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VIDALIA, La. — The Vidalia Mayor and Board of Aldermen approved a list of projects Tuesday which they aim to start this fiscal year with hydroelectric revenues.

The town hosted two public hearings to receive public input on these projects on Aug. 20 and 22.

However, some of the requests made and approved for the last fiscal cycle remain unfinished, aldermen pointed out.

The town receives revenue generated by royalties from power sold at the hydroelectric plant 40 miles south of town.  The hydroelectric station, which opened in 1990, was the dream of former Vidalia Mayor Sidney A. Murray Jr., though the town does not fully own it. However, the town is a co-licensee of the station and receives royalties from the power sold. These royalties capped out at 20 percent of the station’s gross revenue in 2022.

The town CPA Debra Moak said Tuesday, “At the end of September, the town had a combined total of $18.9 million invested in Louisiana Asset Management earning 5.3% interest. The town has invested $8 million at Delta Bank. All of these funds are hydro funds restricted for projects, except $2.3 million in the hydro reserve and $1.6 million in general funds.”

This balance is after the town had already approved giving back to utility customers a total of $2.8 million in utility rebates equal to up to half of their utility bills for the calendar year.

Moak said these rebates will be mailed out the week of Nov. 18 through the 22.

Moak said the previously approved hydro projects total $16.5 million, of which 5.5 million remains to be spent. Moak said that the biggest portion of the approved hydro projects was paying off the town’s debt of $11 million.

During the last fiscal cycle, $160,000 had been allocated to Vidalia Beautification Committee projects to revamp the Vidalia Riverfront from the old courthouse square to Martin Luther King Boulevard, and to place new welcome signs and a flag pole near the entrance of Vidalia.

However, everywhere they have looked at putting them, “We’ve run into a brick wall,” said Cassandra Lynch, President of the Beautification Committee.

Lynch said the Department of Transportation would not approve a location near the bridge for a flag pole. The riverfront gazebo, which is heavily used by the public and the committee seeks to rebuild, isn’t owned by the town, she said.

Moak said only $6,000 of the $160,000 had been spent on beautification projects and the rest remains to be spent.

“I’d been to several Beautification Committee meetings and we have not come back with the location to even present to the board for the flag,” said Alderman Tron McCoy. He added, “We did not nail down a legitimate place for a Dr. King tribute and we don’t know whether it’s going to be a bust or statue. There are some questions that the Beautification Committee has before they come back to the board.”

Alderman Robert Gardner said Tuesday, “I didn’t show up to both hydro meetings because for the last eight years I’ve been sitting here I’ve had things put on the list that have not been done. … Until I see progress in District 2 from money that was already set aside to get things done, I don’t feel like redundantly coming back to ask for things over and over.”

Mayor Buz Craft denied the notion that nothing was being done in District 2.

“Your streets have been overlayed in District 2, almost every street,” he said. “That was money that had already been allocated from hydro budgets. We’re also going to put those turnarounds at the end of your streets and they’re doing that right now. You asked for $1.3 million of town money (for the slough pumping station) that I got done through state money. So I saved our town $1 million.”

Other hydro projects approved Tuesday include $500,000 for street overlay, $100,000 to clean up blighted properties in the town, $100,000 for continuing to cut any hazardous trees and $2 million for Phase 2 of Polk Park updates next to the municipal complex.

The board also approved another $60,000 to construct a veterans memorial wall — an 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. requested by Point Man International Ministries of the Miss Lou. They had requested an additional $175,000 for the wall after the town had already allocated $40,000 to the project.

Alderman Tommy Probst said he didn’t think the town should be the only entity to fund the memorial. “I’d like to see a little more buy-in from everybody,” he said.

The board also approved replacing aged HVAC units in the Vidalia Convention Center for approximately $250,000. Another $300,000 is allocated to finish painting jobs along the riverfront, repair the splash pad and old pavement and fix up the public restrooms.

In other matters, the town approved donating a retired K9 dog to Tensas parish deputy Preston Dooley pending the attorney’s review of whether the donation is legal. The dog is old and has health issues and Dooley offered to keep the dog as a pet, not for working purposes, Chief Joey Merrill said.

“We can’t give him to just anybody,” he said, adding that the dog would be a danger to someone not trained to handle police dogs.

The board also entered an executive session for over an hour to discuss a possible litigation matter but took no action. Executive sessions are not open to the public or to the media.