Rezoning request approved
Police jury allows dirt pit along La. 26
The majority of police jurors approved a rezoning request Wednesday that will allow a dirt pit to open along La. 26 between Koll and Pete roads.
Jurors Wayne Fruge, who represents the Hathaway area, and Bill LaBouve both abstained from voting, citing business relationships with dirt pit owner Mark Gary.
Gary and his wife Annette requested the rezoning from agriculture to industrial of 19 out of 120 acres in Hathaway at a June 6 police jury meeting. The 120 acres had already been approved for use as a subdivision.
Residents in the area of the dirt pit voiced their concerns about the project during the police jury meeting.
Danielle Fruge, who lives on Koll Road, said she is opposed to the dirt pit because it would not benefit residents.
“It’s a hazard, it’s dangerous. We have kids up and down the roads on bicycles, and that’s where families walk,” she said. “As for our property value, we’ve been out there 40 years and I don’t see it helping our property value whatsoever. I know Mr. Gary personally, I know he’s trying to make a living just like the rest of us, but none of us want this pit so close to our houses.”
"It’s a hazard, it’s dangerous. We have kids up and down the roads on bicycles, and that’s where families walk.”
– Danielle Fruge
Other residents asked questions on the specifics of construction while others expressed concerns about dust and noise pollution.
Gary’s proposal for the 19 acres near La. 26 includes a dirt pit that would be created before starting work on the subdivision, as well as a retention pond heading west to help drainage.
The construction process on the subdivision would include three phases. Phase I would begin the dirt pit and construction of the retention pond on nearby Pete Road. Phase II would continue construction on this road. Phase III is tentative according to Gary but is expected to include work on Koll.
In April in a unanimous vote, police jurors approved a separate request from Gary to rezone a different dirt pit on La. 102 near Richard Road from agricultural to heavy industrial, with several conditions.
Residents living near this dirt pit voiced concerns at that meeting about dust, mud on the highway, noise and constant truck traffic.