City of Westlake gets clean audit report

Heather Regan White / The American Press

An audit report in late 2018 of the city of Westlake’s 2017 finances showed zero findings, a far cry from the 14 findings in 2015 when Mayor Bob Hardey took the helm of a city in crisis. Preliminary reports show 2018 will have no findings, either.

The clean audit was just another indication, in a long list over the past year, that Westlake is back.

Westlake is poised to construct a compressed natural gas fueling station, has flipped the liability The National Golf Course of Louisiana once was, lowered millage rates, broke ground on a veteran’s park and installed a new water well, among other accomplishments.

At the December Westlake Council meeting, an agreement was approved with the state for funding for a compressed natural gas fueling station. There is $300,000 in Priority 2 funding and $1.8 million Priority 5 allocated by the state for planning and construction. The city said it hopes to get customers like Dunham Price. Hardey has said fuel sales to just one of the company’s trucks would be equivalent to 200 homes, and he hopes to get them to retrofit at least 25 of their 156-truck fleet.

In November, Westlake residents re-elected Chris Wilrye to serve as police chief, and Betty Bates was re-elected to serve on the council.

Over the past year, development around The National Golf Course of Louisiana has helped flip the golf course from a liability — losing close to $500,000 annually — to an asset. The city sold the land around the course to a developer for around $3.5 million for housing development. The developer is installing $35 million in infrastructure, at no cost to Westlake.

Also in October, the council voted to put a hold on a bond issue they approved in September for the construction of a clubhouse at the golf course. At the council meeting that month, Hardey reported that the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury agreed to cover $750,000 in water, street, sewer and gas projects already funded by the city. The parish also purchased $125,000 in capacity in the city’s new water well in Mossville and a change order to the new maintenance facility at the course brought the original estimate down by $30,000. Freeing up this capital meant the city had the $4.2 million for the clubhouse and did not need to take on any debt.

“The clubhouse is not going to have any debt,” Hardey said. “And we’re going to have the funds, in a line item, for $4.2 million. We’re pretty excited.”

In August, the city broke ground on a half-a-million dollar Veterans Memorial Park at Pinderosa Park. The recreation department is erecting Freedom Hall, a $3 million, 5,000-square-foot building next to the memorial. More than 100 spaces for names of veterans have been sold to date. These will be inscribed on plinths, representing the branches of the U.S. military

In June, residents learned they would see a 10 percent decrease in millage rates after the parish levied taxes at the end of the year.””Westlake Year In Review

SportsPlus

Local News

Judge sentences Donald Trump in hush money case but declines to impose any punishment

Crime

Kinder mother arrested for abuse after striking child with plastic utensil, making the child wear a trash bag

life

McNeese State student exhibition shows off creative outlet for young artists

Local News

Fleming tells Chamber about school, unclaimed cash websites

Crime

Lt. Laura Janise is the new assistant police chief for Welsh

McNeese Sports

Cowboys, Colonels met in early showdown

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls win, ready for Nicholls

Local News

Talitha Pitre: Education is helping students become best version of themselves

McNeese Sports

Davey commits to UTEP

Local News

Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival: Area’s coldest party brings hottest fun

McNeese Sports

Cowboys renew series with Tarleton

Local News

Jeff Davis Parish sheriff looks back on first six months in office

McNeese Sports

Cowboys turning around offense

Jim Gazzolo

Jim Gazzolo column: Fans need even-keeled mentality

Local News

Trump proposes renaming ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’

life

‘Galentine’s Day’ event Feb. 13 in DeRidder

Football

Scooter Hobbs column: Kelly getting bad rap in Irish jublilation

life

Documentary ‘shredding the silence’ on menopause

Local News

Snowfall chances ‘slim’ but flooding real possibility

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls look to start streak

Local News

United for ALICE: Organization wants to help struggling families

Crime

1/8: Calcasieu Parish Sheriff announces arrest list

Local News

Public hearings planned in Allen on proposed carbon capture and sequestration projects

Jim Beam

Jim Beam column:Early advice still important