By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LULING – The Luling Volunteer Fire Department is awaiting approval on a coastal use permit for a proposed training facility for volunteers and full time firefighters.

According to a release from the State Department of Natural Resources, the fire department applied for the permit February 27, and the public was free to comment on the proposal through late March.

The release said that the project calls for the construction of seven buildings of various sizes, a tower, a drainage ditch along the northern boundary of the project area, and a drafting pond. The facility is set to be constructed in the area of Paul Maillard Road and Turner Lane and will take up about two acres of bottomland hardwoods area.

The application is on file at the Office of Coastal Management Division in Baton Rouge.

The decision to issue the permit for construction will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of natural resources. All factors relevant to the proposal, including flood and storm hazards, water quality, water supply, feasible alternate sites and drainage patterns, will be considered in the decision.