Board Moves Ahead On Homer School Project

Authorizes Purchase Of Pearson Property To Locate Junior High

BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal

            The Claiborne Parish School Board voted unanimously to move ahead with the Homer School project by approving the recommendation of Superintendent James Scriber to purchase the two homes owned by O. P. "Pete" Pearson on Bonner Street for the purpose of relocating the site of the Homer Junior High campus and to pursue the purchase of the house to the south of the Pearson property pending all legal approval.

            At the regular board meeting on Thursday, October 7, Scriber told the Board he had met the previous week at Homer High School with Board Member Blake Hemphill, Oversight Committee Members Bill Owens and David Aubrey, Homer Principals Clifton Lewis, Dwight Mitchell and Gurtha Capers; and Maintenance Supervisor Ronnie McKenzie. They walked off the area behind the school to determine the actual location for the junior high building and realized it was going to be difficult to fit the one-story building on the campus.

            Scriber said the cash on hand in the District 13 maintenance fund is $479,500, less $69,000 needed to replace the chiller at Homer High. January collections are expected to bring in about $225,000 for a total of $613,000. If the Board sets aside $300,000 to purchase all three properties, that will leave $313,000 in District 13, plus $2.8 million in available bond funds for the construction of the junior high building.

            Scriber said Parker said, in his opinion, this was the best thing the Board could do. All three Homer principals and Asst. Superintendent Sherman Brown agreed. Brown said, "I wish this had been an option last year. I think we could have been well on our way right now." This will also relieve some concerns about security at the other location. He said, "I think it is just a great opportunity."

            Scriber told the Board he would like to have the bid in by early April of next year, to give the Board several months if needed before the August deadline to commit the bond money.

SUPERINTENDENT JAMES SCRIBER recently met with Homer Principals Dwight Mitchell, Clifton Lewis, and Gurtha Capers; Oversight Committee Chairmen David Aubrey and Bill Owens; School Board Member Blake Hemphill and Maintenance Supervisor Ronnie McKenzie to discuss the best location for the Homer Junior High building on the Homer High School campus.

Jury Requests Funds For Water Systems,

Road Improvements

BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal

            The Claiborne Parish Police Jury at their regular meeting October 7 approved a resolution to support a request for $75,000 in Rural Development Grant funds to be used for improvements on five parish water systems. In order of priority, improvements would be 1) to furnish and install iron filters and chemical feed equipment at the Central Claiborne Water System Hwy. 520 pump station in an effort to correct the problems being created by the iron-laden water and low pH, 2) furnish and install a standby electrical generator at the Ford Road well and a smaller generator at the Leatherman Creek pump station for the Leatherman Creek Water System serving about 167 families, 3) install a standby electrical generator at the Norton Shop Water System well which serves about 135 families, 4) install a new well pump and meter assembly in the No. 1 well in the Ward Nine Water System which serves about 75 families, and 5) install an automatic switchover type chlorination system for the Leton Water System.

            Alf Pike, President of Central Claiborne Water System, presented samples of water drawn at the home of Roscoe Bursey on September 30. The addition of chemicals showed some improvement but the hot water was still slightly discolored. He said the filter system was the best solution and would correct the problem.

            The Jury approved, by a vote of 7-2, to submit an application for 2005-2006 Capital Outlay funds for projects on Stateline Road, Lewis Way Road, and Spigener Road. Estimated costs for 1.65 miles on Lewis Way was $49,825 and $90,591 for 3 miles on Stateline Road.

Citizen Group Starts Second Recall Effort

BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal

            After more than 18 months gathering signatures and fighting court battles in an effort to recall Homer Mayor Huey Dean, Recall Chairman Lurry Crew, Vice-Chairman Maxine Wilson and the Citizens for Human Rights Committee are back at square one. On October 1, 2004, the group filed paperwork with the Secretary of State office to start a new recall effort. This time they will have until March 29, 2005 to gather signatures on the petition. They will need one-third of the town's 1,993 active registered voters, or 664 names, for Governor Blanco to call an election.

            Crew and Wilson say they won't make the same mistakes this time. Crew now lives inside the city limits and they will provide copies of signatures on the petition when Dean requests them. They say they are committed to having Dean removed from office and insist it is not a racial issue. They cite a number of problems from Dean's lack of leadership to the Town's financial problems.

            Dean, on the other hand, says things are beginning to look up for the Town. He expects to have updated financial figures soon. Town Treasurer Shenovia Harris has been entering data into the new computer system since the old system crashed earlier this year. Once the figures are reconciled, they hope to have CPA Carlos Martin prepare an updated financial report. Martin agrees with Dean that delays in getting financial figures updated are due to the relatively new office staff who are in the process of learning a new computer program.

            State Legislative auditors are expected to release a report later this month on the audit recently conducted for the nine months in 2003 between April and December.

            Dean said they are also working to resolve a number of other issues, such as problems with the Town's wastewater treatment plant. The Town is under a second administrative order from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for not meeting the plant's discharge permits. Dean said the Town was awarded a Louisiana Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $860,900 in July to correct the operational deficiencies and address the recurring violations of the permit.

            Jim Hagan with Balar Engineers said his company is in the process of designing renovations to the wastewater treatment plant to eliminate the costly, complex system the Town is presently using and replace it with a more efficient plant, one that is easier and less costly to operate. Bids should go out sometime after January and the project should be completed by the end of next year.

            Mayor Dean said he plans to meet with Hagan, Marios Papadopoulos, (General Manager for American Wastewater Management who presently oversees the treatment plant), and representatives from DEQ on Friday, October 29 to address the Town's non-compliance order.

DART Vigil...Why We Remember

BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal

            Statistics gathered in 2002 show that Louisiana ranks second in the nation in murders committed by men against women and most of those murders were committed by either a husband or an intimate partner. Last Thursday, D.A.R.T., the  area's Domestic Abuse Resistance Team, held a candlelight vigil as they do every year in October, to remember the names of those who have died in this area as a result of domestic violence.

            This year the red silhouettes of 18 women and 4 children were placed on the lawn of the Claiborne Parish Courthouse, three more than the previous year, as a reminder of those who have been tragically killed as a result of domestic violence in this area.  During the vigil held at First Baptist Church in Homer, the names of those victims were read aloud.

            Mary Ellen Gamble, Community Advocate for Claiborne D.A.R.T.,  said, "It is so vitally important that we always remember and never forget what happened to these women and children." Of these 18 victims, the oldest was 42 and the youngest was 19 months. Most were killed with a gun, however, two were stabbed to death. Most were killed by an ex-boyfriend or estranged husband, and all four children were killed by a parent.

            Since DART opened their outreach office in Claiborne Parish, they have served almost 100 women and children, not to mention the numerous phone calls they get from women seeking information on how to get out of a really bad situation. The community must continue to work together and do everything it can to make sure no new names are added to the list.

THE DOMESTIC ABUSE RESISTANCE TEAM held their annual candlelight vigil held at First Baptist Church in Homer on Thursday, October 7 to remember the victims of domestic abuse in the five parishes served by DART. DART staff members who attended the vigil were (l-r) Aarin Austin, former Child Advocate for Claiborne DART; Terrie Queen Autrey, DART founder and volunteer; Cathy Ayo, DART Executive Director; Pam Dance, DART statistician and volunteer; Mary Ellen Gamble, Community Advocate for Claiborne DART; and Wanda James, DART Legal Advocate.

SILENT WITNESSES - EACH RED SILHOUETTE represents one of 18 women and 4 children tragically killed as a result of domestic violence in North Central Louisiana since 1997.  During a candlelight vigil held at First Baptist Church last week, the names of each victims was read aloud.  Ann McLemore... Angela Nash... Felicia McPeters... Donna Mackens... Phyllis Williams... Cindy Carson... Dewander Bennett... Shakera Modest... Pat Ratliff... Tilanda P. Graham... Mary Haddox... Betty Easter... Felicia Champion Whatley... Stephanie Pepper Sims... Julie Brown... Sherlyn Dixon... Pamela Ford... Melanie Baker.... Miranda Salley... Hailey Stripling... Brooke Stripling... Rebel McCleskey.

Hill Farm Sets Record For October Rainfall

            With more than half a month to go, the Hill Farm Research Station has recorded a record rainfall for the month of October. According to Nancy Boddie, lab technician at the Hill Farm who records the rainfall and temperature, 16.23 inches of rain has been recorded this month, the most over the past weekend, October 9-11, 2004.

The rainfall recorded so far in October is as follows:

            October 5        0.52 inches

            October 8        1.98 inches

            October 9        5.70 inches

            October 10      5.92 inches

            October 11      2.11 inches

            The record for rainfall in October had previously been set in 1984 when 13.83 inches of rain fell. The low month on record was in 1950 when no rainfall was recorded the entire month. The only other October with rainfall over ten inches was in 1985 when they recorded 11.63 inches of rain. Since 1950 when they began keeping records, the average rainfall for October has been 3.43 inches.

            As of October 1, 2004, the total yearly rainfall at the Hill Farm was 46.01 inches. As of October 11, that total is 59.24 inches for the year and we are only midway through October. This is still more than 20 inches below the record set in 1991 of 79.78 inches. In April of that year, 26.79 inches of rain fell during one 24-hour period.

            The total rainfall recorded at the Hill Farm Research Station so far for 2004 is already almost six inches above the area's average yearly rainfall of 53.43 inches.

            Boddie said this rainfall is the result of a depression named Matthew. She hopes Mark, Luke and John won't follow.

Healthy Citizens Asked To Forego Flu Shots

Shots Should Be Available For At-Risk Persons October 25

            Following last week's announcement that the United States faces a flu vaccination shortage this year, Louisiana public health officials are encouraging healthy citizens to do without their vaccines to ensure immunization of the most at-risk residents.

            Dr. Martha Whyte, the medical director over nine parishes in the Shreveport area including Claiborne, said because the flu vaccine is expected to be in short supply this year and they are limiting the shots, she expects everyone will want the shot. Public health units will be following the recommendation of the OPH (Office of Public Health) in Baton Rouge and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)  in Atlanta to limit the shots to at-risk residents only.

            People who are classified as priority groups for the flu vaccine are:

                        ∙ all children aged 6-23 months

                        ∙ adults aged 65 years and older

                        ∙ people aged 2-64 years with underlying chronic medical conditions

                        ∙ all women who will be pregnant during influenza season

                        ∙ residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities

                        ∙ children 6 months-18 years of age on chronic aspirin therapy

                        ∙ health-care workers with direct patient care

                        ∙ out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children aged less than six months

Halloween Hayride Lake Claiborne State Park

Saturday, , October 23 ∙ 7-9 PM

Lake Claiborne State Park will hold a "Halloween Hayride in the Park" on Saturday, October 23, as part of their Halloween night festivities. Hayrides will begin every 15 minute from 7-9 PM. There will also be a "Best Scary Display" contest and a "Best Dressed Goblin" contest. Deadline to register for the Display contest is October 20. Judging will take place October 23 from 6:00-7:30 PM. The "Best Dressed Goblin" contest is for the following age categories: 0-5; 6-8; and 9-11. All contest winners will be announced at 8 PM. Admission to the park is $2 per vehicle for up to four persons and 50 cents for each additional person. Senior citizens, 62 or over, are admitted free of charge. For more information, call 1-888-677-2524 (toll-free) or 927-2976 in Homer area. 

NOTICE: Deadline For Advertisements

No Later Than 5 p.m. On Mondays

All display and legal advertisements for The Guardian-Journal must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Monday of the week in which it is to appear. Classified ads will be received until 12 p.m (noon) on Tuesday prior to the Thursday publication date. Thank you for your cooperation.