Archive of Recent Front Page items

“Fireworks Over Buhlow” – a gift to the community from the City of Pineville, CLECO & LA 103.5 / K-Fox 105

Saturday, July 3rd

• Gates open at 5:00 … music starts at 6:00pm with Michael Hataway & the La. Swamp Fire Band
• The B.B. Major Blues Band follows at 7:45pm and takes us up to the spectacular fireworks show.
• Grandstand by Buhlow Lake will be the concert stage
• Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and sit under the stars
• FREE admission
• Clean entertainment for the whole family
• Nothing more exciting than Patriotic Fireworks over beautiful Buhlow Lake.
• No Ice Chests please as a concession stand will be open!
• Food, Family, Fireworks & Fun as we light the skies over beautiful Buhlow Lake
  

Enjoy Independence Day with your family on July 4th… and welcome in the holiday with us on Saturday, July 3rd with “Fireworks Over Buhlow”

Walgreens on the way!

Walgreens is coming to Pineville! The expanding Walgreens presence in Central Louisiana has taken another major step as construction has begun on one of their pharmacies in Pineville. A free-standing Walgreens store will be built at the intersection of Monroe Highway (U.S. 165) and Military Highway, next door to Popeyes.

Walgreens had already announced plans to build pharmacies on Jackson Street and Masonic Drive in Alexandria, but the Pineville location will be the first to actually begin construction…and may not be the only Pineville location, as a second site is under consideration.

The 14,820-square foot store will be open by early fall and should employ 25 to 30 people and do about $7 million in annual sales. While Walgreens had a presence in the Alexandria-Pineville area in the past, there are no current stores in the chain here. Walgreens is the nation's largest drug store chain and America's 11th largest retailer. It is in an active expansion mode, and opened 34 stores in March. Walgreens now has 4,368 stores in 44 states, an increase of more than 350 stores in the last year. There are about 90 Walgreens stores in Louisiana, most of them in large cities in the southern portion of the state.

OMV Marker

A brief ceremony of family and friends was held recently at the Pineville’s Office of Motor Vehicles. The purpose was to unveil a marker explaining why the public building was named after Lee J. Broussard. A longtime employee of the Department of Motor Vehicles and a Pineville City Councilman, the marker is just to the right of the main entrance. Former Councilwoman Carrie Broussard (pictured center) and her three daughters were on hand for the unveiling. The occasion also was an introduction of the new manager of the Pineville office, Loretta Reed (pictured right) with Regional Manager Brenda Cook (pictured left). Ms. Reed succeeds Margaret Eyre, who has retired. The Lee J. Broussard Public Building is located at 831 Main Street, between the Pineville Senior Citizens Center and Pineville Elementary, in Downtown Pineville.

$600,000 Housing Grant

The Governor’s Office of Community Development has awarded the City of Pineville a $600,000 grant for housing improvements in low-to-moderate income areas. The award is a Louisiana Community Development Block Grant (LCDBG) and will be used to rehabilitate one owner-occupied housing unit and reconstruct 10 others to comply with HUD Section 8 and cost-effective energy conservation standards. In addition, the LCDBG will be used to demolish six substandard housing units in the Smithville area in east Pineville. Governor Kathleen Blanco (pictured between Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields and Mayoral Assistant Rich Dupree at the State Capitol) says the grant is one way that state government can help the people it serves. “The LCDBG is designed to assist families and communities in creating safe housing to enhance the overall quality of life for its citizens,” Blanco stated. This LCDBG marks the second such grant under this program that Pineville has received in the last three years. In 2002, Pineville received over $400,000 for road improvements of Pelican Drive and several other streets.

More Help from the Governor!

Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields has made many trips to Baton Rouge in his 4-years in office, but not often does he return with two grant awards totaling $670,000. In addition to the LCDBG mentioned above, the Mayor was also in the State Capitol building recently to receive $70,000 for Pineville’s new sewer treatment plant set to begin construction next year.

The Delta Regional Authority (DRA), which includes eight states in the Mississippi-Delta area, is a federally funded authority, of which Governor Kathleen Blanco is a member. The 7-million dollar sewer treatment plant will be adjacent to Pineville’s current plant and will give Pineville the needed capacity to handle the industrial growth along Highway 165, including the expansion of the new liquids plant at Procter and Gamble, and the cluster of new businesses that has followed. The DRA grant will be coupled with other federal and state grants Pineville has obtained to help cover most of the cost of the new plant. (Pictured at the grant award announcement are Mike Taylor of the USDA’s Alexandria office, Pete Johnson, Federal Co-Chairman of the DRA, Mayor Fields, Governor Blanco, Mayoral Assistant Rich Dupree, Jimmy Williams, Director of the Kisatchie-Delta Planning District, and Sam Jones, Mayoral Liaison for the Governor to the Legislature).

Tree City USA for third year!

The City of Pineville has received Tree City USA designation from the National Arbor Day Foundation for the third year in a row. “Being a Tree City is something Pineville can be very proud of,” said Cindy Bouchie, chair of the Pineville City Tree Board, as she presented the plaque to the Mayor and City Council. “This designation says Pineville is serious about its beautiful urban forest and will continue to work to protect and enhance it.” Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields was equally excited about the honor. “We strive every day to find ways to improve our city and to apply for those grants and funding that will help us accomplish that. It is an honor to receive such recognition for the third year in a row”.

The Pineville City Tree Board was established by ordinance three years ago. Since then the board has worked with the council and residents to landscape Kelso Park and Huey P. Long Hospital Boulevard, sponsored an educational day at Red Dirt for fifth graders, hosted a Building Green Cities seminar and participated in Arbor Day events. Plans for 2004 include conducting a tree inventory in the city, tree plantings on the Expressway and Wardville sports complex, developing and providing educational materials and training on tree maintenance for the public and city employees, providing educational materials to residential developers on the value of building with trees, and building a Tree Board section here on our website.

Don’t miss Smithsonian Exhibit!

United States history is on display at one of Pineville's most historic locations. A new Smithsonian traveling exhibition titled "Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions for the American Future" is at Pineville’s Old Town Hall Museum through the month of May. Admission is FREE! Pineville's Old Town Hall Museum is on the corner of Main Street and Shamrock, in Downtown Pineville.

Five freestanding kiosks that show futuristic predictions about homes, transportation and communities are installed upstairs in the old courtroom portion of the museum. Examples of popular culture - such as ray guns, robots and plans for a nuclear-powered car - are used to show how 18th, 19th and 20th-century Americans envisioned the future.

We have partnered with the Historical Association of Central Louisiana and State Representative Rick Farrar (pictured with Mayor Clarence Fields) to bring this educational opportunity to our children and our community. The exhibit is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday thru Friday, and Noon to 5pm Saturdays, and 1pm to 5pm on Sundays…and admission is FREE!

(For more information, see the Town Talk article.)

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day
May 22, 9-2

Pineville is joining with Alexandria to sponsor the annual "Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day" on Saturday, May 22 from 9:00AM to 2:00PM at the Alexandria City Complex, 2021 Industrial Parkway in Alexandria. The health and safety of our families, neighborhoods and environment is
threatened when household hazardous waste is stored or disposed of improperly! Household hazardous waste is any product labeled: toxic, poison, corrosive, flammable, combustible, or irritant that is disposed of. DO NOT BRING Ammunition, Lab Waste, Commercial Waste or Explosives! For more infomation, see our online PDF flyer. If you have any questions, please call Ann Wilson, City of Alexandria Recycling Coordinator, at 441-6251.

Pineville Wins District - on to State!

On March 30th, judges from the Cleanest City Contest were in Pineville to appraise our progress in defending our state title, which we won last year for the first time in Pineville's history. The judges awarded our hard work by announcing Pineville as the District D winner, which now sends us to the State judging, which will be held May 3rd.

Pineville’s entry was sponsored by the Alexandria Garden Club, which includes many Pineville ladies in its membership. Our Public Works Department has worked very hard to keep Pineville looking good. We appeal to you, the citizens of Pineville, to help us defend our state title - let's be the Cleanest City in the State! Join the TEAM and keep Pineville CLEAN…and let’s take State again!!!

Utility Increases Adopted

The Pineville City Council adopted the proposed utility increases at the March 9 meeting following several months of study, including a citizen's Ad Hoc Committee which presented rate increase recommendations. The increases for water, sewerage and garbage rates are not as bad as first feared.

To give an example of how this will affect residents, here are two examples of typical water bills. The first is of a household using up to the minimum 3000 gallons of water:

The next example is of a household using approximately 8,000 gallons of water:

While increases are never liked, they are necessary to maintain the present level of excellent service to the residents of Pineville. As Mayor Fields said, "We are very pleased that the increases will still leave Pineville with the most affordable water and sewer rates of any city or system in Central Louisiana."

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