Caddo Commission to meet over Wells Island Rd issue

One week without running water sounds like a nightmare, but that's reality for Wells Island Road residents. A temporary water tank has been brought in by the parish to help the people there. Still, the public health department will evict residents without running water in the coming week, but the Caddo Commission hopes to prevent that. During Monday's special meeting, they'll discuss ways to keep these people in their homes.

"Fix us up like everybody else in the parish," resident Tom Oaks said. "Run some lines out here, put some meters in. Let's be done with it. That's what's done everywhere else in the parish. I don't see why it's such a big issue here."

Oaks says he'll be at the commission meeting. Caddo Commissioner Michael Williams says Oaks will hear about solutions that would give residents running water for the next six months and keep them in their homes for now. That would also buy time for a solution.

"Gives us an opportunity to come up with a long-term solution to putting a legal water main while the residents in that area will have the flexibility to tie into the city water," Williams said.

He says a water line being installed is an option he's willing to look at. Claiming it could boost business growth along Wells Island Road, which is surrounded by industry.

"That is an industrial area that is under developed," Williams said. "I believe if we were to put a water line, we could develop that area and bring in industry."

Whatever solution moves forward, Williams says it will be joint effort between the parish and businesses and residents along the road. Oaks worries about the cost.

"From what the parish, I've heard, was saying it was going to be $160,000 to run the lines out here,"That's a cost the neighbors around here can't incur."

The special Caddo Commission meeting will be held Monday at 3:30 pm in Government Plaza. Williams says fellow commissioners and Wells Island Road residents will hear a number of solutions from the parish engineer and the public works administration.