On Thursday, there was a Master Plan workshop held at the Central Fire Station. The design group for the master plan was represented, as well as the mayor, council members, and several of the candidates for the March 27 election. Interested Central citizens also came to view the presentation. This meeting was not a public forum or town hall meeting. A public presentation with inout from the community will come as more details are worked out in the plan.

It was mentioned at the meeting that Baton Rouge has also begun to rework their plan for the city. At this point, Baker, Zachary, and Central are being left off of the Baton Rouge plan, as they are currently working on just the city of Baton Rouge rather than the whole parish. However, representatives for Central are keeping in contact with the city of Baton Rouge to be sure that Central’s plan and Baton Rouge’s plan do not directly conflict with each other.

Representatives from the Master Plan design team recently attended a conference in Seattle where they presented our Master Plan progress to people from around the country. Central’s plans and progress were met with enthusiasm and very positive feedback. We were told that the level of public input that our citizens are encouraged to give is impressive, and people also remarked on the “doability” of our Master Plan.

The four most important items to our community have become the goals of the Master Plan. Now, every time another item is added to the plan, they consider how well that item helps to fulfill all four of these goals:

1) Livability- to retain the sanctuary feeling of Central (This was the item that the most Central residents emphasized when asked about the development of our city.)

2) Education- to expand and improve our schools

3) Economics- to increase shopping and business opportunities

4) Infrastructure- to improve drainage and connectivity within the city

Many other specifics were discussed, such as connectivity of neighborhoods, natural zones within the city, and the widening of some roads while maintaining attractive landscapes. A draft of the land use map that was discussed at the meeting is now on the Central government website. Go directly to it by clicking HERE.

Central residents are encouraged to continue to take an active interest in the development of our community. We all have many great opportunities to share our thoughts and opinions at public meetings affecting all areas of our city. We will continue to update you as more meetings and updates are planned.

Central kids and teens of all ages are invited to come meet the mayor.  On Saturday, March 20, Mayor Watts will be at Magnolia Square on Lovett Road to meet and greet the “future of Central.” The event will last from 10 AM until 2 PM. More details will be posted as they become available. Check out the flyer for the event HERE.

During the next two weeks, Centra residents will be receiving census forms to fill out. Please do your part and participate in the census. Please fill in your city as “City of Central.” This is very important. Our census count affects the taxes we pay, the funds we receive, and redistricting for parish, state, and federal government representation. Help our city to get the funding and representation we deserve.

There will be a Master Plan workshop at the Central Fire Station this morning (Thursday) at 9:30 AM. (A previous post gave the time as 9:00. This was an error.) The public is welcome to attend.

33 tickets for seatbelt violations were issued Monday morning, March 1, in front of Central High school as part of Teen Enforcement week by the Sheriff’s Dept.  It’s the law to buckle up.  Some drivers who were properly buckled up were given free music download cards as a reward.

There will be a Master Plan workshop this Thursday, March 4, at 9:30 AM. The workshop will be held at the Central Fire Station. A lot of interest has been taken in the Master Plan lately, so this will be a good opportunity to learn more about the direction of our city if you are interested. The latest version of Central’s Master Plan can be found HERE.

This article was written by Jeanie Barnett for the March issue of Crystal Place Connections. The article is posted on Central Speaks with her permission.

The name is not the only thing that baffles us about CH2M Hill, so I went to talk to Tommy Higgs, program director to get a clear picture of the outfit that is supposedly “running our city.”  After giving Doug and me what he calls “the nickel tour,” we sat and talked for nearly three hours.   

First, for the name.  CHM was the name of the original engineering firm, formed from the first initials of the partners’ last names.  Another partner was added, who had the initial H, and so it became CH2M.  Later the firm bought out another engineering firm named—you guessed it—Hill.   

That mystery was an easy one to explain.  Now for the concept.  When Central was first incorporated it did not have the resources to provide services which a municipality typically provides.  It initially contracted services with EBR for a transitional period until bids could be submitted for an entity equipped to provide what we needed.  CH2MHill offered the most complete package of services at the best contract terms and price.  They handle all the service of a traditional city government with the exception of police and fire departments, trash, water and sewer.  They handle public works, such things as mowing, road patching, potholes, drainage and signage within the right of way of city maintained roads. Though the City Council sets the permit fees, CH2MHill handles permits and inspections. They handle the accounting for the city.  They handle licensing and have an office of planning and zoning. 

CH2MHill is an environmentally conscious international company employing as many people as we have residents here in Central.  While CH2MHill has 15 direct employees working in Central, many of them are local people who met their strict requirements for employment.  They also contract out inspections, issuance of permits and most plan reviews to SAFEbuilt, road repair and drainage issues to Nottingham, and ditch mowing and herbicide application to Louisiana Vegetation.   

One popular misconception is that CH2MHill retains 90% of the permit fees.  The breakdown is this:  SAFEbuilt, who employs the inspections, provides the service and is legally liable gets 80%.  CH2MHill and the City of Central each get 10%.  There is a set system of prioritization and accountability and man hours are diligently tracked. 

The beauty and brilliance of the concept is simply economy of scale.  CH2MHill is a huge corporation that you have never heard of simply because it is not publicly traded.  All stockholders are employees, and intrinsically invested in the success of the company and the quality of its services. Because of its size, it can insure its employees (mostly residents of Central) for far less, buy state of the art equipment software and supplies at a great discount, offer expertise and experience we could not access alone, and manpower beyond our own resources.  They are authorized by FEMA and have access to emergency assistance and expertise our city might not otherwise readily be able to access, though are more likely to act in an advisory capacity to alleviate any hint of impropriety. 

The budget of the City of Central could never have born the burden of starting up these service departments, nor could they possibly match the expertise, experience, quality and manpower provided.   

One of the greatest benefits of this public/private partnership is that there is a built in elimination of nepotism and favoritism.  There can be no “good-ole-boy conglomerate.”  Every citizen is treated fairly and equally.   

You may have heard of some residents having unpleasant encounters with personnel there in the past, but there have been some staffing changes in response.  Everyone we met during our “nickel tour” was friendly and eager to answer questions.   

Like the permit fees, all city ordinances are set by the City Council.  CH2MHill is directly answerable to the mayor.  So, CH2MHill is not the “outfit that is running our city.”  It is the company that is serving our city.

There is a parish ordinance requiring that you have house address numbers on display on your house. The numbers should be displayed within 5 feet of your front door. They must be at least 3 inches high. The ordinance is in place so that police, fire, and rescue people can easily find your house in case of an emergency.

1)  Construction has begun on the traffic circle roundabout on Lovett Rd at Magnolia Square Ln in front of the Village at Magnolia Square.  The speed limit in that area has been reduced to 35 mph.  Construction should last approximately six weeks.  Motorists should exercise caution when driving through this area.
 
2)  A traffic calming study has been completed on Crystal Drive in Crystal Place subdivision at the request of residents living on the street. The study showed that there is definitely a speeding problem on this street.  The residents in that area have signed and turned in the super-majority petition (65% of the residents on the street) requesting that traffic calming methods be installed on Crystal Drive.  David Barrow, from the city of Central, will be meeting with the residents soon to explain exactly what the city’s recommendation will be.

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) – This month Louisiana State Police start to crack down on drivers riding in the left lane of travel.
The law requiring drivers to move into the right lane on a multi-lane roadway when not passing or preparing to make a left turn took effect at the beginning of this year.
Troopers spent two months after the bill became a law raising awareness. Over the past two weeks more than fifty citations were handed out to motorists for driving in the left lane. Troopers were advised to use discretion when enforcing this law.