FRANKLIN — The state Department of Transportation and Development is proposing five projects to improve road safety in the town of Baldwin.

St. Mary Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange briefed the St. Mary Parish Council on the news Wednesday evening during the council’s final February meeting.

LaGrange said the DOTD will close three railroad crossings and construct two connecting roads. The crossings to be closed are at Haven Street, Orphans Home Road and Lockley Street. The crossing at Rosebud Street will remain open and a connecting road will be built from Rosebud to Lockley. The crossing at Newman Street will also remain open and a connecting road constructed from Newman Street to Richard Street.

In another matter, LaGrange said bids are continuing to come in under projected costs for the first half of the parish council’s road resurfacing project.

Barriere Constru-ction of New Orleans submitted a bid on three roads in Bayou Vista for $1.2 million, $670,000 less than the projected cost estimate of $1.8 million.

This was the third time in a month that the parish accepted bids that were lower than the projected cost estimates. Last month, the council saved just over $200,000 to resurface roads in Four Corners, Ashton, Cypremort Point and in Amelia. In December, bids for projects on Irish Bend Road and in the Garden City area also came in under budget.

Early last year, the council sold $20 million in bonds for road repair projects in 2019 and 2020. This was after a year-long debate over how to pay for new roads.

Records show the council had not resurfaced a new road in more than 20 years.

Two individuals also addressed the council on upcoming events. Centerville High School Ag Instructor Steve Nugent said that the Centerville Cast Iron Cookoff will be held March 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to benefit Centerville High School student programs. There will be three categories — seafood, non-seafood and an appetizer combination dessert category. He said more information, is available online at www.chscastironcookoff.wordpress.com.

Dawn Kaiser-Melancon, president of Simultaneously, Fit, Fun and Fabulous, the state’s only health festival, will hold a mini health wellness fair from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Kaiser-Melancon explained that the group, based in Franklin, will be offering free health and wellness screenings and distributing fee health information. There will also be free fitness demonstrations and free games and music.

Both the cookoff and the health and wellness fair will be held on the Centerville High School campus’ grounds.

In other business, the council: 

Introduced an ordinance to rename the new Burns Point Fishing Pier as the Albert J. Foulcard Memorial Fishing Pier.

Heard from Councilman Paul Naquin that the state Office of Tourism will create a new state RV park at Cypremort Point. Naquin said Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser’s office informed him of the new designation recently. The park will have room for 32 RVs.