What can be done about the bike/pedestrian lanes on Sale Road between Lake and Hollyhill? We need a sign at each end to inform drivers that this is a bike lane. It would be helpful if these lanes were painted with a yellow stripe. Can this be done?

That stretch of Sale Road has a wide shoulder on its southern side, but not a bona fide bicycle/pedestrian lane, said Mike Huber, Lake Charles planning director.

Huber said the city five years ago adopted a bike and pedestrian master plan, which identified and prioritized sidewalk, bicycle facility and off-street path projects.

“It was created by taking inventory of our current infrastructure and resources and identifying future projects, then ranking those projects based on connectivity, area attractors and affordability,” Huber said in a statement forwarded to The Informer.

“Sale Road between Holly Hill and Lake Street (and further east to Ryan Street) is identified in the Master Plan as a future location for sidewalks and bike paths, hence the wide shoulder on the south side of the road.”

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Online: www.cityoflakecharles.com.

Bonding districts provide funding

I would like to know why Sam Houston, Barbe, Sulphur and Westlake all have new or up-to-date football stadiums/field houses and weight rooms whereas the rest of the area schools seem to be stuck in the past.

Is there a certain tax that was voted down or bond issue preventing the upgrades at these schools left out?

“The Calcasieu Parish School Board funds major capital outlay projects in geographical bonding districts. Each of the bonding districts has dedicated taxes to repay debt levied to accomplish capital outlay projects after voter approval,” reads a statement from school system spokeswoman Holly Holland.

“The athletic facilities at Sam Houston, Barbe, Sulphur and Westlake were all funded by the dedicated capital outlay funds in those districts.”

Holland provided the following listing of districts, bond issue approval years and tax types, along with the value of 1 mill of property tax in each district:

DeQuincy — 2008, property tax, $39,903.

Westlake/Maplewood — 2007, property tax, $521,311.

Starks — 2012, property tax, $32,550.

Iowa — 2013, property tax, $43,707.

Vinton — 2013, property tax, $53,376.

Moss Bluff/Gillis — 2000, sales tax, $68,236.

Bell City — 2007, property tax, $19,913.

Sulphur — 2013, property tax, $397,980.

North Lake Charles — 2000, property tax, $138,124.

Southeast Lake Charles — 2002, property tax, $153,976.

Southwest Lake Charles — 2002, property tax, $461,304.

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Online: www.cpsb.org.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.