Avoyelles Police Jury finally sells first ‘surplus’ bridge

After overcoming the “learning curve” on its new process for selling old, unnecessary wooden bridges, the Avoyelles Police Jury sold its first “surplus” bridge at its Nov. 13 meeting. It will start the process at its Dec. 11 meeting for its second “surplus bridge” sale.

The Themus Jeansonne Bridge west of Simmesport was sold to a group of adjacent landowners, formed as Trifolia LLC, for $2,151. It was the only bid received for the bridge.

The Police Jury accepted the bid. The new owner will make repairs necessary to allow farm equipment to pass over the bridge.

It was the second time the bridge had been “sold” in recent weeks. The first sale had to be rescinded because the advertisement for bids included a minimum bid, which was about $10,000 higher than the only bid -- also by Trifolia -- the jury received.

The jury readvertised without requiring a minimum bid.

WAYSIDE BRIDGE

Later in the meeting, Juror Henry Moreau asked to begin the process for selling another surplus bridge, Wayside Bridge, which is also in his Simmesport area district.

That bridge serves only one resident, who has another access route.

Moreau said an adjacent landowner has expressed interest in purchasing the bridge under the surplus property process.

The jury is expected to declare the bridge as “surplus immovable property” at its Dec. 11 meeting.

The jury will then hold a public hearing prior to its January meeting and approve advertising for bids.

Barring any unforeseen objections of problems, the bridge could be sold in February.

Since the state law says only that the person appraising the property has to be “qualified,” and does not require they be a civil engineer or hold any type of specific certification, the jury will be examining the possibility of having Parish Civil Works Director Kevin Bordelon do the appraisal in-house.

Bordelon has ample experience in costing out highway and bridge construction projects as a private contractor prior to accepting the parish position.

Now that the jury knows not to include the appraised value of the bridge as a “minimum bid” to be allowed, the only issue it will have to decide when it accepts bids is whether the bid is too low to be considered a reasonable offer.

Bordelon said he will give jurors an estimate on the cost to tear down and remove the old bridge just in case there is no reasonable bid received for the property. The bridge is to be sold “as is/where is.”