By T. Scott Boatright
GRAMBLING — The Grambling City Council approved a motion to add a second sheltered seating area to its Greyhound Bus Stop location while also affirming there will not be a new video bingo hall opening as it held its May meeting Monday night.
At the request of Councilwoman Devaria Ponton, the Council considered and approved a motion to help pay to add a bus shelter adjacent to a smaller one just off Grambling State University campus.
GSU has a shelter that can seat two to three people just off campus and the new shelter will add enough seating for eight to nine people waiting to be picked up by Greyhound at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue.
The shelter will be 9 1/2 feet by 5 feet wide.
Ponton said state Rep. Rashid Young helped secure a $10,000 grant for the project and the Grambling City Council approved to pay the remaining $1,225 to buy the shelter at a cost of $1,225.
She said it should be in place during the fall semester at GSU.
“It will take 12 to 14 weeks for it to get here,” Ponton said. “Then there will be two shelters. The new one will be right beside the one there now. And that’s just the sheltered sitting space. There will still be standing space that will be sheltered.”
As for the proposed Bingo Hall, last month the City Council nixed a request to change the percentage of a previously in place ordinance that calls for 10% of such an establishment’s proceeds to go to the city down to 2%.
The council affirmed that move Thursday evening after it was once again placed on the meeting agenda, meaning the proposed facility won’t open.
“We’re not going to give them a licence,” Bradley said. “At 2%, having to send a police officer out there to oversee the operation, it’s just not a good thing for the city.”
During his report, Public Works Director Eric Caldwell said he wanted Grambling residents to take care driving around the city because of work going on at multiple locations.
“We ask our citizens to be very cautious these next couple of weeks,” Caldwell said. “We’re working very hard to try and maintain the right of way and make sure Grambling is looking good. Our workers have protective gear — yellow vests — but let’s be cautious and kind of give them a little room as they’re working on the sides of the roads.”
Caldwell also asked Grambling residents who have placed clean-up debris in their ditches to call the Public Works Department and let them know.
“Contact us and we can add it to the list of stuff that needs to be picked up,” Caldwell said. “I’ve been riding around and have seen a lot of limbs on the side of the road. But if we don’t ride by and see it, we don’t know it’s there. So just give us a call and we’ll come out and pick it up.”
Caldwell warned of attempted scams he’s learned about.
“I was informed that some citizens are receiving letters about an insurance on water lines and sewer lines,’ Caldwell said. “It’s not the city that’s offering insurance. Some of those are scams just trying to get money by saying they can provide insurance on water lines going to houses.
“Some of you might even get phone calls. We have nothing to do with that. Don’t even jump on it because it’s probably a scam.”
