By BROOKE GOLDMAN

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Parish citizens will be presented with the opportunity to vote today for or against an $18 million general obligation bond from the State of Louisiana.

Parish President Nickie Monica supports the proposal and urges all citizens to support the plan.

“It will allow our parish to take giant steps forward,” said Monica.

Unprecedented drops in interest rates give the parish an advantage, said Monica. The bond would be used for capital projects including public works projects, enhancements to infrastructure, drainage work, new road construction, maintenance of existing streets, recreation upgrades, a library in Garyville, a senior center in Reserve and a community center on the Westbank.

“All of these projects would attract business and people to the parish,” said Monica. “We want to upgrade Railroad Avenue in Reserve from West 19th St. to Highway 3179 and extend to East 30th St.”

This upgrade would leave openings for residential development, Monica said.

He said he wants to increase services for senior citizens in the area and would move his department of finance to the current senior center in LaPlace. The new senior center would be built in Reserve to house the Council on Aging.

“A multipurpose facility would be built on U.S. Highway 51 near the new library to host athletic events, community trade shows and would showcase the parish,” said Monica. “We could fill the more than 500 hotel rooms in St. John by hosting events like wrestling and high school basketball championships.”

Currently, there is no multipurpose arena in the River Parishes, Monica said.

According to Monica, other items on the ballot include a 1 mill tax (1/2 mill renewal and 1/2 mill for the St. John Association of Retarded Citizens), the rededication of the one cent sales tax with the surplus going to street repairs and two issues regarding the change of civil service to the parish council.

Voting begins at 6 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. at various parish precincts.

“I encourage voters to support the bond issue for the future of St. John,” said Monica. “These are quality of life projects and we will be able to see them in 30 years from now.”

“People could see where their money is going and it touches every part of the community,” Monica added. “We can make these improvements with no increase in taxes to our taxpayers.

“With interest rates so low, the consumer and government can benefit with voter approval.”