Questions Raised On I-69 Corridor
Selection
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Larry Shafferman, Senior Engineer with
the URS Corporation, addressed the Homer Lions Club on
Thursday, February 12 concerning the I-69 corridor through Claiborne Parish. He
is part of the project team conducting the study for the section of the
corridor between El Dorado and Haughton. Once the preferred corridor was
announced, there was some strong controversy to the location selected. A very
strong presentation was given by Dr. James Robert Michael and others in the
Sparta community. That information was taken to headquarters in Metairie where
it is being reviewed and studied. He does not know what the outcome will be but
the answers will be made known before they go too far. Shafferman
said, "If there is a corridor change, or piece of a corridor change, no
one has said what it will do to the schedule."
Presently they are working to get permission to go on property
along the 2-mile wide preferred corridor to try to determine the best 300 foot
route. There will be several alternative routes made within that corridor. If
everything goes as planned, several meetings will be held in May or June to get
public input. The information gathered at those meetings will be used to make
the final 300 foot corridor selection, then more
public meetings will be held in late summer.
At that time, they will decide whether to go forward with
construction of the interstate. He expected they would go ahead since a portion of I-69 is already complete
between Port Huron, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana, and in Texas, portions
of existing interstate highways will be redesignated.
The record of decision will be made in Spring of 2005.
The biggest hurdle after
that will be coming up with the funding. Congress is currently trying to decide
on funding for transportation projects.
Dr. James Robert Michael said he was asked in the early stages
of the I-69 planning by John D. Caruthers to prepare an economic justification
study for the interstate based on using the shortest route, the cost, and the
travel by the users. He said, "That information was totally ignored."
Escapee Makes National News
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Haynesville Police Chief Jim Garner said he was taking the
escape of a prisoner Friday, February 6 very seriously even though the incident
has brought national attention. What got the media's attention was not the
escape, but the fact that the man, James Cotton of Cooper, Texas, showed up at Super
Wal-Mart in Magnolia around 4:30 AM on Saturday, Feb. 7 and purchased bolt
cutters while still handcuffed.
The store clerk noticed the handcuffs during the transaction and
called the Magnolia Police Department. Officers arrived to find Cotton still in
the store. When he was confronted by the officers, he ran outside. He was
chased and apprehended in a field behind the store.
Garner said the episode made the news on all three Shreveport
television stations, the Shreveport Times, Fox News, the Morning Show, CNN, the
Arkansas Gazette, the Chicago Sun Times, Paul Harvey and even was mentioned by
Jay Leno on the Tonight Show.
Gallot Says Bypass Should Be Funded This Year
- I-69 Corridor Selection Also Discussed
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
State Representative Rick Gallot met
with J. T. Taylor, Pete Pearson, and Jerry Adkins Monday, February 16 to
discuss several transportation projects in Claiborne Parish, as well as a
number of proposed turn lanes. Taylor, who serves as president for the
Homer-Claiborne Chamber of Commerce said his main concern was the Homer Bypass
but he would also like to see turn lanes placed on the 4/10 mile of road
between Brookshire's and Wal-Mart, at the intersection of Alt. 2 and Hwy. 79 in
Haynesville, and on the north and south lanes only of Hwy. 79 at the
intersection of La. 2 next to Linder Motor Lodge.
Pete Pearson, member of the Homer Industrial Board, said he had
been working on the Homer Bypass, or the Homer Truck
Route as he preferred to call it, since the early 1980s. At that time, it was
supposed to be in the 5-year priority project schedule. It has since been
through several governors and it is time the project was completed.
As Vice-Chairman of House and Governmental Affairs, Gallot said he had been invited to meet with Governor
Kathleen Blanco two weeks ago. At that time he stressed the importance of
completing the Homer Bypass project. He feels confident that the funding for
the Bypass will be allocated in this year's budget which means the bids will be
let in May or June.
Homer Council Votes To
Go With One Supervisor
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Councilman Jesse Ford recommended the Homer Town Council make
some key personnel changes at a Special Called Meeting held Monday, February
16. He said he did not want to have to lay off any employees, but he felt
changes were needed. He recommended demoting Vivian "Bubba" Moffitt,
Ryan Webb, and Hosea Monroe with a deduction in their pay and promoting Thomas
Ridley to Public Works Supervisor, overseeing all departments. Ford hoped these
changes would correct some of the problems with communication, workmanship, and attitudes, but he
said, "If this doesn't work, we may have to go further."
Billy Kirk Jenkins suggested the Council delay making a decision
for five weeks. He wanted to give the Town crew a list of priorities in each
district and see how they handled them over the next five weeks before making
any changes.
Ford cited a number of reasons for the changes including the
disrespect Town employees showed the Council, trying to tell the Council what
to do. He said, "The previous administration made several personnel
changes, from superintendent to public works to foreman, with no objections
from employees, but every time this Council tries to make a decision, the
employees are trying to tell us what to do."
At the last meeting, the Council voted to cancel the contract
with American Wastewater Management only to discover the problem was with the drying
beds. The Town had been contacted several times in past months to haul the
sludge off, but it had not been done. This caused the sludge to spill over the
edge of the drying beds when it rained and flow into the creek.
The Council approved Ford's motion by a vote of 4 to 1, with
Jenkins voting against.
Dr. Fred Thomas Jones_Progressive
Trailblazer
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
February is Black History Month. In Claiborne Parish, there have
been many accomplishments made by its black citizens, both past and
present, but there is one former resident who left his mark on the world of
medicine. His name was Dr. Fred Thomas Jones.
He was an outstanding individual who accomplished much at the turn of
the century, especially for a black man...yet little is known of him in
Claiborne Parish.
Jones was born in Homer in 1877, the son of Fred R. and Harriet
Jones. In the book written by Marie Jones Griffin, she described Dr. Jones as a
black trailblazer. According to some of the writings found in his unfinished
paper written in 1917 entitled The Progressive Man, Dr. Jones said "one of
the most beautiful phenomena of man is to be progressive."
.
As a black physician at the turn of the twentieth century, Jones
was not only progressive, he was a pioneer in the field.
He began his medical practice in Houma, but out of concern for his safety, he
was soon escorted
out of town by some of his white friends who also happened to be some of his
patients. His wife and children would join him later. He moved to Shreveport where
he organized Mercy Hospital.
Citizens Urged To Contact State And Federal Legislators:
State Representative Rick Gallot
800-676-2111 or 318-251-5018
P. O. Box 1117
Ruston, LA 71273
Email: larep011@legis.state.la.us
State Senator Robert Barham
318-728-6830
P. O. Box 249
Rayville, LA 71269
Email: barhamr@legis.state.la.us
State Senator Robert Adley
800-878-8005
716 Main Street
Minden, LA 71055
Email: adleyr@legis.state.la.us
Senator John Breaux
United States Senate
503 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4623
E-mail: senator@breaux.senate.gov
Senator Mary Landrieu
724 Hart Senate Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5824
Email Web Form: landrieu.senate.gov/webform.html
U.S. Congressman Jim McCrery
(202) 225-2777 or (318) 798-2254
2104 Rayburn
House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-2777
Website: http://mccrery.house.gov/
***
Bruce Easterly
DOTD
District
Administrator
800-762-1852
P.O. Box 38
Shreveport, LA 71161
Piney Hills Legislators Economic
Development Initiative
Winter Meeting - Wednesday, February 25,
Homer
The winter meeting of the Piney Hills Legislators Economic
Development Initiative will be held at Claiborne Electric just south of Homer
on Wednesday, February 25. Former Senator Randy Ewing will serve as moderator.
Among the topics to be addressed will be reversing the depletion of the Sparta
Aquifer, creative uses of North Louisiana wood, other values of North Louisiana
lakes and forests, recreation, tourism and retirement, road plans and projects
in the North Hills of Louisiana. Presenters will include USGS Hydrologist Ben
McGee; Dr. James Robert Michael; Olevia MacDonald, Manaer Environmental Services for Smurfit Stone; Benjamin
Winn P.E.; Buck Vandersteen, Director of the La.
Forestry Assoc.; Lynn Warnock, Marketing Director for the Webster Parish
Visitors Commission; DOTD District Adminstrator Bruce
Easterly; Steve Blackwelder P.E., and Lee Underwood
with Balar Engineers.
