Early morning walkers getting a break (pdf)

Pre-dawn walkers at the Community Nature Trail will be able to keep the hours they like if Eunice alderman approve new hours for the city parks and city lake. 
Ordinances up for approval at the 6:30 p.m. Tuesday council meeting establish sunrise to sunset hours for the parks and lakes. 
The trail hours would be 4 a.m. to sunset if approved. 
The change to the trail hours was added to the agenda at the council’s agenda-setting meeting Thursday at City Hall. 
The sunrise to sunset park hours excludes ballparks, tennis courts and basketball court pavilions.  Entrance to the parks outside the hours in ordinance would be under the approval of the mayor. 
The ordinances are before the aldermen for final approval. 
New business on the agenda includes a resolution to authorize Mayor Rusty Moody to execute an agreement with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for $27,000 in engineering costs associated with a taxiway project at the Eunice Airport. 
Also new business is a proposal to change the pay scale for volunteer firefighters. 
Volunteers are now paid $20 for all fire calls. 
Interim Chief Brian Miller said volunteer fire chiefs agreed to a new pay scale.
According to a letter to the mayor and aldermen, volunteers would be paid $10 for medical, vehicle accidents, rescue and all non-structural calls. Volunteers would be paid $0 for car and gras fires and, if the call lasts longer than two hours, the pay will increase $5 for non-firefighter 1 personnel and $10 for firefighter 1. Thirdly, volunteers would be paid $15 to $20 for structural alarms -- $15 for non-firefighter 1 and $20 for firefighter 1. 
Moody said the city spent about $60,000 last year for volunteer firefighter pay.
Reports from city departments also are on the agenda. 
The agenda is subject to change from Thursday’s meeting.