Fight over for residents on Abbeville islands

The fight is over for the 165 residents who live on five “Islands” in Abbeville. The residents won.
Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza told the residents who attended a special called Police Jury meeting to talk about House Bill 334, that the city is pulling House Bill 334 from committee in Baton Rouge.
Piazza, before the meeting, called Rep. Ryan Bourriaque and requested he yank House Bill 334. Rep. Bourriaque, who attended the specially called police jury meeting, told the crowd that he planned to take the bill out of committee on Monday, ending the fight between the city and 165 residents who live in the five islands.
But at the meeting, Mayor Piazza said House Bill 334 was never about trying to incorporate the 165 residents into the city. They were dragged into a fight between RUE Outdoor Advertising, a Lafayette company that placed a large digital sign by RiverFront Restaurant in Abbeville.
The advertising company built the sign on one of the five Abbeville islands, not in the city limits. It caught city officials and residents who live by the sign off guard. Neighbors began to complain to city officials about the lighting caused by the sign.
However, city officials learned that the advertising company got proper permits to construct the sign and did not need the city’s approval.
So, to prevent future digital signs from being on other islands in the city, the city first approached the Police Jury two months ago looking for help from the Police Jury to create an ordinance that would create specifications for digital signs in the rural areas of the parish, including the five islands.
However, the city officials did not get the answer they were looking for from the Police Jury. Piazza said he called police juror Scott Broussard about the billboard issue two months ago, but till this day, Piazza said Broussard has yet to call him back with a solution.
“We still have a problem. We still have people to protect in Mt. Carmel Height’s Subdivision,” said Mayor Piazza. “We still have to come up with a solution.”
Piazza said he asked for the Police Jury to help come up with a solution to prevent future electronic billboard signs near or in the city on the five islands.
The Police Jury agreed to create a committee, including city officials, to figure out a way to solve the city’s problem with digital billboards.