In its first meeting since last November, the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce heard a report Wednesday from President Luke Deville about finding a new executive director.
“In January, the board decided for the future of the Chamber and the direction we’d like to move to relive Camille Fontenot of her duties as the executive director of Chamber,” Deville began. “We accepted three or four applicants and now are in the process of reviewing job descriptions, working with tourism to find out exactly that side of it because the two positions work hand-in-hand, ironing out all the specific details, and working on a salary package for the new executive director. We hope to start interviewing next week.”
Deville added that the Chamber is working with the Evangeline Parish Police Jury to get back the $650.00 that was removed from the budget. He stated, “It’s going to take a little bit of time to get things done correctly.”
As Chamber president, Deville shared his vision for the future of the organization. “We’d like to get more people involved throughout the parish and more local people here in Ville Platte to be involved in the Chamber,” he expressed. “We have a lot of work to do if we want to continue to build and move forward with growing our economy and making it better for our children.”
He went on to announce Wayne Vidrine, Kermit Miller, Ross LaFleur, Maggie Eades, and Mark Buller as new members of the board of directors.
Board member and past president William “Tojo” Ward updated the Chamber about a meeting that was held earlier in the week with One Acadiana about improving the infrastructure of the region. The main item of business that was discussed at the meeting was the four-laning of U.S. Highway 167.
“The 167 project got initially approved, but it just got stuck,” Ward commented Wednesday. “It’s just a matter of priority. The need is definitely there. We’re trying to tie it in to our economy, our access to airports, and a lot of things like that. We can really show a need for that particular project to be completed.”
The Chamber voted to adopt a motion made by Peter Strawitz “that the Chamber considers formulating an area development committee to continue to work with our legislative representatives and those who are working on this project with One Acadiana.”
Ward, as president of the parish’s Industrial Development Board, also updated the Chamber on recent activity at Pine Prairie Energy Center. “We’ve long been associated with Pine Prairie Energy since we helped them come to the parish,” he said. “They’ve always been a very generous company when it comes to economic development projects here in the parish.”
He added, “We received a $10 thousand check from them last week to help us on our economic development activities here in the parish, which is something that is really above and beyond the call of duty for them.”
New board member of the Chamber and President of the Ville Platte Rotary Club Wayne Vidrine during the meeting gave a report on the improvements to Chicot State Park. “It looks like the lieutenant governor’s office is going to do some temporary repairs to the five cabins that are on the water,” he stated. “They will make them usable for at least through the Folk Roots Festival, and they are going to have to bring in some portable restroom facilities. It looks like the Folk Roots Festival will have all of the accommodations that they need to be able to provide the services at the festival.”
Vidrine continued, “On the north end of the park, the lieutenant governor’s office would like to see some kind of development, and, from what I gather, it’s going to be the construction of some cabins where the cabins can be purchased. The purchaser will receive a 99-year lease from the State of Louisiana on that property which would basically be water front property on the park.”
In other business, the Chamber voted to accept Stephanie Ware from the Non-Blonde Cafe and Patrick Eades from EQ Solutions, LLC, as new members.
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TONY MARKS