Photo:
The Village of Dixie Inn has been given asphalt from the Webster Parish Police Jury to repair potholes at the Dorcheat Bayou boat ramp and around other parts of town. The Village will also be clearing away the debris from the fire-ravaged Bayou Dorcheat Grill, which burned in 2023. All this comes in time for “Christmas on the Bayou” which the village will celebrate on Saturday, Dec. 5 beginning at 5 p.m. at the boat launch park. Everyone is invited free of charge. (Photo by Marilyn Miller)
By Marilyn Miller |
“At least 20,000 people came through here during this past weekend’s Main to Main event, and I’m probably undercutting the number some,” said Dixie Inn Chief of Police Jeff McNeill to the Board of Aldermen on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
According to Mayor Donna Hoffoss, a new regulation, Ordinance #74A, allowed the village to sell licenses for booth space for nearly 40 vendors for the “garage sale” that stretched from east of downtown Minden through north Springhill along Hwy. 80 and Hwy. 531. And most of those vendors were new, the board noted.
“Traffic was bumper to bumper from Minden to Dixie Inn and from Dixie Inn to Springhill. It’s the largest one I’ve seen since I’ve lived here, and that’s a long time,” said alderman Judy McKenzie.
The majority of vendor spaces were located on the parking lot servicing the Dorcheat Bayou public boat ramp. Prior to the event, Dixie Inn petitioned the Webster Parish Police Jury for assistance patching holes in the parking lot. WPPJ ruled that the parking lot belongs to the village of Dixie Inn, only the boat launch belongs to the parish. They did, however, agree to provide asphalt for making repairs of potholes in the parking lot and around the village.
“Please let my office know if there are any potholes that need to be addressed,” Mayor Hoffoss said during the Mayor’s Report. “The Police Jury has provided the village with materials to patch them. We really need to know if we need the asphalt anywhere.”
“Also, Act 561, through the Louisiana House Appropriations Bill, provided us with $25,000 to go towards purchasing a dump trailer for the Maintenance Dept. and a side-by-side for the Police Dept.”
In other business, the aldermen:
- Heard from Chief McNeill that the “Boo With the Blue” Halloween event was very successful, drawing nearly 70 children and about that many adults. In his monthly report, the chief noted that there were “no issues during Main to Main;”
- Learned that a rental agreement between the owner of the former Bayou Inn on Dorcheat will allow the village to clean up the site for use during the upcoming “Christmas on the Bayou,” event. “We’ll need a new tractor next year,” Chief McNeill said, pointing out that some clean-up has already begun on the site and the tractor (1980 Ford) had to be pushed across the highway by a truck. “That will be a project for the Maintenance Dept. Demolition begins Monday on the restaurant, which was destroyed by fire in January of 2023;
- Heard from Mayor Hoffoss that the carport attached to Town Hall will be repaired or replaced no later that Dec. 15, 2026;
- Unanimously moved to place the Police Department’s 2018 Tahoe up for bid.