Wednesday, January 22, 2020
With bad roads all over Sabine Parish, did you hear the latest the Police Jury has done? At their meeting Jan. 15, the Jury voted to purchase the Dixie Youth Ballpark at Converse for $71,000. You read correctly. Juror Ricky Sepulvado of District 7 told the Jury the ball park was appraised at about $140,000. And the purchase price will come from the Jury’s General Fund, not the Converse Road District Fund.
From reports, the previous landowner let the community use the land and interested citizens made the improvements on it. Tedd Dumas and I looked at the ball park Monday and were not impressed with what we saw. It looks dilapidated. Then we drove just a short way to Converse High, and there we found several well-maintained ball fields. So just how many ball parks does Converse need?
It is interesting to note that the three pieces of property involved total about nine and one-half acres and title was transferred to Tracy McComic last July. Under re-appraisal the three parcels were valued at $46,390, with a tax bill of $472.52. It would be interesting to know what led up to the sale to the Jury.
On top of the purchase price, the Jury will have the cost of maintaining and making improvements to the ball park, insurance, electricity and other costs.
Only one Police Juror voted against the purchase – Bo Stewart of Florien. We laud him for making a stand. During discussion, he asked, “How much money are we going to make out of the deal?” The response was, “None.” While Stewart said he is for helping the youth in the parish, first and foremost he is for improving the appalling roads we have.
So, knowing all this begs that the question be asked: “Are all the other districts in the parish going to get $71,000?” If I was a Juror, I would certainly propose that the Jury give me $71,000 for my district. In the name of fairness, how could they refuse?
Bruce Taylor, a successful Sabine Parish dirt contractor and frequent critic of the Jury’s operations, said: “I’m all for helping the youth, but what about trying to get an ambulance down a deplorable Sabine Parish road to take an elderly person to the hospital? Converse has nice ball fields at the school. Why not use them? What about other towns in the parish? Will the Jury give them $71,000 to buy ball fields or some other project? Bo Stewart has backbone, and I am proud of him standing up for the people’s needs for better roads. I hope the people will support him and let him know his stand is appreciated. He has ‘True Grit.’”
And Bruce concluded with a quote from Clint Eastwood: “Sometimes you look at people and wonder how they fit all that stupid in one head.”
In another matter, Bo Stewart questioned the parliamentary procedure used by the Jury in electing new officers on Jan. 2. According to Stewart, Clerk of Court Tammy Foster swore in the Jury. Jurors were seated, with the exception of Stewart and Jeff Gilligan Davidson. Old President Ronny Bison handed over his gavel and told a member, “Here you go, boss,” as it had already been decided that person would become president. District Attorney Don Burkett told Observations it was his opinion that Bison should play no part since he was no longer on the Jury.
After what appeared to be an appointment of the new president by Bison, Stewart said Secretary Bill Weatherford told the Jurors the matter needed to be brought up for a vote. The floor was not open for nominations, as is specified in Robert’s Rules of Order. The vote was to elect the person that Bison had handed the gavel to. A voice vote was taken.
Stewart and Davidson had not been seated at that time and Weatherford told the Jurors that the new members needed to be seated and they were. Stewart said the same procedure was followed in electing the vice-president. According to reports, it was as if the officers inherited their new positions.
And in other matters, Stewart was invited to attend some kind of ethics training seminar in Baton Rouge and he did not go because he said DA Burkett was going to conduct such a seminar in Many at no cost. He said in essence, “Put the money on the roads, not for meetings.” Stewart also declined the invitation to attend another conference. Wonder if any other Juror declined.
We salute Bo Stewart for taking a stand for the people and the people’s interests. We know he will stay the course and try to do the right thing. He will work for better roads. And he’s a good musician.
Sabine Sheriff Ronny Richardson announced last week that the Sheriff’s Office arrest reports will no longer be posted on the Department’s Facebook page. In the past, the mug shot and information about each arrest was provided.
“Regretfully, there has been too much drama, threats and ugly speech,” the Sheriff wrote. “We are suspending the arrest reports at this time.” The solution is very simple: just don’t allow the general public to post comments on the arrests. That is an easy fix on Facebook page privacy settings.
Seems to us the arrest info on Facebook provides valuable information to the citizens of Sabine. It is good to know those who have been arrested, see their faces and know what their alleged crimes are. We are safer for it. Business people certainly want to know this information as do people who live in an area where burglaries and other crimes are taking place.
We hope Sheriff-Elect Aaron Mitchell and his new Chief Deputy Brad Walker will re-examine this matter and choose to provide the public this information when they take office in July. And we hope they will also make plans to let the public know what else is going on within the Sheriff’s Department. Transparency is totally necessary.
Signs Along Life’s Highway
Saw this on a passageway door on the Port Bolivar Ferry between the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston, TX.
Picture of the Past
It was Nov. 21, 1978 that we held an Appreciation Banquet for Congressman Joe D. Waggonner Jr. who was retiring. He called a meeting of supporters in Shreveport in the Spring of 1978. District Attorney James Lynn Davis and I attended, thinking he was going to announce that he would seek re-election. How surprised we were when he said he would not run again. He was a jewel of a person, down-to-earth, hard-working and a fine Christian man. I got together with Joe Lowrey, Boots Hayes and others, and we put together an Appreciation Banquet in his honor. Joe Lowrey is shown making a presentation to the Congressman during the well-attended event.
Sales tax collections in Sabine Parish for the School Board, Police Jury and Sheriff increased by $2,991,316.61 in 2019 over 2018, according to Tax Collector Nolan Rivers.
The School Board collected $9,797,916.73 for an increase of $1,600,551.70 over 2018. This does not include additional taxes collected for the school districts. The Police Jury collected $4,896,396.64 for a gain of $795,628.54. The Sheriff took in $3,670,329.17, for a gain of $595,136.37.
Always friendly, always smiling, always helpful – those are our friends, Lori and Samantha Arnold.
Lori works at the new Brookshire’s location where Market Basket used to be. In fact, Lori’s been a faithful employee at that grocery for years, even way back when it was Big Star.
And you’ll meet Lori’s daughter Samantha at Walgreens. She has worked there a long, long time and is always upbeat, always busy taking care of customers.
My wife Laurie was talking with Lori a few days ago as she checked out with groceries, and Lori was her smiling self as usual. But come to find out, Lori’s home was badly damaged in the last big storm we had through here.
“The storm rolled a part of our roof back,” Lori explained. The manufactured home’s extensive damage left big holes in the roof and ceilings. During the recent rains and cold weather, it has been a challenge for the Arnolds to stay dry and warm, even though the roof is now tacked back down and temporarily covered.
“I’ve got someone coming to look to see about putting a new roof over everything,” Lori said.
When my wife asked if a gofundme page had been set up yet, Lori said, “No,” and explained she wasn’t really comfortable with the concept and is not technology savvy.
We get it. Lori is old school (and so are we!) when it comes to asking for or accepting help, but gofundme exists in part for exactly the kind of emergency this family’s had.
Monday night, my wife saw Lori’s daughter Samantha at Walgreens and was relieved to learn Samantha has now started a gofundme page, especially helpful since the family’s home is not covered by insurance.
Please go to gofundme.com and put “Samantha Arnold, Many, LA” in the search tool to find the fundraiser. We noticed she has requested only a modest amount compared to how much it will likely take to get the holes repaired and a new roof properly built.
Of special concern is a large 8-foot hole in Samantha’s sister’s room. “My sister has epilepsy and is mentally challenged,” Samantha explained.
To help you locate the fundraiser, here is an image of the gofundme listing for the Arnold family home damage:
This hardworking mother and daughter are facing a major, unexpected home expense through no fault of their own. They did not ask us to share their emergency or fund raising effort, but we felt when folks learned of it, they would want to help. And it is a great blessing to live here in Sabine Parish. Our people are truly as kind and loving as they come.
We plan to donate to this very worthy gofundme project. And we ask you to please give any amount you can. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Movies in Many is beginning 2020 with the classic Disney movie “Lady and the Tramp.” It will play this Saturday night, Jan. 25, at the Many Community Center. The FREE movie will start at 7 p.m. It’s a movie that the whole family, including small children, will love.
Parents need to know that “Lady and the Tramp” is one of the milder Disney titles, with no clear villain, so it’s an age-appropriate choice for younger viewers who are ready for a feature-length movie. There are a few scenes that are potentially scary, including a climactic scene where the dogs try to protect a baby who’s threatened by a beady-eyed rat and an accident scene where a secondary character appears to be dead, but then later appears mildly injured. The Siamese cats are more mischievous than mean, but they can seem creepy to young kids (they also embody some dated stereotypes.) Romance is a theme throughout, with the two main characters ending up together raising puppies.
In “Lady and the Tramp,” Lady is a pampered cocker spaniel of a couple she knows as “Jim Dear” and “Darling.” When Lady’s owners have a baby, Lady is apprehensive, but Jim Dear and Darling assure her that she’s still important to them. The couple goes away, and Aunt Sarah arrives, with her nasty Siamese cats, to care for the baby. The cats make a mess of the living room and Lady gets the blame. Aunt Sarah puts Lady in a muzzle, and Lady, hurt and humiliated, runs away. She meets Tramp, who finds a way to get the muzzle off, and the two share some romantic adventures.
This animated film takes the classic romantic story of two individuals from different sides of the tracks and turns it into a delightful musical kids’ tale that all ages can enjoy. With memorable songs and sweet characters, “Lady and the Tramp” taps into issues that will resonate with kids (like being neglected after a new baby arrives) and classic tropes (like love across class lines).
Start 2020 off right by enjoying “Lady and the Tramp” at the Many Community Center on Jan.25.
Movies in Many is sponsored by Many Mayor Ken Freeman, the Many City Council and the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee.
A special thank you to Town of Many Alderman at Large Mary Brocato for the above article.
I welcome your thoughts and ideas for future articles. Please send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com or call (318) 332-8653. I’d love to hear from you. To see old, archived Observations, visit our Facebook page, where they are listed under Photo Albums by date. To see newer ones, follow the pages below. To send, save or print this week’s column, click on the appropriate icon below. As always, thanks for your faithful readership.
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