By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

RESERVE – There was a full house during Monday evening’s town hall meeting at the Reserve library hosted by St. John the Baptist Parish Councilman Lennix Madere Jr.
Parish President Natalie Robottom provided residents with important updates about the status of the ferry, upcoming drainage and road projects, and community events.
Robottom reiterated that the state had offered $1 million in grant funding to be used for ferry operations and that the parish will is currently drafting a request for proposals to initiate a bidding process to acquire a professional operator. She made it clear that the grant would only fund about six months of service and said the fare will definitely need to increase. Robottom said the year of service would be like a “pilot program” to figure out exactly how much it will take to run the ferry. The parish council will consider allocating other funds to make up the difference in that year.
A resolution authorizing the council to complete the grant application process was on Tuesday’s council agenda.
“We just want to find out how much it costs, how much we can generate through an increase in fares and how can we minimize our costs so we can continue to provide this service. Ferry services are important to more than just the west bank. It’s an economic development driver,” she said.
Robottom discussed an upcoming drainage project in Reserve. Survey work is currently being done for the project, which is funded by a Hurricane Gustav and Ike recovery grant. The $2.5 million project will cover several streets in Reserve: West Eighth Street, Marmillian Loop, Terrance Street, Toni Drive, West Fourth Street, West Second Street, Cornland Drive and Hart Drive.
The Louisiana De    partment of Trans portation and De  ve      lopment will also widen West 10th Street in Reserve. The agency is currently in the process of contacting property owners along the street to purchase right-of-way. The project is set to begin in December.
Among other up  dates, Robottom said the parish will dedicate Regala Park’s public pool today at 4 p.m.
It will be named after 23-year-old Alex Roland Reese, a young man who drowned in the pool just before it opened.