Feliciana Explorer Apr 29

PRESORT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDZACHARY, LAPERMIT NO. 6

CAR-RT PRESORTPOSTAL CUSTOMERS

ECWSS Postal Patron Local

Feliciana Explorer • Tuesday, April 29, 2014 • Vol. 4, No. 17 • Published Weekly • Circulation 17,000 • felicianaexplorer.com • © 2014

EXPLOREREXPLORERFeliciana

Proud to be the Felicianas' only locally owned, managed, and staffed newspaper.

West Feliciana Schools Seek Tax Increase on May 3 Ballot

West Feliciana Parish voters will consider a 14-mill property tax in-crease for the public school system when they go to the polls May 3.

If passed, the 10-year, 14-mill property tax for the parishwide Con-solidated School District 1 is expect-ed to bring in an additional $3.8 mil-lion annually for the school system.

There are four public schools in the parish: Bains Lower Elementary, Bains Elementary, West Feliciana Middle School and West Feliciana High School, which are all in St. Francisville.

If the property tax is approved, the money would be used to increase op-portunities for high school students to take advanced placement and du-al-enrollment classes as well as earn industry-based certification; develop a STEM (science, technology, engi-neering and math) curriculum in the schools, add summer programs; and

improve academic and athletic fa-cilities, according to School Board literature.

The West Feliciana Parish school district is one of nine districts in the state that’s received a grade of A from the state.

The West Feliciana Parish school system now collects 35.96 mills in property taxes dedicated to educa-tion.

The school district is seeking the additional millage because of in-creases in unfunded state mandates, a freeze in state education funding over the last four years and declin-ing federal revenue, according to the School Board.

On a $200,000 home, the millage, if passed, would mean a yearly tax of $175, according to a chart on the School Board’s website, wfpsb.org. The school system has more than 2,200 students and 375 employees.

By Al O’Brien

Sixteen years ago several of the merchants who had shops in Clin-ton were discussing how things had changed over the years. In the past, Saturday was the day when local folks came into town to do a week’s shop-ping. Saturday was the big day, the streets busy with activity. Some one in the group suggested that it would be great to somehow bring people into town for a market day. Ideas were tossed around, some good, some bad and the idea of the Clinton Market was born. One thing every-one agreed upon. The market day was set as the first Saturday of every month, regardless of the date of the

month. The Clinton Town Council gave its blessing and publicity went out. A Clinton downtown develop-ment group accepted the responsibil-ity of mailing out notices each month.

The local banks helped with the expenses of pub-licity and mail-outs. Down-town shops and businesses made

bathrooms available. Now, 192 mar-kets later, the Clinton Market is still going strong. In all, over 2500 dif-ferent vendors have participated, selling everything imaginable and a few things you would never imagine. Come out May 3rd and join the fun. Between 50 and 75 vendors will be selling their wares.

Clinton Community Market to Celebrate 16 Years on May 3

Feliciana Master Gardeners of LSU Ag Center presents the St. Francisville Spring Garden Stroll on Saturday, May 3, 2014 from 9:30 until 4 pm. The tour provides a won-derful opportunity to visit 8 beautiful and unique private gardens in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Mas-ter Gardeners will be on hand at all the gardens to provide information.

Garden Stroll This weekend in St. FrancisvilleTickets are $20 per person for the day and will be available along with driving directions at Jackson Hall on the day of the tour beginning at 8:30 am. Tickets can be purchased in advance from the West Feliciana Ag Center office (225-635-3614).

Proceeds from the event benefit 4H scholarships, school gardens and other local charities.

Local Scout Earns Eagle

RankDylan Guillaume, of Boy

Scout Crew 66, has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, reached by only 6 percent of all Boy Scouts. Dylan, an honor senior at West Feliciana High School, has earned the highest rank in Scouting. He is the son of Carleen and David Guillaume of Saint Francisville and has been in scouting since the first grade.Each Eagle Scout is required to complete an Eagle service project in the community. Dylan led his fellow Crew 66 scouts in planting trees along a lake at the West Feliciana Recre-ational Park. These trees will help with erosion, provide shade, and animal shelter for many years.

2 Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Business

Email stories and photos to [email protected]

Published Tuesdays52 weeks a year

EXPLOREREXPLORERFeliciana

4104 Main StreetZachary, LA 70791

Phone (225) 654-0122Fax (225) 208-1165

Deadline for news and advertising: Wednesday, 5 P.M.

Call for advertising rates.

Publisher & EditorDaniel Duggan

Graphic DesignerTina Adams

Account ExecutivesGeorgiana Walls

Ashley Evans

Contributing WriterJames Ronald Skains

New Year HistorianCalla Duggan

Minecraft HackmasterChandler Duggan

The Ginger AvengerCecelia Duggan

Stunt Man in TrainingColton Duggan

Letter to Editor

Jesse L. PerkinsLetters to the Editor are un-edited submissions to the Feliciana Explorer newspaper.

Letters to the Editor may be submitted for publication at [email protected]. Submissions will be printed in the next issue of the Explorer, space allowing. Deadline for submission is by 5 p.m. the Thursday before Tuesday publication.

No anonymous letters will be accepted.

Letters can be emailed to us at [email protected]

To the Voters of West Feliciana:

As a lifetime educator in West Feliciana Parish and a product of this school system, I have seen the successes of so many children and students over the years. Education is the great equalizer for people of all ages. It holds the key to a solid job, family stability, and a thriving community. Research tells us that high performing school systems are key drivers of economic development. If we want West Feliciana Parish to grow, we need to make certain that our schools remain in the top tier of our state.

I was Bains Elementary Principal when our school system brought in universal Pre-K in 1986, and we have never charged our parents for this service. We are only one of a handful of school districts in Louisiana that do this! But our Pre-K was created to help all children succeed, regardless of economic circumstances. That commitment has proven beneficial to children who are eager to learn and to parents who then may work outside the home knowing their children will be safe, healthy, and nurtured in the hands of caring teachers and staff.

There are many new demands on today’s students. They are being asked to perform at higher levels through the Common Core State Standards. We know the teaching staff is working very hard to make these transitions easier for the students, but some students will still struggle.

West Feliciana was able to bring in new reading programs through a grant award. These reading programs have enabled students to improve their reading scores and to make great progress. We are very pleased to see these strides being made, but we need funds to continue these programs.

Opportunities at the middle and high schools will allow students to accelerate their learning through dual enroll-ment and advanced placement courses. Students will be able to earn high school credit at the middle school and college and career credit at the high school. These courses must be taught by teachers specially trained to do so, and we must be able to allow students these extra opportunities for success.

As a principal and later as a supervisor and Superintendent of schools, I experienced first-hand the dedication and devotion of teachers, paras, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and staff for our students. Many times I saw employees bringing an extra book sack, or jacket, or field trip money to students who did not have them; these employees did this quietly so that others would not know. But I saw them; I saw them do this and many other kind acts day after day, year after year. Those kindnesses were done for the students in West Feliciana, because our employees knew it was the right thing to do.

The right thing to do now is to stand up for the children and employees of West Feliciana Parish. The children deserve the opportunity to move forward with their education, and it takes money to do so in today’s world. I urge every citizen to vote Yes in the May 3rd election for the schools. We can afford nothing less.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 3

Lions Club Easter Parade in Jackson

1st place float was the 2nd Baptist Church

Daniel Farley as Parade Marshal. He has lots of stories to tell about his experiences in a Jeep.

Pictured left: 2nd place float was Helping In His Name Food Bank of Jackson

4 Tuesday, April 29, 2014

CALL 654-0122 TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESSIN 33,000 PAPERS A WEEK IN ZACHARY & THE FELICIANAS

National Guard Brings Sunshine to Kindergarten StudentsEvery year, members of the Na-

tional Guard visit our school to read, donate books and visit with students at Bains Lower Elemen-tary. This year 3 members of the National Guard spent the morning with classes reading and convers-ing about their jobs in the National Guard.

Specialists Benjamin Day, Av-ery White, and Private Jonathan Jones of the National Guard read the book, You are my Sunshine to the kindergarten classes and gave a copy of the book to every student.

Kindergarten student, Ariel Price describes her experience, “The strong men that help our country came to our class to read us a story. They read You are my Sunshine. They let us see their huge truck. It was camouflage like their uniforms. I can’t wait until they come back again!”

My children really enjoyed the book and having a National Guard serviceman read to them. I think it’s a great program to promote lit-eracy among children, said Dana Primus, Kindergarten teacher.

After reading to kindergarten students, the servicemen went to meet the pre-k students and eat lunch with 1st graders.

Students from Mrs. Bowman’s

Pre K class went to see their Hum-V. The students drew pictures and wrote about their experiences.

Pre K student, Zane Almond wrote, “The soldier took their door off and put it in the back of their

truck.” Valerie Patin wrote in her jour-

nal, “They are taking off the doors of their Hum-V and I was watch-ing them. “

Our students enjoyed the sun-shine the servicemen brought to our school.

If there is one important thing

that we can do to help our children become successful in school and in life - it is to encourage them to be a reader and love reading. It is the path to lifelong learning. Helping our children to love reading is one of the most important goals in edu-cation, and our National Guard is helping us reach that goal.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 5

ExxonMobil Volunteer Inspires 1st Grade Boys“Boys love playing video

games and electronics, but what if our boys were designing some of those games or improving how those games work?” That’s what the volunteer said when asked about his vision for ExxonMobil Inspire 1st, a program for boys at Bains Lower Elementary that moti-vates students to explore the world of science. Ledell Whitfield is an employee of ExxonMobil, native of St. Francisville and graduate of West Feliciana High School. This year, Whitfield has encouraged the pursuit of science through a vari-ety of experiments and explora-tions for some 1st grade boys at Bains Lower Elementary.

The ExxonMobil Inspire 1st program encourages children to think about the various uses for science and math in our everyday world. Students in the program have learned about topics ranging from electricity to magnet forces. In one session, electrical circuits were explored in detail, and chil-dren were encouraged to make their own circuits. They used problem-solving strategies to come up with solutions for why a circuit is not working. They discovered what an amazing power source electric-ity is and were made aware of the dangers associated with it. Stu-dents are also taught how to prop-erly practice safety precautions.

They also read science books about related topics and are pro-vided opportunities to explain

their writing in words and pic-tures. Mrs. Lemelle, 1st grade teacher, stated that she has noticed an increased interest in her science class. “My students are always excited to go to the program, and they are enthused when they return to class. They can’t stop talking about their scientific experiences.”

Students participating in the program enjoy learning new sci-

ence vocabulary terms, work col-laboratively as teams, and present their findings. 1st grader Leroy Turner says, “ I like when Mr. Whitfield comes to our school. He taught us how to make motors with batteries and wires. ” Anoth-er student in the program, Hunter Young, describes why he enjoys the experiments, “It’s cool the way he makes things move and spin

fast. He gave us safety glasses so we wouldn’t get hurt. He even let us take them home. ”

The ExxonMobil 1st program has made a significant impact on our students. Hands on experi-ments and discovery learning has made a difference in our children’s lives by sparking an interest in the field of science to prepare our stu-dents for future careers in science.

6 Tuesday, April 29, 2014

On Saturday, March 29, 2014, Team S’Myelin participated in the 2014 Walk MS & 5k Run at North Boulevard Town Square in Baton Rouge. Team S’Myelin was formed in 2012 by Andrea Matthews Adams after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a life-long, unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous sys-tem. It causes unpredictable symp-toms ranging from weakness and fatigue to total paralysis, which can Wax and wane in a variety of pat-terns. MS affects more than 2.3 mil-lion people worldwide.

Clinton Team Walks for MS ReliefWalk MS connects people living

with MS and those who care about them. The dollars raised support promising research to stop disease progression, restore function that has been lost and to end MS forev-er. Your dollars also help fund local programs for people living with MS right here in our community.

Andrea Matthews Adams, team captain wishes to thank all partici-pants, supporters, and donors for helping make this event a success. It’s because of you that cutting-edge research and life changing programs are helping families with MS live better lives today.

Norwood Baptist Church Garage Sale May 3Norwood Baptist Church will be hosting a huge fundraiser garage sale

and jambalaya lunch on May 3 at the Fire Station on Hwy. 19, in Norwood from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds from this event will go towards building new Sunday School rooms at the church. Signs will be posted on the highways. There will something for everybody!

WFPSO Acquires M-RAP Armored Vehicle for SWATThe West Feliciana Parish Sher-

iff’s Office is proud to announce the addition of an armored vehicle to their emergency response fleet.

This vehicle, referred to as Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (M-RAP), was originally produced for military purposes; however in 2012 the Pentagon officially closed the M-RAP production line. Since then, the U.S. government designated 2,000 of them as surplus. The cost of destroy-ing them would be $10,000 per vehi-cle, so instead, they decided to donate them to federal, state and local law en-forcement agencies through the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) 1033 program.

In order to receive an M-RAP, WFPSO had to meet certain require-ments including justification for use in areas like SWAT operations, active shooter situations, and drug interdic-tion. There also had to be the ability for multi-jurisdiction use, the ability to pay for repairs and maintenance, vehicle security, and restricted access to the vehicle.

“The sole purpose of this vehicle is to help our residents, and to assist dur-ing natural disasters and rescue opera-tions,” said Sheriff J. Austin Daniel.

The WFPSO was responsible for a $15,000 processing fee, and the rest

was taken care of by LESO. If bought new, the M-RAP would have cost $733,000.

“This is a replacement personnel carrier. It really is important for us to have a vehicle that can traverse diffi-cult terrain and that is bulletproof. We want to be able to protect our officers in certain situations. We also want to help our citizens during hurricanes or other natural disasters. Plus we have the Nuclear Plant and Angola, which both could present situations requir-ing armored transportation,” said Col. Randy Metz.

The WFPSO can use the M-RAP in disaster relief roles, as it can go through flooded areas unlike normal police armored vehicles. It can be used to respond to threats. In an active shooter situation, the M-RAP could be put between shooters and personnel for protection. The M-RAP can also be used in rescue situations, for storm evacuations or to remove downed trees from roadways.

The M-RAPs from the 1033 pro-gram have been repurposed for law enforcement use and no longer contain any military equipment.

The WFPSO is currently in the pro-cess of training personnel on the use and maintenance of this specialized equipment.

The WFPSO recently acquired this M-RAP through a government surplus program. The vehicle can be used for disaster relief, search and rescue, or armored transportation for officers. (PHOTO / ERIN FOSTER, WFPSO)

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 7

LIKEthe EXPLORER

on Facebookfor timely news& extra content!

facebook.com/FelicianaExplorer

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

CALL 654-0122 TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESSIN 33,000 PAPERS A WEEK IN ZACHARY & THE FELICIANAS

CONSTRUCTION

CUSTOM DRAPES

INSURANCE

REAL ESTATE

NON PROFIT

HOME & LAWN

ARTS, DANCE & MUSIC

ANTIQUES

@The Crossroads, LLC

(225) 570-2039 20130 Plank Rd.

(Hwy 64 & Hwy 67)Zachary, LA 70791

Antiques At The Crossroads

AntiquesPrimitives

VintageRetro

LinensCast Iron

and More!

OpenMon-Sat

10:00-5:00Sundays

by Chancewww.AntiquesAtTheCrossroads.com

FURNITURE

225-936-8649

Fabrics, Slip Covers, Custom Drapery, Roman

Shades,Shutters & Upholstery

Credit cards accepted

“We come to you, FREE estimates”

DOG CARE

DRY CLEANERS

All Breeds Dog BoardingObedience & Retriever Training

www.y-farms.com • 225-445-5012

ClassifiedsNOW HIRING @ AMERICANA YMCA! CERTIFIED LIFE-GUARDS & SWIM INSTRUC-TORS. Minimum Age 16+. Flex schedules. We can train you! Great opportunity! Americana YMCA 4200 Liberty Way Zach-ary, LA. (225) 654-YMCA. Ask for Jonathan Lee. AQUATICS SUPERVISORS needed for other Y locations across Baton Rouge area. Apply today! www.ymcabr.orgTruck Drivers Needed-Connect Transport. 2 Years Experi-ence, CDL Class A License with Hazmat and Tank Endorsement, and Clean Driving Record Re-quired. Call Leo at (405) 990-5857.FOR RENT Mobile Home Lots. $250 per month. Nice, quiet area in Northeast EBR Parish. Call (225) 778-1672.Come Join Our TEAM. We are accepting applications for 2 (two) F/T Experienced Line Cooks. Morning and evening shifts available. Apply in person at Oakwood Village, 4400 McHugh Road, Zachary, LARoom for Rent in Clinton, LA. $125/per week, utilities included, furnished. Washer and dryer available. Shared kitchen/TV. Call or text (225) 317-7891.LOST Wedding Ring in Winn Dixie Parking Lot in Zachary. CASH REWARD if returned. Please call (225) 658-0570 or (225) 933-4805.Short order cook needed. Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary. Call (225) 658-8029.Specialty Maintenance Contrac-tors LLC. Additions, Contstruc-tion, Remodeling & Repairs. Whatever your needs may be, we do it. 225-572-3673.Do you want to make a differ-ence in someone’s life? We are looking for someone who is lov-ing and attentive but strong and mature to work one on one with a young male who has a develop-

Classifiedsmental disability all day during the summer.Great job for para professional! Zachary/Jackson area. Please apply in person at 622 Shadows Lane Suite A Baton Rouge, La 70606 or send your resume to [email protected] Annual Plant Sale, Saturday, May 10, 8am-2pm, 15424 Beau Bois Drive, Zachary (between Joor Road and McCullough), Plants & More, all proceeds do-nated to American Cancer Soci-ety. Plants make great Mother’s Day gifts!Garage Sale! Toolsand a little something for every one on Staurday May 3, 7.:00-till 3:00 at 7339 hwy 10 Ethel

Call in or send us your Classified Ad

Only $10 Up to 20 wordsPhone 225-654-0122 or email info@felicianaex-

plorer.com

All About Self Storage5553 Groom Rd Baker, LA 70714

Below is a description of property that will be auctioned to the highest bidder for unpaid rent in accordance with LA RS: 4759. The auction will be held on Thursday the 22th day of May, 2014, at 11:00 am. The auction will take place at:All About Storage5553 Groom RdBaker, La 70714Attn: David Goss unit # 150Attn: Dorothy Smart unit # 255Attn: Tasha Hulbert unit # 359Attn: Dymonica Woods unit# 526Attn: Kelie Sauls unit #534Attn: Dionne Washington unit #126Attn: Lashaundra Nettles unit #143Attn: Natasha Dufrene unit # 249

The Public is welcome to attend. Payment will be in cash only. Items will include household items miscellaneous furniture. We will have a minimum bid on all units and we reserve the right to refuse any bid. Thank you, Manage-ment

8 Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Chief Woods Updates Residents on Improvements in West Feliciana Fire Department

At the April 14, 2014 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Fire Protection District No. 1 of West Feliciana Parish, Chief James R. Wood announced the completion of the second phase of a pilot program to increase on duty staffing at the Parish’s 10 fire stations with the completion of modifications to the Star Hill Fire Station. This announcement signaled the expansion of the departments Live In Firefighter Program. Started in late 2012 the program in which the Fire Dis-trict will exchange a place to live for a set amount of hours of work with a volunteer firefighter.

The benefits of the first phase, which placed volunteer firefight-ers in the Headquarters Station in Hardwood, the only station at the time with sleeping quarters, were recognized right away with the live in firefighter provid-ing services to the community for a miniscule cost. Given the program’s success, Chief Wood looked to expand the program, but did not have an appropri-ate location to house additional firefighters full time in the rural stations. In the FY 2013/2014 budget, Chief Wood requested a capital outlay appropriation of $10,000 to modify one of the ex-isting fire stations for the purpose of adding sleeping quarters. The Board agreed and in August 2013 work began on the Star Hill Fire Station. Chief Wood, Captain James Dutsch, FEO Jim Wood, Captain Bonnie Hines, Assistant Chief Walter Oliveaux, District Chief Russell Achord, Firefighter Robert Hines, Firefighter Darion Whetstone and several other vol-unteers completed the modifica-tions.

On Monday night, the Board of Commissioners took a tour of the new sleeping quarters and met the newly selected Live In Fire-fighters. The project came in un-der budget and will allow the Fire District to add 104 man power hours a week, which will improve the Fire District overall abil-ity to provide service and help strengthen the fire rating. Each live in firefighter must complete 52 hours of on duty and standby time each week as well as meet the departments training program requirements. Having these ad-ditional firefighters in these rural stations will decrease response times to those areas and increase the number of available staff to respond to emergencies. The an-nual estimated cost to fund the program is less than $3,000 and is a bargain when compared to the more than $75,000 it would take to fund 5,408 additional man-power hours annually.

The program also has another intrinsic value to the Fire District and community. The program targets young adults that are ei-ther in college or beginning their work career. West Feliciana’s un-der 18 population ranks last in the region at 16.5% according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The aver-age age of the Fire District’s fire-

fighters has been creeping up in recent years. This is largely due to the flight of many of the Par-ish’s youth out of the parish after graduating high school. The Fire District has had several members of its High School ESAP pro-gram graduate and move to Baton Rouge and beyond. In many cas-es the members have stated they wanted to stay in the parish, but could not afford to while attend-ing school or starting out in their new career field. The Live In Firefighter Program offers an op-tion to stay in the parish for some that we would lose. This has both operational and economic bene-fits in the short and long term for the Fire District.

The program, which was modeled after similar programs used by similar fire departments around the country will be evalu-ated to determine future expan-sion

April 14, 2014 the Alexan-der Stirling Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) met at the home of Delores Fontenot, mother-in-law of Treasurer Deanna Fontenot in Zachary, LA. Regent Lauren Pourciau presided over the meet-ing and introduced guest speaker, Pat Reed, our Louisiana State DAR Recording Secretary who first discussed a subject that was brought up at last month’s Louisiana State DAR Convention in Lafayette, LA concerning the fresco paintings of art-ist Conrad Albrizio. The LSDAR will make saving his art works that are found throughout the state a proj-ect to help fund and visit. Mrs. Reed gave a wonder-ful slide show on the Loui-siana Room, also called the

Louisiana Gallery, that is at the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution’s Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. urging everyone to be sure and visit that and all the state rooms when next at the nation’s Capitol. Regent Lauren Pourciau reminded members of the upcoming final meeting and picnic for this year on May 17th at Cynthia Beauvais’ home in Ethel, LA The meeting ended with lunch provided by hostesses Deanna Fontenot, Nancy Bickham, Carolyn Baxter, Florence Myers and Patricia Babin. Nancy Bickham of St. Francisville and Pat Reed of Baton RougeBoth are State DAR officers Nancy is Librarian and Pat is Secretary