Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As the new year approaches and his first term nears its end, LaFayette’s mayor reflected on the progress of the last year and the plans he has for 2025. 

Mayor Kenneth Vines began his term in 2020 and shared with the Valley Times-News his plans to run again in 2025. At that time, one of his goals was to bring down the debt of the town of 2,600 from the millions that had accrued. 

At the most recent city council meeting, the city council received an audit that found LaFayette was in good financial standing. The city’s borrowing power has moved up and its debt is moving down. Vines reported to the VTN that the city staff had lowered the debt to “just a few $100,000.” 

Vines also spoke about the new businesses that have come to LaFayette. Many ribbons were cut as new businesses came into the city this year. Small Town Nail Spa, small boutique nail spa, held a ribbon cutting in June. 

More recently, in October, local business owners Ashlee Noles and Jennifer Graves opened the Market at Magnolia on Main, a marketplace for local entrepreneurs. 

The Chambers County Development Authority also announced this year that Haywood Forest Products, a hard wood manufacturer, would be bringing a factory to LaFayette at MLK and the Highway 50 bypass. The city of LaFayette approved a tax abatement for the sales and use tax during construction.

“[I’m] excited about the new wood pellet business coming, dealing with hardwood out there on the Veteran Memorial Parkway,” Vines said, adding that Haywood Forest Products has already begun construction. “So that’s gonna bring some more jobs into the city.”

Another project that began this year was a renovation of the old city park. Adrian Holloway, community liaison for the Equitable Neighborhoods Initiative, spearheaded a project to create a healing zone and playground area. 

Vines said the park is almost entirely done aside from planting a few trees.

“Hopefully we’ll have the architect to have everything ready in the first part of the year so we can send out bids for the new city hall,” Vines said. 

The city hall project has been an ongoing one. Earlier this year, the LaFayette city council agreed to cut many of the renovations to the new city hall in order to start using the building right away. 

The main renovation will focus on getting the building ADA-compliant and handicap accessible.

“That is going to cut a lot of costs down. So we are still looking to get in, probably, around March or April,” Vines said. “… We’re still on task to make that deadline.”

Vines said he was glad to report that as his first term nears its close, he has succeeded in accomplishing almost everything that he set out to do with the help of his staff and city council.

With that being said, the mayor hopes to be re-elected in 2025 so he can finish out the remaining projects that he started these past five years. 

“I’m just proud of more people interacting with the city of Lafayette within the last four years, whether it’s donations, working together to improve things in the city,” Vines said. 

In the upcoming year, Vines said he is planning to spearhead the dilapidated housing project that has been going on. The process is long but code enforcement and the street department have been working throughout 2024 either to get owners to demolish or get their properties up to code. 

Other projects that Vines wants to see completed in the new year include the new meter system and the installation of the city’s new hydrants. Vines said there are also plans to install a new railing around the elevated sidewalk in the downtown area.