VIDALIA

&045; Residents will have a chance to voice their opinions about the closing of Raymond Cowan Road Feb. 23.

At Monday night’s Concordia Parish Police Jury meeting, juror Red Tiffee requested setting a public hearing for the proposed closing of the road, which lies in the southeast corner of the parish between Deer Park and Slocum, by the levee.

In other business Monday night, the jury voted to impose an injunction temporarily so landowners cannot fill in a ditch on Cowan Road until the courts can determine who is to maintain the ditch. Shelby Carlton Jr., owner of the property, wanted to fill in the ditch and said he intended to do so. The police jury has maintained it for years, and the ditch is part of their drainage system, according to Melvin Ferrington, jury president and Russell Wagoner, jury secretary.

&uot;It keeps a lot of people from going under Š (with water) in their house and in their yard,&uot; Ferrington said.

Shelby and Denise Carlton said, however, the ditch has not been kept up or cleaned in years.