ZACHARY - The Zachary Youth Park could be set up as a staging area in case of disaster using $1.4 million in federal grant money.

The Advocate reports the City Council has approved a resolution endorsing the project, though a public hearing must still be held before a final vote of the council can be taken.

Some of the money would be used to repair damage the park sustained during Hurricane Gustav in 2008, Mayor David Amrhein said.

The city originally intended to use the grant to clear Cypress Bayou, which overflowed during the hurricane and continues to flood during heavy rains, the mayor said.

But the Army Corps of Engineers refused to approve work on the bayou because of possible interference with the Comite River diversion canal project.