Solar farm one of several projects being considered in Jeff Davis

From a solar farm project in Topsy to a parish-wide animal shelter, to new water plants in Lacassine and Woodlawn and road improvement projects, across the parish, there’s a lot going on in Jeff Davis Parish.

New Parish Administrator Ben Boudreaux updated the Welsh Rotary Club on several ongoing projects Thursday as he reviewed his first 80 days in office.

“What have I been doing in my first 80 days,” Boudreaux said in addressing the Welsh Rotary Club. “Catching my breath and not sleeping, but it’s been great and I am having fun. I have never worked so hard, but I’ve never had so much fun.”

Boudreaux said he has been working to improve customer service and  bring more organization and modernization to cut costs and save time.

Police jury meetings are now being streamed live on Facebook, the parish is accepting credit card payments and some permits are now being processed digitally. Boudreaux is also working on improving roadside maintenance, seeking more state and federal grants for projects and implementing a litter program.

Among the biggest projects, Boudreaux said the police jury is working with the developers of a solar farm project planned for Topsy. The developers have applied for an Industrial Tax Exemption (ITEP), which the police jury approved.

“A lot of people misunderstand,” Boudreaux said. “The exemption is just on the solar panels. They have to pay property taxes just like everyone else. They are just getting a reduction in taxes on the solar panel equipment.”

Only a small portion of the solar farm will be located in the parish. The largest portion of the project will be in Calcasieu Parish.

“It’s an area that’s really unaccessible,” he said. “There are no roads near it. All the access is going to be through Calcasieu Parish. For us it is ideal.”

Permits and rezoning changes for the project are pending, he said.

The police jury is also moving forward on plans for a parish animal shelter. The parish plans to use its American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding to build the shelter on parish-owned property located near the regional jail on U.S. 90 just west of Jennings.

Plans for the shelter include a facility to hold about 50 dogs and 30 to 40 cats, Boudreaux said.

“The facility will have all the things required to operate effectively,” he said. “It will not have all the bells and whistles that some of these modern animal shelters have, but it’s going to be built very functional.”

The building will be built to last a long time and will include space for future expansion, he said.

Plans are also underway to build a water treatment plant in Lacassine. The facility will be built on parish owned property and will support that system and the growth of the Lacassine area.

Jeff Davis Central Waterworks District is also planning a new facility in Woodlawn.

The parish is also eyeing an in-house chip seal program to improve rural roads.

“With the cost of asphalt and everything going up, it’s really making our ability to pave roads very difficult,” he said. “The money doesn’t go that far.”

To save cost and cover more roads, the parish will begin an in-house chip seal program using its own equipment and manpower.

“We can do this project at half the cost and get more roads covered,” Boudreaux said.

The roads will have a life expectancy of seven years.

A practice canopy is being added to the roping arena at the parish fairgrounds in Jennings. The canopy will be used for livestock shows, the fair and other events.

In closing, Boudreaux encouraged residents to attend meetings, talk to their police jurors, ask questions and to educate themselves about new technology including carbon capture projects and solar farms.