By JIM BUTLER

The Pineville Downtown Development District will receive an update today on Requests for Proposals for redevelopment of a portion of the former Central State Hospital grounds.

The noon meeting will be in the City Council chambers. The district’s new executive director won’t have to go far — she is also executive secretary to Mayor Joe Bishop.

Rebekah Stellwagon was named PDDD executive director at its January 13 meeting.

Minutes reflect the hiring as part of the agency’s bid to establish its independence, in accordance with state legislation, from the City of Pineville.

Because she’s a fulltime city employee, the minutes note, Stellwagon will coordinate activities and conduct PDDD business on her own time.

Salary for the moonlighting, if any, is not noted. The previous director, who was also the then-mayor’s chief of staff, served in a volunteer capacity.

He, and the mayor, departed last year in the wake of revelations about trysts with a female city employee.