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Mayor asks for caution near construction (published August 12, 2009)
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School is starting, harvesting is beginning, football games will soon start, and
all traffic will be much heavier.
We all should be more cautious.
As an example of a major concern is the area near the Exxon Store. Many drivers
will drive near traffic lights at US Highway 84 and LA 124, which is also the
location of the Exxon Store, and be tempted to try to avoid the traffic lights
by going through open lanes near gas pumps. This is illegal and extremely
dangerous. Customers of the Exxon Store are often fueling their autos and do
walk to and from the store as they should. However, as they walk in that area,
auto drivers might pass through and not see people walking near the pumps and
could hit someone. In addition to the possibility of pedestrians being hit
accidentally, the public needs to remember that those pumps carry highly
flammable fuels, and trying to avoid the lights may also cause a major
accidental contact with a pump, in which case could cause a major fire or
explosion.
Police Officers patrolling indicate that there have been near auto accidents in
the area and several persons walking have nearly been hit by autos taking short
cuts.
Drivers need to be more cautious in driving in all areas of the construction
zone as workers are also exposed to the danger of passing autos and may not see
approaching traffic. They are trained to look out for themselves and the
public, too. However, the problem is that as we drive in those areas, we are
often tempted to look here and there to see what is going on in the
construction area. Before we know it, we could find ourselves in the rear of
another auto or facing a construction worker.
As drivers, we need to be also aware that all construction areas have no
shoulders, and driving too close to the edge could lead to a major drop off.
In all construction areas, we wish for the public to be aware that traffic will become much heavier during
certain times.
Farmers will begin to haul grain, and tractor trailer trucks/rigs will be trying to turn at traffic lights. School bus traffic will pick up, and
traffic to and from the football field will be in the area, so we all will need
to be very cautious.
The LA Department of Transportation, The Catahoula Parish School Board, The Jonesville Police Department and James Construction are all looking to see
just how driving can be made easier and the public protected in all
construction areas. So, in the meantime, we ask that the public be patient.
The 2009 – 2010 year will be a great school year. We are hoping that students, parents,
and all school personnel have a prosperous and safe school year. And please
follow safety procedures and do not try to take
short cuts in construction zones as that could be more dangerous to you and
others a
nd more so than you could ever imagine.
Hiram Evans, Mayor of Jonesville
Teachers prepare for students (published August 12, 2009)
Jonesville Elementary School Teachers were busy Tuesday preparing their classes for students. Pictured below are Mrs.
Flonnie Ewing (left) and Mrs. Norma Johnson (right)
Jury President answers last week’s letter to the editor (published August 12, 2009)
I would like to give an explanation to the people of Catahoula, explaining some
of the questions that Mr. Chester Cooper had in his letter to the editor in
last week's News Booster.
First of all, concerning the property tax that was passed for the general fund
several years ago; this tax is spent on courthouse expenses. Almost all the
money in the general fund is spent on courthouse and mandated expenses. This
tax is a small tax and is not enough to take care of the expenses of the
courthouse. Catahoula does not bring in the sales taxes and revenues that some
of the other parishes bring in. We do not have a Wal-Mart or other large
businesses to bring in sales taxes. Oil and timber revenues have dropped
tremendously. This year the elevator and both air compressors for the air
conditioning system had to be replaced. Our air conditioning system is very old
and needs to be replaced with a new system, but we do not have enough money to
do this, so we keep repairing it for now. Most people do not realize that the
Police Jury pays for autopsies requested by the coroner. This past month we had
to pay ove
r $6000 for autopsies. The cost for prisoner care last month was over $18,000.
The electrical bill for last month was over $10,000. We help pay salaries for
the Judges' and the District Attorney's employees. This is only a portion of
the bills that we have to pay. Most of the expenses of the court system are
mandated by law. We do not have a choice whether to pay or not to pay these
bills. There is not enough money in the general fund to pay these bills. There
is not enough money in the general fund to pay the mandated expenses,
utilities, insurances, and repairs to the courthouse. The courthouse does not
have a mai
ntenance tax like other parishes do. The jury is doing the best that we can.
The sanitation tax is being used to collect garbage and to dispose of it. It was
cheaper to contract this out instead of collecting and disposing of it
ourselves. Before we contracted this out, the Police Jury had to haul the
garbage to the Tensas Parish landfill to dispose of it. We could not dispose of
household garbage in our landfill. Our landfill could only be used for the
disposal of such things as limbs and construction materials. The cost of
operating the landfill would sometimes be $5000-$6000 a month. This included
one employee, a dozer, fuel, and the cost of the insurance required by DEQ. The
revenues coming in for the landfill were usually no more than $1000 a month.
DEQ also required the Police Jury to have a letter of credit from the bank for
enough money to be able to close the landfill down if necessary. We could no
longer get that letter of credit because we did not have enough money in our
budget to cover it. DEQ would not allow us to keep the landfill open without
this letter of credit. Also, we were running out of space in the landfill to
cover any more materials. The Police Jury sanitation tax brings in about
$38,000 a month. The cost of collecting and disposing of the residential
garbage averages $36,500 a month.
I would like to remind the people to place your old furniture next to the road
with your trash and Diamond Disposal will pick it up. Please only put one piece
of furniture at a time to be picked up. Appliances and metal objects will be
received at the Police Jury Maintenance Barn between the business hours of 7:30
a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. I would like to ask the people of
Catahoula to please take pride in your parish and stop taking your old
furniture and trash to the hills. Please tell your friends and relatives how to
dispose of these things.
The library is requesting the people to vote on one renewal tax proposition.
This is not a new tax. This money is put in the library account at the bank. It
is not put in the general fund or used at the Jury's discretion. The library
has a director who directs how the finances of the library should be spent.
The Police Jury members are probably giving more to the parish than anybody
else. The salary for a Jury member is supposed to be $1600 a month. Our Jury
members only accept $600 a month. This means that the Police Jury members leave
$108,000 of t
heir salary each year in the general fund for expenses of the courthouse. Please
thank your Jury member for what they do. They are trying harder than you think.
Please remember what it feels like to hear someone say, "Thanks, I appreciate
what you're doing," instead of criticism.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 339-8460. I promise to
be honest and answer your questions the best that I can.
Libby Ford
President, Catahoula Parish Police Jury
Board to allow Great Mound replica (published August 12, 2009)
Bill Atkins, president of the Catahoula Parish Historical Society and Museum
addressed the Catahoula Parish School Board during last Tuesday
’s regular meeting, explaining that the replica of the Great Mound of Troyville is getting closer to coming into
existence.
With the old Black River Bridge demolition largely completed, James Construction
will soon
begin moving the dirt from the bridge approach.
Atkins reported that according to Charlie Franklin, an engineer with LDOTD, the amount of compacted soil that is available is 4,788 cubic yards, which is an
actual cross section quantity. Franklin explained that the original estimated
quantity of 7,000 cubic yards was based off of loose vehicular measurement
(un-compacted soil).
Franklin went on to explain in an email to Atkins: In order to build the bottom
layer of the mound with a 180
’ x 180’ and a 42 degree slope reaching 30 feet high, you would need 25,144 cubic yards
of compacted soil. The soil that you will have to work with will allow the
bottom layer of the mound to be approximately 80
’ x 80’ and a 42 degree slope reaching 27 feet high and a top measuring 50’ x 50’. This would be a proportional replica to the original Troyville Mound.
Atkins brought this information to the attention of the School Board and requested a 150’ x 150’ area at the west end of the football practice field adjacent to Highway 84.
Northeast Louisiana Regional Archaeologist Dr. Joe Saunders was also present to
answer questions regarding the project. Saunders related his idea for making
one corner of the base of the mound look like the original with steps up the
first tier and cane matting and wooden stakes in place to secure the dirt.
Atkins had approached the School Board last August and received permission for
the dirt to be temporarily stored on the site of the old police substation.
Board members had asked for the exact amount of land needed before considering
the request to build the replica on school board property.
Tuesday evening, Board president Wayne Sanders asked board member Bo House to look at the south
end of the practice field with Atkins and recommend the amount of footage that
would best serve the project. Atkins and House agreed to meet Wednesday morning
to look it over.
The Board decided to contact their attorney to see what would be the best way to
handle the transaction and voted to authorize Dr. Gwile Freeman to sign the
paperwork drawn up by the attorney.
Schools, communities, and parents working together (published August 12, 2009)
School will be starting soon and the children will be excitedly going back to
teachers that are revved up and ready to teach.
The Workforce Investment Board Area 60, along with the Catahoula Community High
School Drop-out Prevention Committee, would like to encourage all parents to
commit to playing an important role in your child
’s school life this year, through positive interactions with the teachers and
your children.
Why is the WIB 60 weighing in on this?
Because the children that come out of our schools are the future workforce for
our area employers.
As most of you know, we have a high school graduation problem that translates
into high drop-out rates.
This problem results in a workforce that has lower educational skills. Generally, they have lower marketable skills, which mean area employers that
cannot meet their labor demands.
It also results in the inability to attract quality industry and businesses into
our areas, due, in part, to an unskilled workforce.
The Youth Council of the Board of the Workforce Investment Area 60 and the
Catahoula High School Drop-out Prevention Committee would like to offer a few
tips on helping your child succeed this school year.
1. Let your child know that graduating from high school is important and
expected
– Children have a way of living up to what is expected from them. If they learn that they will be expected to graduate, that becomes their goal. It is never too early to let your child know what you expect from them, even
when they are in pre-school.
In fact, if it is planted at an early age, and nurtured, the chances of
graduation are greater.
Not only does high school graduation increase their employment opportunities,
but it also improves the overall parish
’s educated labor force – another carrot for attracting new businesses. Those that do not graduate often find themselves struggling to find full-time
work at minimum wage, and they are often the first to be let go, if there is a
lay-off.
2. Become a team member with your child’s teacher - The majority of our teachers want all children to succeed. If possible, set up a time for your child to meet the teacher before school
starts, and to let the teacher know you are working with him or her.
If you cannot meet with your child’s teacher, send a note letting the teacher know that you are working with him or
her, and let your child know of the partnership.
If you cannot do it all, find an aunt, uncle, a good friend, or a church member
to assist, and give the school written permission to discuss your child
’s progress with the person.
3. Learn ways to communicate effectively with your child’s teacher – Don’t only visit the teacher when you are angry about something your child has said
or a punishment that was received.
Remember, that same child that have certain behaviors that you don’t like, is the same child that is in the classroom, only the teacher may have
five or ten of them at once. Stay in close contact with the teacher, so your
children will know your expectation of positive behaviors from them. Many
public school teachers (speaking from my own experience) have so much paperwork
and other "duties as assigned" that even the best-intentioned people sometimes
fail to contact you regularly.
If you cannot make regular visits because of work, find out if email contacts
are okay.
4. Make certain that your child completes homework before play time begins. Children learn what is most important based on how parents prioritize. When children are allowed to go outside, play video games, and do everything
else before making sure homework is completed, homework (and subsequently
school) becomes not as important as everything else.
If you are not able to help your child with homework, locate an after school
program in your community.
If there are none, go to your local church and start one with other parents and
high school students. Some volunteers can help with homework, while others may
help with snacks.
Also, this is a good way for college-bound high school students to receive
community service credits, especially in rural areas.
5. Praise your child for small accomplishments in school - Children respond in
positive ways to praise and recognition.
They crave it and generally will continue the behavior that gets them the
praise.
One of the best rewards for a child is something cheap (a story before bed, a
high five, a special time with Mom or Dad, or a sticker graph chart is also
GREAT)!
Keep the list of 100 ways to Praise a Child handy, and praise them often.
Boosting a child
’s confidence goes a long way! If you need a copy, please contact the 4-Rivers Youth & Adult Community Association or Workforce Investment Board Area 60 at 339-9874.
6. Become a positive role model for your child – If you have not completed high school, consider going back to get your GED. If that is not possible, let them see you reading, writing, or doing other
activities that will encourage them in school.
For individuals interested in increasing your marketable skills, contact the
Career Solutions Center
– Catahoula Parish – 744-5445. To join the Catahoula Community High School Drop-out Prevention Initiative,
contact Sondra C. Redmon at 339-9874.
The Workforce Investment Board Area 60 covers Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia,
Grant, LaSalle, and Winn parishes.