Rayne City Council OKs road servitude dissolution, endorses transit plan

The city of Rayne has relinquished all claims to a portion of Amelia Street to allow expansion of Rayne Guest Home.
Also, the city administration has gone on record in support of a pilot bus transit program connecting Acadia and Lafayette parishes.
During a special meeting Thursday evening, the city council voted unanimously, with one abstention, to dissolve servitude on the western end of Amelia Street.
“By dissolving this servitude, ownership of that section of the roadway reverts to the original landowners,” explained Mayor Charles “Chuck” Robichaux. “(Rayne Guest Home) can now purchase that property from the owner and proceed with its planned expansion.”
Councilman Jimmy Fontenot abstained from voting on the ordinance, explaining that he is related to the property owners.
In other action during the brief session, council members unanimously endorsed the Acadiana Planning Commission’s plan to implement a rural transit program connecting Crowley and Lafayette and all points between — including Rayne — along U.S. Highway 90.
Paul Casey, Planner II for APC, told council members that the ultimate plan is to “connect Acadiana” with this program. The Acadia-to-Lafayette leg has been chosen for the pilot.
All of this is contingent, Casey said, on U.S. Department of Agriculture approval of a Rural Business Development Grant application submitted by APC.
“Currently, Lafayette is the only city in Acadiana with a public transit system,” Casey said. “Our studies have shown than more than half of the riders use that system to get to and from work. The second highest number of riders are for education.”
Council members agreed that such a system would be beneficial to people working in Lafayette and for UL Lafayette students from this area.
It can also be used for medical purposes — getting to and from a doctor’s appointment — and for personal reasons — shopping, visiting relatives and friends, etc. — Casey added, noting that once the rider has arrived in Lafayette, the Lafayette Transit System “can get you just about anywhere in the city.”
And it’s not only for riders going to Lafayette. Rayne riders can hitch a ride west to Crowley or get off in Duson or Scott going east.
The current plan calls for four trips from Crowley to Lafayette each morning, the earliest rolling at 5:40 a.m. The buses would also make two trips back from Lafayette to Crowley during the morning hours.
In the afternoon and evening, the reverse would hold true — four trips from Lafayette to Crowley, two from Crowley to Lafayette.
The final trip of the day would arrive back in Crowley around 7 o’clock in the evening.
All that with stops along the route, including in Rayne.
The buses themselves will probably have about 40 regular seats and be handicap accessible.
Rayne would have two stops along the route, one near South Rayne Elementary School and the other in the vicinity of Depot Square — “We’re going to bring public transportation back to Depot Square,” Casey said.
There will be numerous stops in Lafayette, including UL, hospitals and SLCC, according to Casey.
After the unanimous vote of support from the council, Casey said, “All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed and as soon as we get approval from Washington, we’ll get started.”
Concerning an item added to the agenda Thursday, the council approved a liquor license for Rayne Express (the new Citgo station) at 1419 The Boulevard.
Fontenot abstained, citing business dealings with the firm.