is still at large. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Mamou Police at 337-468-5221. All callers will remain anonymous. Chief Brent Zackery , Assistant Chief Drew Fruge and the Mamou Police Department are committed to making Mamou a safer place to live. Anyone involved in criminal activity will be arrested and held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of the law.