JOHN E. SETTLE Jr.
Editor
Focus SB News
Meetings were held this week with members of the Bossier City Council, a representative of Union Pacific Railroad, Bossier administration officials and Ben Rauschenbach of Manchac Consulting Group to discuss the closing of the Old Shed Road railway crossing. Each meeting had three of the council members present; interim appointee Scott Irwin did not participate.
This issue was hotly debated at the Bossier Council meeting last week (Nov. 2).
Prior to that meeting, Bossier City Attorney Charles Jacobs had falsely accused NTB Associates of dropping the ball on gaining permission from Union Pacific to keep the crossing open. NTB advised the council that the plans for the Walter O. Bigby Carriageway had always included the rail crossing to be open.
Union Pacific advised that it was a two-year process to obtain a permit to maintain the crossing. The railroad representative also advised that the previous agreement for the crossing had changed.
Council member David Montgomery always touts Manchac as the best thing that happened to Bossier City since Barksdale Army Airfield was established.
Manchac’s omission further clouds the issue of that company also serving as the Bossier City engineer. If good government practices were followed, the administration would hire a competent professional for this position.