By Paige Nash
According to State Senator for District 36 Robert Mills, the Town of Sibley was approved to receive $900,000 in funding from the state legislature’s capital outlay process recently.
“This last session we had pretty well allocated all of the money that was allowed to us and at the last minute a little bit of money popped up. They gave me literal minutes to look at a list of projects that were applied for in Priority 1,” said Mills. “I spotted one that happened to fit well into that slot. The Town of Sibley got $900,000 for a road project that they had been waiting on for quite a while. We were able to get that done last minute and I was real proud to call the mayor and tell him that it was his lucky day.”
The Town of Sibley Mayor Jimmy Williams said the funds would be used to replace Weatherton Avenue and a portion of Crichton Road, up to the Sibley city limits.
“The base of the road is gone, and potholes develop every time it rains that a car could get lost in,” said Williams. “We continue to put patches in those holes to no avail. It is just worn out.”
Mills also explained that applying to receive this type of funding could take years before it gets funded, and it is a very tedious process.
“It’s a years-long process to get a properly drawn and applied for project into the view of the legislators. So, plan way ahead if you have major projects,” said Mills. “Get them done right, get them done early and stay with your legislators, reminding them every year during those last critical days of the legislature when we are fighting to place those dollars.”
Other projects that received approval in Webster Parish include:
2021 – $75,000 for new roof for the animal shelter
2022 – $100,000 for improvements to Victory Park
2023 – $183,000 for plumbing repairs and improvements for the Webster Parish Courthouse; $100,000 for street improvements, Christmas décor and other improvements to Minden’s animal control shelter; $25,000 for Project Reclaim for program costs and building improvements; $100,000 for dirt work, construction and improvements to Springhill’s recreation complex; $25,000 each to the Shongaloo, Sibley, Dixie Inn, Sarepta and Cotton Valley for street, water and sewer repairs.
