Next step: The East Baton Rouge Parish Library System may be poised to accept the low bid of $14.56 million from Buquet & LeBlanc for construction of the new River Center Branch in downtown Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge firm’s plans are in the technical review phase, but it is the recommendation of the city-parish Department of Public Works that the library system accept the bid and three alternates submitted by Buquet & LeBlanc. Five firms submitted bids to DPW for the construction project, and four came in around the estimated cost of $15.1 million. Total cost for the project is expected to hover around $19 million, which includes demolition of the current building, furnishings, technology and equipment.
Welcome back: Scott Tozier, Albemarle’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, has returned to the company following a medical leave of absence, the company says this morning in a news release. The company announced on Jan. 22 that Tozier was taking a temporary medical leave, but did not specify the reason. Tozier resumes his role overseeing the company’s finance and shared services functions. He joined the Baton Rouge specialty chemical company on Feb. 1, 2011, after 16 years at Honeywell International, following the departure of Rich Diemer in August 2010 to another chemical company.
Law changes: Louisiana currently prosecutes 17-year-olds as adults, and it’s been a nondiscussion in the state Legislature for 108 years. But the Associated Press reports Gov. John Bel Edwards has joined lawmakers and advocates in seeking to raise the adult threshold by one year. He says 17-year-olds shouldn’t be automatically charged and jailed as adults without consideration of their offense. The Senate Judiciary B Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to advance the proposal to the full Senate for debate. District attorneys would maintain their discretion to prosecute juveniles as adults for serious crimes.
