The Arthur Ray Teague Parkway: How to make it safer?
Plus — The 'parking in your yard' law. Bossier City budgets draw fire.
Beyond Bossier
The Arthur Ray Teague Parkway: How to make it safer?
The number of major wrecks — particularly fatal accidents — on the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway is concerning. Is it a speeding problem? Should there be more traffic lights? How can the ART be made safer?
Solutions are being sought, and the Bossier City Council is considering commissioning a traffic study to determine available options.
An ordinance was introduced at Tuesday's meeting and will be put to a final vote in two weeks. The proposal seeks a traffic study specifically for the intersection of the ART Parkway with Shady Grove Drive.
Councilmember David Montgomery wondered if a traffic light at the intersection is being considered.
"Possibly," replied City Engineer Ben Rauschenbach. "There's been quite a few traffic incidents there over the years, and Councilman Hammons asked if we would look at the safety of that, take a look at the traffic movements, and get some suggestions to provide to the council on how we might be able to mitigate that."
"The origin of the parkway was to provide a free flow of traffic," Montgomery said. "There was an incident where someone drove into the river from McDade, and then a traffic light was put up. I'm just pointing out that that, as it is over on the Clyde Fant Parkway, [the ART Parkway] was to allow traffic to flow without red lights. So during this study, I would like for them to at least look at something as an alternative to a traffic light."
Ban on parking in your yard fails again
In other business, the council:
Was to take a final vote on an ordinance banning the parking of vehicles in the front and side yards of residences. The sponsor of the proposed law, District 1's Brian Hammons, was absent. While councilmember Chris Smith made a motion for a vote, there was no second, so the ordinance failed once again.
Approved $1.6 million to cover the closeout costs and change orders for the Walter O. Bigby Carriageway. Rauschenbach noted that the total construction cost of Phase II of the project would be $43,573,577.56. Phase II construction of the WOBC started in September of 2021.
Introduced an appropriation for $2.8 million to construct the Citizens Bank Drive Roadway extension. When questioned by a citizen about the cost of building such a short street extension, City Attorney Charles Jacobs said, "Citizen's Bank Drive and the change order is a direct result of the requirements, restrictions, [and] obligations that were placed on — mandated — upon the city by the Department of Transportation and Development."
City budgets draw fire from citizen: Montgomery and Smith react
The council also introduced more than two dozen city budgets, which will be brought up for final approval at the next meeting.
When challenged by a citizen about "wasteful spending" and Bossier City's debt, councilmember Montgomery urged him to "learn the fundamentals of governmental accounting, which you can go back to college for. I'm sure they're available at LSUS. The allegations that are levied here, like my grandfather used to say, 'you can't argue with ignorance.'"
Member-at-large Smith said he was proud of the proposed budgets.
"We've worked hard to come up with needed pay raises. It's something that I have been in favor of since the day I walked through these doors. And so I'm happy to see that we're taking care of the people who take care of us," Smith said.
READ MORE: Bossier City budget issues will require tax hikes and utility bill increases
"We do have challenges," Smith added. "But I feel like Bossier City, and this council and this administration is capable of addressing those challenges. And I wouldn't jump to say that raising taxes is the first, quickest, easiest way we're going to do that. We can get creative."
North Bossier Parish bridges remain closed
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development says that two LA 160 bridges over Cypress Bayou and Cypress Bayou Relief in north Bossier Parish will remain closed until Monday, November 4, 2024.
This initial closure, which began on Oct. 14, 2024, is necessary to allow the contractor to continue with clearing and grubbing activities to remove any vegetation in the footprint of the construction area.
Due to a lengthy lead time on materials, the bridges will be reopened to traffic and remain open until materials are received and bridge removal and construction are ready to begin.
The bridges are located in close proximity to each other, just east of the intersection with Highway 3, about 6.5 miles north of the Town of Benton.
Meanwhile, the DOTD also notes that the Old Minden Road (LA 72) westbound on-ramp at the I-20 interchange in Bossier City is now open to traffic following a full reconstruction. The other three ramps at the interchange were reopened to traffic on October 15th.
Bossier City businessman pleads guilty to money laundering $1.1 million
A Bossier City businessman has admitted his guilt in a money laundering scheme.
State and federal law enforcement agencies investigated Brian T. Owen, 52, last year and charged him with one count of money laundering. Owen was the president of an oilfield consulting service business headquartered in Bossier City.
On June 22, 2020, the company filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
In January 2021, as part of the company’s bankruptcy plan of reorganization, a Distribution Trust was established to pay back creditors, and Owen executed a Distribution Trust Agreement as president of the company. According to the plan, if Owen received any additional compensation from the company, he was required to pay 30% of that directly to the Distribution Trust.
In 2021, the company began applying for Employee Retention Credits, which are refundable tax credits for certain eligible businesses and tax-exempt organizations that had employees and were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owen then devised a scheme to defraud the Distribution Trust by intercepting the physical U.S. Department of Treasury Checks before they were deposited into the company’s working accounts.
Other senior leadership at the company had no idea that Owen had opened a bank account in the company's name while it was still in bankruptcy. As part of the scheme, he deposited a total of $3.8 million in ERC funds for himself as additional compensation.
Owen did not pay the 30% as he had agreed but instead used the money for personal expenses, including to pay off gambling debts. In total, he defrauded the Distribution Trust out of $1,157,154.39.
Owen could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, 3 years supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Louisiana State Police.
Bossier City free time calendar
Live music in Bossier City and other notable events in the area for your free time consideration. If you would like to add an event to the Bossier City free time calendar, send the details to email@bossiernow.com.
October 25: Mike Ryan brings his band and their popular Texas country music sound to the Louisiana Grandstand.
October 26: Daughtry at the Paradise Theatre in the Margaritaville Casino.
November 1-3: Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto at the BGA.
November 9: A Candlelit Evening with The Wilder Blue at the Louisiana Grandstand.
November 14: Gabby Barrett live in the Paradise Theater at the Margaritaville Casino.
November 16: Creed, Are You Ready? Tour at the BGA with 3 Doors Down and Mammoth WVH.
November 22: John Michael Montgomery at the Riverdome in the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel.
November 23: William Clark Green brings his "Whole Lotta Lubbock" tour to his debut appearance at the Louisiana Grandstand. Green is tearing up Texas dance halls and filling venues nationwide with his hits like "She Likes The Beatles" and "West Texas in My Eye."
November 29: Neal McCoy in the Paradise Theater at the Margaritaville Casino.
December 5: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra performs The Lost Christmas Eve at the BGA.
December 6: Neo-traditional country artist Braxton Keith at the Louisiana Grandstand.
December 7: Williamson Branch, one of Nashville's fastest-growing family bands, is touring the country with their traditional country sound and will perform at the Louisiana Grandstand.
December 13: Creed Fisher at the Louisiana Grandstand.
December 14: A Candlelit Evening with Marc and Ted Broussard.
December 19: Marcus King, the southern blues & rock guitar phenom, is coming to the Louisiana Grandstand. Marcus will be playing an intimate acoustic evening featuring Drew Smithers.
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A comment we received by email from a reader: "Montgomery’s remark just goes to show he does not care and thinks he is better than everyone else."