Tommy and Carolyn Ashworth came before the Red River Parish Police Jury this month to ask for help with Owens Road, which runs by their property. They live north of Hall Summit.

Several of the problems with Owens Road outlined by Tommy Ashworth include culverts that were not put in, the material used in road repair, ditches that have not been cleaned out, and a large hole that holds water all of the time. Ashworth said the situation is made worse by traffic from natural gas exploration in the area.

Ashworth said, “I hate to see the police jury put SP 2 or something onto the roads that will just be washed away. That is a waste of the taxpayer’s money.” And Ashworth added, “I think the gas exploration companies should share the cost of damage repair.”

Then Ashworth volunteered to help. He asked, “What is your policy on individuals doing work to clean out a ditch or do other work? Do I need a permit? Do I need to get permission ahead of time.”

Jury President Shawn Beard promised workers would be out to assess the situation. Beard said, “Everything you mentioned is being addressed as we speak. I can’t think of anything that is not being worked on right now.” Beard added, “We are looking at the best way to solve it, the most economical way to fix the road.

That lead into a discussion of the ordinance the police jury is drawing up to require companies who damage roads to fix them. Beard gave members of the jury the draft of ordinances under consideration. “Take these ordinances home and read over to make sure we have everything in here we want,” Beard told jurors, adding “I think this is a pretty good solution to everything we have been talking about.”

The police jury will consider adoption of the ordinances at the May meeting. The jury will meet May 7th at 6:00 pm. The meeting is held on the third floor of the courthouse and is open to the public.