2011 Profile

PProfile Edition 2011rofile Edition 2011The people, businesses, industry and

governments of western St. Mary Parish

St. Mary Parish turns 200This year ’s version of our annual Profile Edition

touches on the history of our area as St. Mary Parishmakes plans to celebrate its 200th birthday with twoevents.

In the spirit of the occasion, the Banner presents a fewartilces pulled from our long-ago 1959 “Historical andProgress Edition.”

St. Mary Parish became a parish in 1811 and two cele-brations are scheduled to commemorate the anniversary.

One will be in Patterson on July 9 and one in Franklinon Oct. 14-16.

The second celebration in Franklin will include a Tourof Homes, Cemetery Tour and storytelling performanceby Techeland Arts Council. This weekend will highlightthe history and the people of the parish.

The first event being organized is a Birthday Bash at

Kemper Williams Park on July 9 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.Music, food, kids activities, a birthday cake and fire-works will complete the day.

Flashback, an eight member band playing old schoolrock and roll and blues, will play from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.Johnny Chauvin and the Mojo Band will play from 6:30p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Johnny Chauvin and the Mojo Banddescribe themselves as Louisiana’s coolest Zydeco band.Their sound is a lot like gumbo: a mixture of R&B, rock& roll and soul cooked up with that zydeco spice that’sguaranteed to make you move your feet.

A brief ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. to highlightsome of St. Mary Parish’s earliest residents and historyand present the birthday cake.

Fireworks will start immediately following JohnnyChauvin’s performance.

There will be fun jumps and other kids activities dur-ing the event. Soft drinks, beer and food will be soldthroughout the event. The event is free to the public.

In conjunction with the birthday celebration, St. MaryParish will be sponsoring its second annual Spring intoWellness event from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This will be heldin the same area as the other activities.

Activities for the Wellness Day include face painting,a coloring contest, free fruit bags, silent auction, a kids’bingo, money raffles, a kids’ golf putting contest, aschool supply basket raffle, healthy eating and physicalactivity promotion and other activities.

If you have questions or would like to participate inthe Wellness Day or Birthday Bash, contact TammyDoucet at 828-4100, Ext. 504 or Carrie Stansbury at(985) 395-4905.

Birthday celebrations planned in July and October

Franklin: Live here, raise a family, retire, it’s the bestIt’s the best place to live,

best place to raise childrenand best place to retire.

That’s how Mayor Ray-mond Harris sums up theCity of Franklin.

“Franklin’s still a commu-nity without a lot of violentcrime,” he said. “The pace oflife is great. I don’t think youcan go anywhere and find abetter situation.”

The people are good, thecity is progressive and mov-ing forward and has much tooffer, he said.

“We’re not far away frombig cities, but you don’t havethe problems you find in bigcities,” Harris said. “Youdon’t get stuck in traffic inFranklin. I can’t say youwon’t get robbed at gunpoint,but it very seldom happens.We just don’t have a lot ofthe headaches of the biggercities. You can go make moremoney, but the cost of living(elsewhere) is higher, too.”

The best thing about asmall community likeFranklin is “everybodyknows each other. Guestsfrom out of town are amazedhow everyone speaks, knowseach other on a first-namebasis.”

Harris said the down-home, friendly Southern hos-pitality makes Franklin out-standing, along with thecharm of Main Street, andthe historic district, makepeople fall in love with“things we pass every dayand take for granted. I’mproud to be from Franklin.”

The city continues to em-bark on ways to make thecommunity even better.

Harris said final comple-

tion of water plant rehabili-tation is ready. That $2.7 mil-lion renovation has been on-going since 2004 but “it’s aproject who’s culmination wecelebrate. We feel good aboutthe shape the plant is in, nowwe’re going to turn our atten-tion to other things as relat-ed to the water system.”

The city was successful ininstalling a road, Boro Lane,and water service for GulfCraft’s expansion on theCharenton Navigation andDrainage Canal, both ofwhich have also aided Sun-rise Fleet Service nearby.“Sunrise looks like it’s doinga lot of business these daysand we anticipate Gulf Craftcoming online in the next 12

to 18 months,” Harris said.“We feel good, that’s someeconomic development outthere. We also addressed theintersection of NorthwestBoulevard and ChatsworthRoad, we were able to makesome repairs there.”

Harris said he thinks theCharenton canal is “very un-derrated. You can get out ofthere to the Gulf, there’s landavailable around it, and Ithink the adjacency to Bald-win and Franklin is wherethe labor force is. It’s closerto the highway and the rail-road, as well. When you talkto people about the port, theysay it’s in the boonies, youhave to get off the highway toget to it. At the Charenton

Canal, you’re on the highwayin minutes. That’s the thingthat makes that area so at-tractive, and I think GulfCraft saw that and took ad-vantage of that.”

Additional developmentalong the canal could spurjob creation in the area,which Harris said he is hope-ful for.

“We are committed to see-ing this develop,” he said.“Eventually there’ll be resi-dents for the industrial parkas well.”

The mayor said there areat least three drainage proj-ects to begin constructionwithin the next year.

Rights of way letters willbe going out soon to property

owners along the YokelyCanal for a deepening andwidening project long in theworks. The canal drainssome 6,000 acres of land inthe vicinity.

“I think that project isprobably the next thing onour agenda,” Harris said.

The south Willow Streetdrainage project has beenfunded by the parish, Harrissaid, and the city is awaitingdistribution of that $600,000in funding.

Also on tap is a drainageproject on Hanson and Perretstreets, and that $400,000project is also anticipated.

“About $2.5 million in proj-ects is going to be done,” Har-ris said.

He also hopes that con-struction will begin late thissummer or early fall on thesidewalks around localschools.

“That’s a smaller projectthat we’ve been a long timeworking on,” Harris said.

The city is also workingwith state Rep. Sam Jones(D-Franklin) for state fund-ing of $3.3 million to rebuildthe pumping system fordrainage in Pecan Acres. “Wehave a good application, sowe’re waiting to hear fromthat,” Harris said. “That’s theonly project that the money’snot in the bank yet. I wouldlove to get those fourdrainage projects done thisterm.”

Harris said the local areawas not impacted by the na-tional economic downturn somuch as others. “I’ve beenvery conservative in manag-ing the city’s revenues andthe council has supported mein that,” he said. “This sum-mer’s going to be my tough-est management trip. We’vegot reserves built up, but wehave $400,000 in bills frompreparing for the flood. It’sgoing to be a tough summerfor us. Something wentwrong with one of our pump-ing stations that we didn’tanticipate. This summer isthreatening to deplete ourreserves and you never wantto be in that position. We’regoing to make it, I’m notscared, but we’re going tohave to watch our pennies.”

The city expects to be re-imbursed 75 percent of floodprevention costs, Harrissaid. A $2.7 million overhaul of the city water plant is wrapping up

By FAY G. BROWN(The Banner-Tribune, April 28, 1959)

If you’ve never heard the music of the calliope floating inthe air at five o’clock in the morning, nor rushed down to thebanks of the bayou to welcome the showboat, nor joined in theparade of the brass band down the streets of Franklin, thenyou have been robbed of some of the most cherished experi-ences of childhood.

For this was Franklin with bubbling laughter in its heart.Those were the days — a decade or so before 1900 and manyyears thereafter — when you had only to cross the bayou towitness a horse race, join friends at Evans Hall to attend atheatrical, or trip down the elevated walkway from theSchwan building to Evans Hall to waltz with your partner tothe strains of familiar songs. Children were not allowed onthis walkway; so when you were considered old enough to at-tend the dance with your escort, you held your breath in an-ticipation as you traveled across the walkway above thestreet, for the occasion marked the reaching of maturity.

Such priceless gems as these give you pause. They makeyou wonder why you could not have a leprechaun so that youcould flit from one decade to another and be a party of every-thing that was Franklin in the past. Certainly, excitementwas at a high pitch when the showboats came puff-ing down the Teche and landed at delaHoussaye’swharf. A parade, led by the boat’s brass band andfollowed by crowds of children, heralded the vaude-ville or the melodramatic play that was to be shownon the boat. And when the hour came for the pres-entation, you may be sure that the showboat waspacked and jammed with enthusiastic patrons. Cir-cuses came to town frequently in those days, too,and one of them was the big top of such a renownedcompany as Ringling Brothers.

The plays at Evans Hall were usually presentedon Sunday night. Mr. Evans, according to informa-tion by those who remember, looked like a cowboy,wore his hair long, and carried dirks and pistols inhis belt. On the corner near the building was an oldwell, no doubt a source of worry to parents. Proba-bly one used to furnish water for fires, or for horsesand cows; the well was later covered and boxed up,but parents were still fearful that the planks cover-ing the well might cave in and warned their chil-dren to stay away from this potential danger spot.

Race TrackThe race track, which has been the subject of

many conversations, had its inception in 1889,when T.J. Shaffer formed the St. Mary Parish Asso-ciation. The purpose of the group was to buy and

maintain a park, to make a race track, and to pro-

cure horses for racing. Over 350 shares were bought at tendollars per share by the citizens of Franklin and Cypremortto make the race track a reality. In 1904 the association madeexpensive improvements to their park across the bayou. Theone-half mile track was leveled off, several necessary build-ings were erected, and everything was put in first-class condi-tion. A grand opening, held May 1 that year, included runningand trotting races and a baseball game. The park activitieswere not confined, however, to horse racing, for in 1950 auto-mobile and motorcycle races were also held in the park.

St. Mary ClubJust three years after the organization of the park associa-

tion came the St. Mary Club, another group which played aprominent role in the entertainment world of Franklin. Theclub rooms, which occupied the second floor of the Schwanbuilding (present site of Blevins Motor Co.) comprised a largehallway, reception room and parlor, library and reading room,and a billiard hall and bar, all elaborately furnished. Theclub’s anniversary ball was the outstanding function of thissection of the sugar country. Upon these occasions the clubwas honored by the attendance of prominent people, includ-ing governors, senators, and others in public life. The invita-tions, floor cards, music caterers, and refreshments, all came

from New Orleans. L.B. Tarlton was at one time president ofthe club, and Dr. Beverly W. Smith was chairman of thearrangement committee. In 1898 the officers of the club wereW.B. Connolly, president; J.C. Mahone, vice president; J.C.Lewis, secretary; M. Bell, treasurer, and A.J. delaHoussaye,manager.

The St. Mary Club lapsed into inertia for a number of yearsbut was reorganized in 1905 with 61 charter members. Theofficers at this time were Adam Short, president; E.A. Han-son, vice president; T.M. Milling, secretary; H.S. Palfrey,treasurer; E.A. delaHoussaye and T.S. Bodin, directors.

Both of these groups were organized during the days of wa-tering troughs and hitching posts. Cattle roamed the streetsnight and day and ended up in the front yard of the residentsif gates were not kept closed.

Opera House Co.In about 1897 another organization was launched for the

amusement of Franklinites. The Franklin Opera House Co.,Ltd., was composed of eleven businessmen, including EdwardT. Hanson, president; A. Short, vice president; George S. Pal-frey, treasurer; Charles A. O’Niell, secretary; L.B. Tarlton,T.C. Lawless, J.N. Burguieres, Gus Burdon, A.M. Underwoodand John Baldwin.

The auditorium, which occupied an upstairs floor,was a building where the Lawless Building nowstands. It was said to be splendidly equipped with alarge stage, a curtain representing a scene inVenice, regular opera chairs, and incandescentlights. The seating capacity was 900.

Around 1900 there was also a St. Mary ExcursionClub, which arranged trips by boat to New Orleans,Belle Isle and other points of interest. Excursionscould be made, too, by Southern Pacific Railroad,and special rates were advertised from time totime. Other clubs for leisure activity included theSocial Club, the Euchre Club, the Card Club, theH.S.L. Society and the Self-Culture Club.

First MoviesIn 1913 the Opera House was built up by the

Lauve-Bodin Amusement Co., but prior to this timea silent movie had been shown in 1912 in anotherlocal building. During this era the Franklin publicwas treated to such well-known stars as LillianGish, Marguerite Clark, Charlie Chaplin, BillieBurke and Mary Pickford. The same corner uponwhich the Opera House was erected had in earlierdays been occupied by a general merchandise store,operated by Marcus Walker, and later by a grocerystore, operated by John A. O’Niell.The roof garden on

top of the Opera house

‘With bubbling laughter in its heart’: Old Franklin recalled

Continued on 1Independence Day, 1925, Franklin

(Courtesty Tony Scelfo)

Among areas of progressby St. Mary Parish govern-ment is anticipation of thereceipt of a $500,000 grantto enhance tourism.

The parish was awardedthe grant as its share of a$30 million grant to thestate from BP as a result ofthe Deepwater Horizon rigexplosion and oil spill inApril 2010.

Information from thestate tourism departmentestimates that the disasteris responsible for up to $700million in tourism lossesover the past year.

“This is funds to bringtourism back,” said parishPresident Paul Naquin. “Weworked closely with (St.Mary Tourism executive di-rector) Carrie Stansbury tocome up with a spendingplan to put a positive lighton attractions and facilitieswe have here in St. MaryParish.”

The plan is still under re-view and is awaiting ap-proval by the state and BP.Its focus is on the market-ing of assets in naturetourism, festivals and spe-cial events via televisioncommercials, print advertis-ing, radio, Internet ads andutilizing web technology.

Receipt of the funds willbe spread out over threeyears.

Activities and services inthe spending plan include:

—Parish video and com-mercials: Produce and de-velop a variety of videos in-cluding multiple 30-secondcommercials, a 60-secondcommercial, a 15-secondcommercial and three 5-minute promotionalvideos.

—Television advertis-ing placements in region-al market to promote theparish.

—Radio advertisingplacements in regionalmarket to promote theparish.

—Upgrade of both St.Mary Parish and CajunCoast Web sites.

—Audio tour of BayouTeche Scenic Bywaythrough St. Mary Parish

—Internet advertisingfor St. Mary Parish onthe Cajun Coast Website.

—Advertising for vari-ous festivals and events.

—Hosting an annualsporting event for threeyears.

—Paddling Trailbrochure update andreprint.

—Promotion of theAtchafalaya Golf Course,a member of the LouisianaAudubon Golf Trail via Website upgrade, update andreprint of brochure, adver-tisements on radio stations,print media, billboards, tel-evision/cable promotions,production of a 30-secondcommercial andcustomer/sales training.

“We’re appreciative thatBP stepped up to providethose dollars to the stateand parish,” Naquin said,“and appreciable to thestate for acknowledgingthat certain funds should beearmarked down to the locallevel for that purpose aswell.”

The parish also has beenallocated a $19.5 millioncommunity developmentblock grant related to Hur-ricanes Gustav and Ike forflood protection and damagemitigation by the LouisianaRecovery Authority. Pro-posed projects have been ap-proved and applications foreach are being prepared andsubmitted. The proposedprojects include:

—$2 million for low andmoderate income housingrehab with an average of$20,000 to $25,000 perhousehold. The applicationhas been approved and isunder environmental re-view. To date, 45 householdshave been determined as el-igible with funding avail-able for 95-100.

—Reconstruction of Mar-tin Luther King Street inMorgan City, $750,000; Pat-terson water plant harden-ing project, $350,000; repairof Jolivette, Lebeau and10th streets in Baldwin,$400,000; drainage im-provements that includeculvert upgrades and addi-tion of pumps in the areas ofsouth Willow Street andPecan Acres in Franklin,$1.2 million; replacementand flood proofing of the

Berwick City Wharf,$395,000.

—Flood protection proj-ects that include floodgateand levee improvements onYellow Bayou and HansonCanal, $6.2 million; Yokelylevee improvements, $5 mil-lion; Plantation pump sta-tion improvements in BayouVista, $750,000; and sewerlift station electrical retro-fits, $500,000.

Elsewhere Naquin saidrepairs at the Law Enforce-ment Center in Centervilleare under way.

In June last year, thecouncil adopted an ordi-nance on the issuance of$3.7 million in jail construc-tion refinancing bonds. Pro-ceeds are to pay off the con-struction debt bonds fiveyears early as well as pro-vide about $1 million forneeded improvements at thejail. Repayment of the newdebt is $425,000 per year ascompared to the former re-payment rate of $525,000.

So far, upgrade of thefresh air intake system atthe jail is complete and theparish will soon be goingout for bids on a new emer-gency generator and up-grades of the internal secu-rity system.

The council also has ap-proved the issuance of $6.8million in bonds from the 1-cent sales tax dedicated tocapital improvements onpublic buildings.

Buildings and projects onthe list include:

—Blevins building inFranklin: exterior water-

proofing and window re-painting ($127,218) andmodification and improve-ments to provide parish of-fices ($873,750).

—Courthouse: Extensiveexterior work ($891,225);redesign of entry canopy($215,525; window replace-ment ($563,394); elevatorand elevator lobby upgrades($681,525): parish officegeneral improvements onthe fifth floor ($116,500);general improvements onthe third, fourth and sixthfloors ($844,625); replace-ment and upgrades of HVACair boxes above ceilings onthe third, fourth and sixthfloors ($699,000); and boilerreplacement ($145,625).

—Whitney building inMorgan City: re-roofing andwaterproofing, $191,980.

—MC Senior Center: re-placement of metal roof andceilings, $188,148.

—Kemper Williams Park:gatehouse improvements,$110,675.

—Animal Control: facilityreplacement, $495,125.

—Old Tiger Den buildingin Franklin renovations,$116,500.

Other projects includethose being funded by theCoastal Impact AssistanceProgram. CIAP providesfederal funds to Outer Con-tinental Shelf oil and gasproducing states to mitigatethe impacts of the industry.

The projects totaling al-most $7 include the PointChevreuil shoreline protec-tion project, $1.9 millioncovering 4,250 feet of coastline around the point at thesouthern most tip of EastCote Blanche Bay; and theDeer Island Pass realign-ment, $2.7 million, whichincludes dredging a newnavigation channel at themouth of Deer Island Bayouto protect marsh land and

reduce siltation atAtchafalaya Bay. Naquinsaid preliminary designs onboth projects are completeand are in the permittingprocess with U.S. Corps ofEngineers.

The other projects includethe Burns Point shorelineproject, $1.01 million forprotection of the 8½-acrerecreational vehicle parkand campground at BayouSale Bay; the Thorguson-Berwick South Road proj-ect, $1.6 million, to widenand overlay the road usedas a main thoroughfare bythe oil and gas industry.

A contract on the BurnsPoint project was awardedto M. Matt Durand of St.Martinville. The project isnow complete and includesexpanded parking paid forwith a Breaux-Wallopgrant.

Construction on theThorguson Road project be-gan earlier this month.

CIAP monies are also par-tially funding the construc-tion of a $1.68 million newindustrial road in MorganCity between Second Streetand Federal Avenue insidethe seawall in an effort todivert industrial and com-mercial traffic away for res-idential neighborhoods.Funding for the project in-cludes $335,00 in state and$525,000 in parish CIAPfunds, and $820,000 in statecapital outlay funds.Naquin said the project willgo out for bids as soon asright-of-way acquisitionsnow in progress are com-plete.

In other areas, the parishhas been allocated hazardmitigation grants from theFederal Emergency Man-agement Agency as a resultof Hurricanes Gustav andIke in 2008. The grants re-quire a 25 percent match bythe local recipient.

Applications have beensubmitted to FEMA on thefollowing projects:

—$1 million for windretrofit projects of publicbuildings to protect from fu-ture damage. The grant willfund projects at the schoolboard Central Office Com-plex in Centerville,Franklin and Morgan Cityfire departments, theBlevins building inFranklin and the Office ofEmergency Preparedness’hangar and warehouse atHarry P. Williams MemorialAirport.

—$250,000 for construc-tion of “safe rooms” for staffat drainage pump stationsin Amelia and Morgan City.

—$2.5 million for upgradeof pump stations in theBerwick, Amelia and Mor-gan City areas.

—$1.5 million for eleva-tion of the North Bend,Gordy, Ellerslie and Toddpump stations all located offLa. 317 south of Center-ville.

Approved is $640,000 forelevation of critical equip-ment at the Courthouse inFranklin. The project, cur-rently under design, in-cludes relocating commu-nication equipment to thefirst floor and floodproof-ing the main mechanicalroom, both located in thebasement. Floodproofingwill include building a 3-to 4-foot high floodwall onthe rear of the Courthouseextending from the tunnelentries.

The parish has also re-ceived a $400,000 energyefficient competitive grantfrom the Department ofNatural Resources for re-placement of one of thecourthouse’s two chillerswith one more energy effi-cient. The project is nowunder way.

Boat landing improve-ment projects include:

—A $750,000 CDBG forfisheries infrastructure atJesse Fontenot MemorialBoat Launch at the end ofRiver Road in Berwick isstarting and consists of in-stallation of a large-vessel

mooring facility with elec-trical hookups and sewer-age disposal.

—Applications for Com-munity Development BlockGrants to construct a float-ing dock at Joe C. RussoMemorial Boat Launch onthe basin levee off of La. 70north of Morgan City andfor wharf improvements atthe R.J. Marcel MemorialBoat Landing in Ameliahave been approved. Theprojects are part of theCoastal Communities Fish-ery Recovery Program,which provided $400,000 forthe projects.

In closing, Naquin com-mended the parish councilfor working well together todraft the reapportionmentordinance adopted by thecouncil unanimously duringthe council’s first meetingin May. The task of redraw-ing voting district lines wasrequired due to populationshifts identified by in the2010 census.

Also of note, Naquin was

sworn in as the president ofthe Louisiana Police JuryAssociation in February.The political veteran whohas served the parish on ei-ther on the council or aspresident for 20 years is thefirst from St. Mary Parish

to the lead the state associa-tion.

At the same time, ChiefAdministrative Officer Hen-ry “Bo” LaGrange was elect-ed president of the Organi-zation of Parish Administra-tive Officials.

, The Banner-Tribune, Franklin, La., Wednesday, June 29, 2011, Profile Edition

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35 Years Experience

Parish plans tourism comeback, touts infrastructure work

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE Burns Pointcampground on Bayou Sale Bay were com-pleted in late 2010 by the St. Mary ParishCouncil. The $1.01 million shoreline stabi-lization project was funded by the parishthrough the Coastal Impact Assistant Pro-gram. The project, constructed by M. Matt

Durand LLC of St. Martinville, also includesexpanded boat launch parking paid for witha Breaux-Wallop grant. The campgroundoffers swimming, fishing, picnic tables withshelters, a public boat launch and electricity,water and sewer hookups for 34 RVcampers.

THOUGHT TO BE the second courthouse for St. Mary Parish,this photo was taken around 1900 by C.G. Lyman. This is notthe building that was torn down to construct the existing court-house, but existed before that. (Courtesy Tony Scelfo)

Things are looking goodfor 2011 in Baldwin.

“Baldwin is a good commu-nity to live in,” Mayor WayneBreaux said. “We’ve always

taken an approach to try andgive the citizens the best val-ue for their tax dollars.”

Breaux is seeing the cul-mination of several projects

ready to start off from grantsacquired in the last year.

“During the past year, wewere fortunate to receive anumber of grants from dif-ferent sources,” he said. “Wereceived a $1 million capitaloutlay grant from the stateto build a new fire station.The fire department has out-grown their present facility.We had applied for a numberof years, and were fortunateto receive one last year. Theengineering and design is inthe process of being doneand hopefully will be bid inthe next 90 days or so.”

The location will be at theold Baldwin ElementarySchool, Breaux said, whichwas acquired from the St.Mary Parish School Board.

Breaux said the funds willbuild the equipment hous-ing, and then use some of theexisting school such as thecafeteria and classrooms forother fire department pur-poses.

“What we will be using is

strictly the back portion,that leaves the entire frontportion for some future de-velopment or even rental,”he said.

Baldwin also received a$700,000 housing rehabilita-tion grant. The project iscurrently in the processingstage of environmental re-views and taking applica-tions in the target area ofBranch Street.

“That paperwork shouldbe completed within the next30 days, and the projectshould begin within 60days,” Breaux said.

There will be nine homesrenovated or rebuilt.

The mayor said a $35,000grant from the LouisianaGovernmental AssistanceProgram is dedicated tobuild a fire substation underthe U.S. 90 overpass at Mar-tin Luther King Street. Ne-gotiations are ongoing withthe state for use of thatproperty.

“It will house a fire truck

in that area and takes awaythe problem with the rail-road (train traffic) blockingaccess in an emergency,”Breaux said.

Those sales tax collectionsmentioned have seen an in-crease. “Not to the extentthat they were in previousyears, but they have shownsome improvement andhopefully that will contin-ue,” Breaux said. “We had tomake some adjustments, asin utility rates, just to beable to continue the serviceswe provide. The increase insales taxes has certainlyhelped the situation, but ofcourse, as time goes on, yourexpenses increase as well sothat tends to even out. We’recontinuing to do the thingswe need to do to keep thetown financially stable.”

The town’s communitycenter is a popular assetthese days, seeing a lot ofuse by those needing such afacility for meetings, recep-tions and the like.

Baldwin, like the rest ofSt. Mary, fared well with di-minished floodwaters. “For-tunately, it didn’t come, butit was a good fire drill for thefuture if needed,” Breauxsaid. “We were able to put up2,000 feet of tiger boom,three high, that would haveprotected us from about 30to 36 inches of water. We cer-tainly felt that would havetaken care of the threat, andit is our hope we will be ableto leave those in place untilafter this hurricane season.”

In the long run, though,Baldwin has $1 million fromthe Louisiana Municipal In-frastructure Program forpermanent flood controlmeasures on BayouChoupique, which affects Jo-livette, 10th and Labaustreets.

The project, a combinationof levee and possible flood-gate, will cost $1.2 million,and he hopes the St. MaryParish Levee District willtake up the balance.

Profile Edition, The Banner-Tribune, Franklin, La., Wednesday, June 29, 2011,

Voted The Cleanest City in the State -

1995, 1996, 1997, 2001 & 2003Keep Our City Clean

The town of Baldwin is located along the Teche Ridge (along Bayou

Teche) at a point that is 16 feet above sea level. The major part of the corporate

limits, along with the surrounding area, are all above the flood zone level.

The community has a very attractive location for major industries with the

Charenton Canal, located within Baldwin, linking Bayou Teche to the

Intracoastal Canal. Burlington Northern rail transportation also adds to the

attractiveness of the area to industry.

This fine community has a municipally owned gas and water plant. A

state-of-the-art Aquatic biological Sewerage Treatment system is on line and

operating in an efficient, cost contained manner.

Baldwin’s Volunteer Fire Department is one of the top volunteer fire

departments in the area.

Baldwin has a population of more than 2,500 and looks forward

optimistically to considerable growth in the future. There is a well balanced retail

shopping center in Baldwin and various professional services.

There are hundreds of acres of land in the town and some of the most

beautiful residential areas found anywhere in St. Mary Parish. A new library has

been constructed and a new middle/high school opened in 1999.

Hundreds of additional acres have been taken into the city limits for future

Wayne Breaux-Mayor

Thor Frederick-Alderman

Gene St. Germain-Alderman

Tony Gibson-Alderman

Mike Lancelin-Alderman

Clarence Vappie-Alderman

Gerald Minor-Chief

of Police

BALDWIN

Quiet

Progressive

A Great

Place To Live

Beautiful

Adding to the quality of life in Baldwin is a new multi-purpose Community Center. Opened in May, 2010, the all-purpose facility provides space for community gatherings, meetings, events and a host of other community oriented activities. The new center complements our other offerings that include baseball fields, tennis courts, tot lot, nature trail walking track and picnic tables on the bayou side.

Baldwin’s approach always to give residents best value

Baldwin’s roots asa town go to 1913

(The Banner-Tribune, April 28, 1959)Baldwin, once a thriving lumber and sugar mill commu-

nity, but today a modern little city of about 1500 people de-pendent on agriculture, petroleum and chemical industrieswas first incorporated as a town on July 14, 1913. A procla-mation was issued by Gov. Luther E. Hall declaring thatBaldwin would become a town within its own right.

An official survey was made by Val Smith, a civil engi-neer now living in Lafayette.

First mayor was L. Forsythe. On the first board of alder-men were J.C. Kramer, Rudolph Navarro, Oscar Boudreauxand Dr. A.H. LaFargue, while L.A. Giroir served as firstmarshal.

In 1891 Baldwin was described as “the junction of abranch railroad over to Cypremort,” and in 1898 it was not-ed as a great receiving point for supplies for the rich sugarcountry which surrounded it.

According to the publication, “St. Mary Parish – 1898,”there were fourteen places of business in operation beforethe turn of the century. One of the oldest merchants at thattime was J. Laurant, who established his store there in1878. Coming to the United States from Vera Cruz in 1849,he located in New Orleans before settling in Baldwin. Hisstock consisted of groceries, crockery ware, and liquor.

Dr. H. Borah opened a drug store in Baldwin in 1882 andmanaged it until his death. His partner, C.F. Borah, contin-ued the business until 1897, when he sold his interest toM.C. Borah and his son, L.C. Borah, a graduate pharma-cist. Adjoining the drug store was a private boarding houseconducted by Mrs. M.C. Borah.

Cypress lumber was manufactured in Baldwin by C.W.Coleman and Sons. The sawmill of the firm had a capacityof 10,000 feet, and the shingle mill had a capacity of 30,000feet. The firm also owned 120,000 acres of timberland inTerrebonne, Assumption, and St. Martin parishes. Cole-man, who came to this section of the country from NewYork, manufactured the first cypress singles ever made inthe South.

One of the leading stores of Baldwin in 1898 was estab-lished by Max Gugenheim in 1896. He carried a generalline of groceries, dry goods, notions, hats, clothing, shoes,plantation supplies, harnesses and saddlery. In connectionwith the store was a warehouse and a building containing afurniture department. Mr. Gugenheim was said to havedone a large business among the residents of the town, theplantations, and the sugar farms.

The merchandise store of S.C. Melancon was establishedin Baldwin in 1888. Prior to that year he had operated asawmill in the same place. Mr. Melancon, as did many mer-chants of that era, sold everything from groceries, dry good,clothing, shoes, hats and hardware crockery, to harness,buggies, carts, wagons, and agricultural implements. Thedimensions of his store were 40x60 feet, with a warehouse20x 40 feet.

The McCrossie and Overton Drug Store was opened inBaldwin in 1890, with Dr. McCrossie in charge of the pre-scription department. A graduate pharmacist and physi-cian, he had been practicing medicine since 1868. This drugstore was located near the depot.

Visitors to Baldwin had no problem finding adequatelodgings in the 1890s. The Muller House, located over Gu-genheim’s Store, provided meals and lodgings. The PriceHouse, described as a popular hostelry, was a picturesquetwo-story building located on “the public road, just as youenter Baldwin,” opposite Mr. Melancon’s store. This hotelwas opened by Mrs. C.A. Price in 1892. The West Housewas a boarding house operated by Mrs. C.J. West.

E.D. Martin and Co. established its merchandise busi-ness in 1886. The firm was composed of Mr. Martin, one ofthe oldest residents of the community, and C.G. Rogers.Their stock consisted of groceries and dry goods as well ashardware, crockery, furniture, and harness, cart, and wag-on supplies. Two extra warehouses adjoined the store.

The good wines, liquor, cigars, tobacco, and beer were ro-vided the citizens by three saloons, the Palace Saloon, thePeerless Exchange and the Bon Ton Saloon.

Valsin Aucoin was the saddler and harness maker ofBaldwin. Mr. Aucoin, who located next to the Price Hotel,also did general repairing.

In 1898 Charles A. Bibbin was justice of the peace, and E.Olivier served as constable. Among other activities in thenineties, Baldwin boasted of an excellent dramatic club,which held entertainments in the town hall.

From 1910 to 1920, Baldwin was designated as a sawmilltown. When the Barnett Brothers’ sawmill closed, however,Baldwin suffered a decrease in the type of business activitywhich had kept it humming for years. It has made steadyprogress since the early days, and in 1949 its populationwas estimated at 1200, with an assessment of $350,000.

(Sources: St. Mary Parish – 1898, Resources and Fa-cilities of St. Mary Parish).

Railroad depot, Baldwin

Catholic Church (at right) Baldwin

Meyer ’s Shoe Store Inc.has been serving theFranklin/West St. MaryParish area for 72 years.

The business offers anoutstanding selection ofdress, casual, athletic andwork footwear for the en-tire family.

The store at 617 Main St.in downtown Franklin hasbuilt a reputation for offer-ing only brand namefootwear at competitiveprices. Lines offered in-clude Crocs, Easy Street,New Balance, Rockport,SAS, Eastland, Life Stride,Red Wing, Nike, Reebok,K-Swiss and many more.

Meyer ’s Shoe Store wasfounded in 1939 when Mey-

er Friedman, a local mer-chant, purchased the Mc-Carthy Shoe Store whichhad been operating inFranklin for many years.Henry Friedman joined hisfather in the business in1973 and he continues tooperate the store today.

In 1993, Meyer ’s ShoeStore expanded to east St.Mary Parish with the open-ing of a new store calledFootspeed, an athletic/com-fort footwear store in theSt. Mary Plaza ShoppingCenter on U.S. 90 in BayouVista. Due to rapid growthof business at Footspeed,the store was expanded inthe summer of 1998 to in-clude more than 3,300

square feet of space.“The major advantage to

west St. Mary shoppers ofour expansion is the in-creased availability of in-ventory. If we are out of aparticular size at theFranklin store it is likelythat we will have it in Bay-ou Vista. Often, the neededshoes can be transferred toFranklin in the next day ortwo,” Friedman said.

Store hours are Mondaythrough Friday from 9:30a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and onSaturdays from 9:30 a.m.to 5 p.m.

Customers may also visitthe store online atwww.meyersshoestore.comwhere they can view com-

plete information about thestore and images of newproducts and downloadcoupons for discounts andpromotions. Meyer ’s alsohas a page on Facebook.Visit and become our Face-book friend.

Tenants at the Port of WestSt. Mary are steadfast andsound despite a nationaleconomy that has been cours-ing hills and valleys for a fewyears.

David Allain, special assis-tant to the Executive Direc-tor Tad Blevins, said a primeexample is Marine TurbineTechnologies, a long time ten-ant at the port site in Louisa.

MTT is building frackpumps for the oil and naturalgas industry. Fracking is aprocess where rock is frac-tured under high-pressureliquid forced far below thesurface, to release the fuelstored there.

“They are also doing com-pact fire pumps to put on ves-sels that are on standby onthe offshore drilling rigs,” Al-lain said. “There are require-ments for them to be able topump a certain amount ofgallons. Most of the olderboats don’t have the pumpingcapacity, so they put his

package on the back of theboat and they shoot water.Some of these pumps are go-ing overseas, some to Mexico,some Brazil for fire protec-tion.”

Another port tenant, Na-tional Oilwell Varco, an oilfield chemical company, ismixing and shipping chemi-cal by rail and truck. “Someof it stays in the state, someof it going to other states,”Allain said.

D&L Salvage is an offshoreconstruction operation, withheavy-lift barges to performthose operations on rigs thatare hurricane damaged ortaken out of service.

“They are aggressivelypursuing contracts,” Allainsaid.

The port is eyeing naturalgas service to tenants. “Itwould be an asset to the portand would potentially bringmore tenants along the line,”he said. “Twin Brothers Ma-rine has a furnace they use to

do heat treating for rollingpipe, and they have atremendous need for naturalgas. They are now on tempo-rary propane tanks, whichraises the cost, you have totruck the propane in. Theyare rolling a lot of pipe, andthis heat-treating processwill allow them to roll evenmore pipe.”

Twin Brothers, though nota port tenant, has had a closerelationship with the portsince its inception. These upto 300-foot long pipes in theyard are being produced ingreat quantity.

Every tenant in the portcould have a use for naturalgas service as well, Allainsaid.

A tower to provide broad-band Internet to the port isbeing installed, Allain said,which will host wireless serv-ice by Gulf Coast Broadband.“The Port will participate,we’re going to put the cementinfrastructure in the ground,

Gulf Coast will build the tow-er,” he said. “It’ll be availableto customers commercial andresidential for about a 50-mile radius.”

The port already offers wa-ter service with it’s own wa-ter plant, to both tenants andresidential customers. A sec-ond well is under proposal forbackup purposes, Allain said.

Port-owned land undersugar cane production is gen-eration good revenue, Allainsaid.

There are 14 acres of wa-terfront property availablefor potential tenants, andhundreds more across La. 83.

“There are plans on thebooks to dig another slip,” Al-lain said.

The port is stable and hasthe reserves and bonding ca-pacity to accommodate a po-tential tenant.

“The only problem we haveis hurricane protection, we’rein a flood plain, we’re low,”Allain said. “The port itself is

high, the buildings have nev-er had water in them. Butthose sugar cane fields havebeen covered with water.There’s enough dirt in thatarea to dig to build up andget to the elevation we need.”

Allain said the west end ofSt. Mary Parish has “misseda lot of opportunities. I’m try-ing not to miss any now.Every opportunity thatcomes to the door I’m lookingat. Texaco was here, they’renot anymore. They moved toLafayette…they wanted to

build their corporate officeshere, but there was no landfor sale. And we’ve been beat-ing the same horse over andover again.

“It’s difficult to fathom whywe don’t grow. Lafayette’sgrowing, Broussard’s grow-ing, New Iberia’s growing.We’re taking all calls for theindustrial park on the Char-enton Canal, but no one’sbegging us to do anything onit. I’m thinking somethingwill come up, one day.”


Four Seasons Furniture & AppliancesFor the Best Price$ and Quality Service, visit our Two Locations!

Main Street Franklin

337-828-4925 or 800-459-3522

Main Street New Iberia

337-365-8853 or 800-459-3522

Susan Deslatte, Belinda Darden & Jennifer Darden

For ALL your furniture & appliance needs,

Come by and see our wide selections!

Celebrating 30 Yearsin Business!

Fountain of Youth

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1502 Main Street-FRANKLIN-(next to Subway)

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Scelfo Insurance AgencyWe sell Hospitalization Insurance

Shop the cost, then see us.Our rates are among the lowest around!We sell the largest Insurer in the state!

For your Group, Life and

Health Insurance Needs, SeeTony J. Scelfo, agent

712 Main Street • Franklin • 828-4918

At the Port of West St. Mary, no opportunity passed by

St. Mary Tire: Best tires for 40 yearsFor 40 years since 1971,

Allen and Judy Segura,owners of St. Mary Tire Inc.at 726 Main St., inFranklin have been offeringlocal motorists the besttires available on the mar-ket.

The Firestone traditionstarted at the turn of thecentury with the establish-ment of the Firestone Tire& Rubber Co. in 1900. Itwas then that a 31-year-oldinventor and entrepreneur,Harvey S. Firestone, seizedon a new way of makingcarriage tires and startedproduction with 12 employ-ees in Akron, Ohio.

From the start, Firestoneworked relentlessly to im-prove quality and meet theneeds of his customers. Hisefforts and integrity paidoff when Firestone tireswere chosen by Henry Fordfor the first mass-producedautomobiles in America.

St. Mary Tire continuesthe tradition by offering theFirestone line as well asBridgestone and Daytonbrands in various priceranges.

St. Mary Tire also offersquality tires for everythingfrom your riding mower totractor.

With radio equipped serv-

ice trucks available, theycan handle any difficult jobor road emergency.

While tires are importantfor handling, brakes andshock absorbers are also ofutmost importance to yoursafe driving.

And to ensure that yournew tires live out their fulllife, St. Mary Tire now hasa computerized alignmentmachine for 4-wheel drivevehicles.

St. Mary Tire’s experi-enced staff includes RandySegura, Shane Segura,Bambie Segura, JasonMack, Eric Rogers, TimothyCurtis, Gary Christensen

and John Keenze.St. Mary Tire had a great

year last year and the own-ers, Allen and Judy Segura,believe in giving back to thecommunity. They’ve accom-plished that year after yearthrough the sponsorship ofLittle League Baseball.

St. Mary Tire providesgreat customer service from7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday and from 7 a.m. tonoon on Saturdays. Stop byand see why “tires are ourbusiness.”

The Seguras, Firestoneand St. Mary Tire, threegood names to know anddepend upon.

Meyer’s has two stores to serve you

Main Street, Franklin, about 1930(Courtesy Tony Scelfo)

Four Seasons a family traditionFour Seasons Furniture

and Appliance Center isnearing its 31th anniver-sary of providing theFranklin community withquality furnishings for thehome.

In 1981, Daniel Dardenand his family opened D &R Rentals in a small one-room building.

Before they knew it, theinventory had grown somuch they had to find anew location and theymoved the business to theold Acme Building onMain Street in Franklin.

In 1986, they movedagain to another largerspace at 701 Main St.,where the furniture storeis located today as FourSeasons and is operatedas the oldest and largestfurniture and appliancestore in Franklin.

The store has a widerange of name-brand ap-pliances such as Maytag,Magic Chef, Ashley,Vaughn, Bassett, Stan-dard, Huntington, MasterDesigns, Action Lane andFrigidaire.

There are two show-rooms where you can findfurnishings for any roomin the house from bedroomsuites to living room sets.

You’ll be sure to findwhat you’re looking for inone of Four Seasons’ threeshowrooms.

The display house isfilled with items just likethey would be at home.

You’ll find a completedining room set up, livingroom and more!

Four Seasons also offerselectronics.

“We have financingavailable such as 90 days

same as cash, six and 12months as well as rent toown. We are family ownedand operated, so haveyour family come in andmeet our family.”

The store is managed byBelinda Darden, Rita Dar-den and Susan Deslatte.Other employees includeJennifer Darden, JosephWebster, Luther Depass,Rochelle Darby, TrevoneCross and Clarence Reed.

Hours of business are 8a.m. until 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday and 8 a.m.until 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Four Seasons also hasanother location at 2318E. Main St. in New Iberia.

Stop by Four Seasonstoday for all of your homeneeds and don’t forget tocheck out the store spe-cials during the month ofOctober.


FRANKLINEverywhere You Look....Improvements Are Underway

City of Franklin“A Great Place To Do Business”

Raymond Harris, Jr. - Mayor

Councilman Dale Rogers Councilman Joe Garrison

Councilman Chuck Autin Councilman Lester Levine

Councilman Eugene Foulcard

Ben Franklin noted, “With-out continual growth andprogress, such words as im-provement, achievement, andsuccess have no meaning.” Itis well documented that St.Mary Parish has made greatstrides in its educational sys-tem over the past six years.

In 2010, an unparalleled92 percent of district fourthgrade students met thestate’s promotional standard.Most recent accountabilityfigures rank St. Mary Parish14th in the degree of profi-ciency growth among fourthgraders. Eighth grade resultsindicated 80 percent meetingpromotional standards in2010. In fact, St. Mary Parishstudents have outpaced theircounterparts in nearly everycore area and grade level onthe LEAP, iLEAP, and GEEstandardized assessments.

An astounding 21 of 23 dis-trict schools demonstratedgains in their 2010 baselineschool performance scores.

Eleven of those 23 schoolsposted school performancescores above 90. Clearly, St.Mary Parish’s endeavor foracademic achievement hasseen its share of success;however, the district also hasa firm grasp on its potentialfor even greater progress inthe future.

According to Superinten-dent Dr. Donald Aguillard,“The St. Mary Parish SchoolSystem represents a thrivingprofessional learning commu-nity truly committed to thetask of harnessing greater ca-pacity in the organization.”

The district’s concerted ef-fort toward continual growthand progress has led to sever-al new academic ventures de-signed to garner improve-ments in specific areas. Tar-geted students in second andthird grade needing intenseremediation in reading ormath will be invited to attenda Summer Academic School.Based on funding and re-

sources available, a selectnumber of students will at-tend four weeks of classesheld at the LEAP Remedia-tion Summer School sites.

In addition, some elemen-tary schools will offer two-week remediation camps attheir school sites. St. MaryParish is also focusing heavi-ly on eighth grade literacyand numeracy with the 212°Project. This concentratedproject expands on the factthat only one extra degreemakes the difference betweenhot and boiling water. Year-long professional develop-ment for eighth grade Eng-lish Language Arts, reading,and math teachers will beaimed at securing one extradegree of effort from bothteachers and students in or-der to boost eighth gradeLEAP scores.

As the Graduate Exit Ex-am is phased out and re-placed with EOC (End ofCourse) exams, high school

teachers are faced with modi-fying test preparation and re-mediation lessons. Freshmenand sophomore English Lan-guage Arts and math teach-ers were provided with classsets of GLE and EOC reviewworkbooks to aid in the testpreparation process. Diag-nostic tests were placed onachievement series to expe-dite scoring and provideteachers with detailed reme-diation plans for each stu-dent. Further, EOC remedia-tion in Algebra 1 will be pro-vided during LEAP Remedia-tion Summer School.

For students with readingdeficiencies, St. Mary hassuccessfully implementedFast ForWord and ReadingAssistant. This success hasbeen clearly documented in alongitudinal research studyreleased by Scientific Learn-ing comparing achievementgains of St. Mary fourthgraders with fourth gradersthroughout Louisiana. For

students failing to demon-strate appropriate progressthrough Fast ForWord prod-ucts, an alternative interven-tion entitled Failure FreeReading was incorporated insix schools to provide strate-gic assistance to “non-read-ers.”

In conjunction with target-ed grade levels, the district isalso placing its attention forimprovement at two low-per-forming middle schools withits implementation of theTeacher Advancement Pro-gram (TAP). The programconsists of four componentsof educational reform: multi-ple career paths, ongoing ap-plied professional growth, in-structionally focused ac-countability, and perform-ance-based compensation.Three master teachers will behired to facilitate continuous,job-embedded professional

development during the regu-lar school day. Mentor teach-ers in each school will collab-orate with master teachers tolead twice weekly clustergroup meetings and field testbest practices in the class-room.

The academic success real-ized in St. Mary Parish hasfostered both confidence andpride in the local community.The school board’s commit-ment to maintain instruc-tional focus, progressive deci-sion making and financialconservatism afforded the re-turn of all 11 St. Mary Parishboard members following re-cent elections. In fact, nineboard members ran unop-posed for another term. Asmembers were reinstated forthe new term, board memberRoland Verret was elected to


BREAUX’SFOODLAND

QUALITY MEATS

FRESH PRODUCE

WINES & LIQUORS

In Our Deli Department, we have

Party Trays & More!

Boat Orders Welcomed!

“Smokehouse Offerings”:

Brisket • Ribs • Turkey • Ham

126 Charenton Rd., Baldwin, LA923-4402 / Deli: 923-4470

We would like to thank our loyal customers for continuing to make Breaux’s Foodland your locally

owned, quality service, low price choice. We sincerely appreciate your patronage.

FUN JUMP RENTALSFOR ALL OCCASIONS

337-578-7775

710 Main St. Franklin, La.

A DowntownInstitution!

C’s o atil feoP s’ o Cti al fo eP

1 9e 3cn 5i

S

828-0242

Great strides made in St. Mary Parish education system

St. Mary Central High School, about 1905. Later became Crowell Elementary School and todayis Franklin City Hall. (Courtesy Tony Scelfo)

Breaux’s Foodland part ofBaldwin for over 100 years

Breaux’s Foodland hasbeen a mainstay in Bald-win for more than 100years.

Located at 126 Charen-ton Road, the store ownedby Wayne Breaux offers afull complement of gro-ceries including qualitymeats, fresh produce, partytrays and wine and liquors.

Breaux’s is a family busi-ness managed by RosemaryBreaux and Marla Conci-enne.

Breaux’s longtime suc-cess can be attributed to itscommitment to price com-petitiveness, quality andservice.

The professional serviceis a trademark of their ded-icated staff.

For your meat needs,whether it be a rib eye forthat special dinner, Cajunpork sausage for tailgatingor a pound of ham for thecamping trip, Mike andMelissa are available tohelp you.

In the produce depart-

ment where its goal is tooffer a fresh quality prod-uct, Lisa is there to helpwith your selection. Alsocheck out her homemadestuffed mushrooms andjalapenos for great appetiz-ers.

For many of your othergrocery needs just locateFaye down the aisle, she’salways ready to assist.

Since Breaux’s incorpo-rated a deli in the store, ithas provided for many par-ties. Specializing in partytrays (fruit and vegetable)and finger sandwiches itoffers a wide variety ofproducts. Stop by and seeSheila whether it be for aparty or tonight’s snack,she’ll be able to put togeth-er what you need. Andwhile you’re in the party-ing mood, don’t forget tocheck out the wine andliquor selection.

The front is headed byMarla who along with thecourteous cashier staff isthere to help make your

shopping experience pro-ductive and enjoyable.

Complimenting to theMeat & Deli Dept. is the“Smokehouse” offeringquality rotisserie smokedproducts including chicken,ribs, brisket, hams, turkey,beef jerky, etc. These prod-ucts are available in singleservings or for large gath-erings and will be ideal forholiday gifts.

Breaux’s has also incor-porated a marine divisioninto its services providingthe oil and boat industrythe same price competitive-ness and quality productand service its regular cus-tomers have become accus-tomed to.

Breaux’s is open Monday-Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to6 p.m. We would like tothank our loyal customersfor continuing to makeBreaux’s Foodland your lo-cally owned, quality serv-ice, low price choice. Wesincerely appreciate yourpatronage.

Check Cashers, Inc.opened its doors in June of1995, with its first store inMorgan City, which is nowthe main office for their eightlocations.

The second store wasopened in 1997 in Amelia,with the Bayou Vista loca-tion following the next year.

In 2002, the company dou-bled in size with the additionof the Baldwin, Franklin andPatterson branches opening.The year 2003 marked theexpansion into the Houmamarket with an additionalbranch opened there in 2005.

Check Cashers proudlyserves St Mary and Terre-bonne parishes and is locallyowned by Lanny Ross, andmanaged by Arthur Es-penan, with 20 employees.Lanny was employed by theformer First National Bankof St. Mary Parish as a vicepresident with over 30 yearsof banking experience, and isa graduate of Nicholls State

University.The company started out

by cashing checks for indi-viduals, who included manylocal and out of town workerswith no other option to casha check. Being able to cash acheck, get money orders, andsend money through WesternUnion, Check Cashers quick-ly became a financial one-stop for many people withoutaccess to a bank. Throughthe years, Check Cashershas grown to offer other serv-ices, such as payday loans,copy and fax service, and hasbecome a local leader in ac-cepting payments for manyutility companies.

Check Cashers was recog-nized nationally by WesternUnion for their service to thecommunity during the after-math of Hurricane Katrina.For a period of time, follow-ing Katrina, the Morgan Cityoffice was the closest opera-tional agent to New Orleansand processed thousands of

payouts to victims. CheckCashers was also named“Top Agent” among SouthLouisiana independentagents. Western Union alsorecognized Arthur Espenanwith the Eagle Eye Award forhis work leading to the cap-ture and arrest of a criminalin a nationwide fraud ring.

The Franklin location, onthe corner of Weber and La.182, is open Monday-Fridayfrom 9 a.m. till 7 p.m., andon Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.The Baldwin location, at 900Main St. at the red light, isopen Monday-Friday from9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

The Bayou Vista office, onthe corner of Hwy. 182 andSoutheast Blvd. inside Pic-A-Pac Citgo, is open everydayfrom 6 a.m.-9 p.m. and is theauthorized utility pay sta-tion for many companiessuch as Cleco, AT&T, Cox,Atmos, MCI, Dish Network,and Direct TV.

Check Cashers here since 2002

Continued on Page 7


WARNING

This message sponsored by

Sheriff David Naquin

According to the National Safety Council, each year in this country, more than 4000 people lose their lives to drowning, with children ages 0-4 having the highest death rate. In 1998, 500 children under the age of five drowned. Most drowning and near-drowning happen when a child falls into a pool or is left alone in the bathtub.

•Never leave a child alone near water--at the pool, the beach or in the tub. A tragedy can occur in seconds. If you must leave, take your child with you.

•Always use approved personal floatation devices (life jackets.) The U.S. Coast Guard estimates nearly 9 to 10 drowning victims were not wearing one.

•Beware of neighborhood pools-be it your own or your neighbors. Remove toys from in and around the pool when not in use. Toys can attract children to the pool.

•For pools, barriers can offer added protection against drowning. Power or manual covers will completely cover a pool and block access to the water, however, be sure to drain any standing water from the surface of the pool cover as a child can drown in very small amounts of water.

•Enroll children over age three in swimming lessons taught by qualified instructors. But keep in mind that lessons don’t make your child “drown-proof.”

•Older children risk drowning when they overestimate their swimming ability or underestimate the water depth.

•Teach your children these four key swimming rules:Always swim with a buddy.Don't dive into unknown bodies of water. Jump feet first to avoid hitting

your head on a shallow bottom.Don’t push or jump on others.Be prepared for an emergency.

•Never consume alcohol when operating a boat.•Always have a first-aid kit and emergency phone contacts handy. Parents should be

trained in CPR.

What to do if you see someone drowning:•Call 9-1-1 immediately.•If the victim is within throwing distance, throw a floatable object to them. This includes

a life jacket, kick board or even an empty jug.•If the victim is within reaching distance, assist them by extending something long,

such as a rope, pole, ring buoy or a tree branch.

Sheriff Naquin concluded, “Sending your children the right message about water safety is one of the important messages you have to get across. The more our children know about the dangers that threaten their safety, the more prepared they can be to handle them.”

serve another term as St.Mary Parish School Boardpresident with Edward Pay-ton serving as vice president.The continued progress post-ed by the district resulted inthe board not only ratingAguillard’s performance asexcellent, but also offeredhim another three-year con-tract as superintendent.

Students in grades 3-11have completed both phasesof state standardized testing,and high school students willsoon be taking End of Coursetests throughout the first fewweeks of May. Testing moni-tors and coordinators antici-pate continued favorable re-sults based on the commit-ment, work ethic, and prepa-ration of both teachers andstudents. Official test resultsidentifying levels of studentperformance are expected tobe released in late May. Per-formance data will be criti-cally analyzed and utilized toguide future initiatives.

Fiscal decision making willalso play a key role in St.Mary’s future. The anticipat-ed third consecutive year ofno annual growth in the Min-imum Foundation Program(MFP) formula occurs at atime when school districtsare faced with rising employ-er contributions to retire-ment systems, increases inemployee health insuranceprograms, and the normal in-flationary increases in oper-ating expenses. The chal-lenge set forth is that of pro-tecting classroom level fund-ing to the greatest extentpossible while facing an ongo-ing decline in revenue. Fortu-nately, monthly sales tax col-lections in St. Mary Parishcontinue to report slight in-creases over the previousyear and exceed budgetedprojections. Budget meetingswill begin in June to ensureacademic needs align with fi-nancial means.

In maintenance issues, theboard authorized substantialcompletion of the classroomwing expansion at HattieWatts Elementary, the cafete-ria project at Berwick Ele-mentary, and air conditioningupgrades at Franklin JuniorHigh. Recently, the boarddedicated monies to addressdrainage problems inherentat Bayou Vista Elementary.Upcoming maintenancemeetings will pinpoint addi-tional maintenance needs asprincipals request repairsand upgrades for theirschools. The wing expansionat Hattie Watts Elementarymakes it possible for fourthgraders to remain on campusrather than transitioning to

Patterson Junior High. Thestudent body of PJHS will becomprised of grades 5-8 be-ginning in the fall with Hat-tie Watts utilized as a PK-4school.

In addition to the excite-ment of a new cafeteria,which began serving stu-dents in April, Berwick Ele-mentary staff and studentswere especially proud of fifthgrader Kristina Theriot, whoholds the distinction of beingthe 2011 Louisiana Elemen-tary Student of the Year. The-riot, the daughter of Troy andElizabeth Theriot, was select-ed from a distinguishedgroup of 18 regional finalists,representing six state regionsfor the prestigious award.

Cultivating a climate ofleadership among district ed-ucators has been a long-standing goal of St. Mary.The addition of on-site gradu-ate courses offered throughthe University of Louisianaat Lafayette (ULL) is assist-ing the school system inbuilding leadership capacity.A cohort of approximately 30teachers, assistant princi-pals, and facilitators partici-pated in educational leader-ship coursework this schoolyear. The district plans to ex-tend the current offerings toinclude a master’s cohortthat will enable educators topursue a master’s degree ineducational leadership by at-tending classes in St. Mary.The district-based courseswere made possible througha collaborative effort with Dr.Nathan Roberts, departmenthead of the university’s Edu-cational Foundations andLeadership, and school sys-tem instructors Drs. Bagwell,Fegenbush, and White.

The educational communi-ty has focused growing atten-tion on substantially increas-ing high school graduationrates and correspondinglylowering dropout percent-ages. As a result, proactivemeasures have been taken atthe state and local level to en-hance efforts designed to pre-vent students from leavingschool prior to attaining ahigh school diploma.

The Louisiana Departmentof Education recently pub-lished data that indicatespreventative actions have ledto significant decreases in thestate’s dropout rate amongstudents in grades 7-12. St.Mary Parish has experiencedsimilar declines in dropoutpercentages following imple-mentation of research-basedinitiatives designed to identi-fy and intervene with at-riskstudents. According to recentfigures, 171 students ingrades 7-12 dropped out of

St. Mary Parish schools dur-ing 2008-09, whereas, only 98students elected to leaveschool prior to graduation in2009-10. In sum, this repre-sents a decrease of 73 stu-dents or a 42.7 percent de-cline in dropouts for St. MaryParish.

Published reductions instudents leaving school priorto attaining a high schooldiploma can be attributed toa combination of policychanges and preventativemeasures enacted by St.Mary Schools. Measures toidentify and monitor at-riskstudents within the districthave led to the initiation oftargeted interventions de-signed to mitigate academicdisparities that may cause astudent to drop out.

Such measures include theimplementation of an Ex-tended Day program at themiddle school level to remedi-ate content area skills of stu-dents in danger of failing spe-cific courses. The program re-quires students to remain inschool for an extended timeperiod each day where theyreceive differentiated andtargeted instruction in asmall group setting. Data in-dicates the program’s effec-tiveness in reducing thenumber of middle school stu-dents failing math and Eng-lish Language Arts.

St. Mary high school stu-dents have additionally bene-fited from the district’s Cred-it Recovery and Fifth Blockprograms in their effort tomeet requirements for gradu-ation. The Credit Recoveryprogram has operated in highschools the last few years, in-cluding the 2010 summerschool session. Students uti-lize a computer-based pro-gram of learning modulesthat includes diagnostic as-sessment, prescription of aninstructional protocol, and re-mediation of content areaskills before completing acredit test that determineswhether course credit can berecovered.

Funding of the EverybodyGraduates grant has enabledthe district to require ninthgrade at-risk students to at-tend an after school, FifthBlock course for remediationpurposes. The addition ofFifth Block offers highschools an additional alter-native for preventing studentretention in the pivotal ninthgrade year. Students attend-ing are able to use the addi-tional class period to acquirefocused instruction in areasof demonstrated academicweakness.

Participation in LouisianaVirtual School has also been

a successful initiative, pro-viding a wide range of cours-es for St. Mary students. Stu-dents have been able to par-take in courses that would or-dinarily not be offered in theregular school setting due tolack of numbers, teachers,and/or resources. LVS cours-es offer a complete onlinelearning experience combin-ing the use of Blackboard andGoggle e-mail with instruc-tional support of a certifiedteacher. This year alone, 144students were scheduled in184 LVS courses, providingour students with the oppor-tunity to earn credits incourses such as Latin, WebMastering, Astronomy, GameDesign, and even AP anddual enrollment courses.

The ranks of NationalBoard Certified Teachers inSt. Mary increased in 2011 asChristine Henry, BerwickHigh School librarian, andCatherine Vaughn, BerwickElementary physical educa-tion teacher, successfullyachieved the distinction. Toattain national certification,teachers are required to com-plete four portfolio entriesvideotaping lessons and ana-lyzing instructional strate-gies aligned to the principlespromoted by the NationalBoard for Professional Teach-ing Standards.

Additionally, certificationrequires teachers to pass sixassessments designed tomeasure knowledge and com-prehension of both the con-tent area and application ofappropriate teaching meth-ods. St. Mary Parish nowboasts 23 nationally certifiedteachers in its instructionaldivision encompassing everygrade level and most contentareas. Consolidation of fourelementary schools intoRaintree Elementary in 2009resulted in the sale of proper-ty on the west end of theparish. The school board re-cently acted to authorizeAguillard and Assistant Dis-trict Attorney Eric Duplantisnegotiation rights to finalizethe sale of the remaining sur-plus property. The district isaggressively pursuing an in-tergovernmental agreementwith Fire District 11 and oth-er possible governmental en-

tities interested in utilizingthe former Thomas Gibbs El-ementary School as a multi-purpose complex for the com-munity.

St. Mary Schools remainscommitted to continuedgrowth and progress withinits schools. Although signifi-cant gains have been postedover the last six years in ac-countability testing, the dis-trict has taken additionalsteps to further mitigate edu-cational disparities amongsubgroups and meet thehighly specialized needs of itsstudents. The progressiveconvictions of district instruc-tional personnel and schoolbuilding staffs have aided St.Mary Schools in evolving intoa data-driven educationalsetting that strives to pro-mote individual student suc-cess. Through the leadershipof principals, teachers, anddistrict staff, St. Mary hasworked diligently to providestudents with the curricularinstruction, remedial options,and supportive network re-quired to maintain a progres-sive school system.


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Cashway Pharmacy ofFranklin Inc. is owned byLaura and Joey Bergeron.

Cashway has served St.Mary Parish since its begin-nings in 1976. Before its in-corporation in 1976, it wasknown as Professional Phar-macy. Donat Boucher was thesole owner until he sold thepharmacy to Laura and JoeyBergeron.

Cashway Pharmacy offersa large range of services. Be-sides having your prescrip-tion filled, Cashway Pharma-cy has many items availablefor purchase and offers a va-riety of services. Health andbeauty aids; durable medicalequipment; inhalation thera-py; oxygen therapy and sup-plies; and enteral therapyare just part of the manyitems and services of Cash-way.

Cashway Pharmacy willalso help you with yourMedicare and Medicaidbilling. Most insurance cardsare accepted by Cashway.

The pharmacy businesshas long been a part of JoeyBergeron’s life. His grandfa-ther, Paul V. Haydel Sr., wasa pharmacist and ownedHaydel’s Drug Store inHouma. His father, the lateOscar J. Bergeron Jr.,worked at Haydel’s as apharmacy technician whereJoey grew up in the drugstore environment.

Joey began working in adrug store in 1967 and hasbeen in pharmacy ever since.In 1974, he graduated fromNortheast Louisiana Univer-sity and continued to work atHaydel’s Drug Store. Hemarried Laura Lobdell, thedaughter of Sheila Lobdell

and the late Charles L. Lob-dell and moved to Franklinin 1977.

He began working at Cash-way Pharmacy in June 1980.Bergeron also has a sister,Paula B. Michel, who is apharmacist in New Orleansand an uncle, two cousinsand a brother-in-law and sis-ter-in-law who are pharma-cists in Houma. Joey’s son,Jay, obtained a Bachelor’s ofScience in Business Adminis-tration in 2002 and has beenthe General Manager ofCashway since then.

Cashway Pharmacy isproud to employ MikeViguerie, pharmacist, whojoined the company in 1997.He graduated from pharma-cy school at NortheastLouisiana University in1996. He is also a pre-phar-macy graduate of the Univer-sity of SouthwesternLouisiana and completed hispharmacy internship atLouisiana State UniversityMedical Center in Shreve-port and the VA Hospital inShreveport.

Suzanne Judice Stirlingbrings more than 20 years ofexpertise to Cashway afterhaving served as the phar-macist of Franklin Founda-tion Hospital for 10 years.Suzanne is a 1986 graduateof Hanson Memorial HighSchool and 1990 pharmacygraduate of NortheastLouisiana University. She ismarried to Stephen Stirlingand they have three children,Sarah, Taylor and Phillip.

Other employees on thestaff include Jay Bergeron,Angela Boudreaux, RobinBoudreaux Sr., Peggy Dugas,Sharon Firmin, Hailey

Hebert, Mickey Rogers, Ash-ley LaCoste, Julana Senetteand Kevin Theriot.

In response to news aboutthe presence of pharmaceuti-cals contaminating the watersupply in some towns aroundthe nation, and with abuse ofprescription drugs on therise, Cashway Pharmacy isnow offering a new drugtake-back program to helppeople safely dispose of medi-cine that may be dangerousto others and to the environ-ment.

“We welcome all in thecommunity to come and talkto our pharmacists abouttheir prescriptions and howto store, use and dispose ofthem properly,” Bergeronsaid.

Patients of any pharmacyare invited to safely disposeof unused and expired med-ications at Cashway Phar-macy, free of charge, bybringing in the drugs in theiroriginal stock containers. Thepharmacy will work to dis-pose of the drugs using theSharps TakeAwayTM Envi-ronmental Return System, asafe, easy method to disposeof unused patient medica-tions in an environmentallyfriendly way.

Quality products and serv-ice are important to CashwayPharmacy. The pharmacy at1419 Hospital Ave., is openfrom 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday and from 8a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Cashway will provide ex-ceptional service to all cus-tomers and it is their policyto help them in any way pos-sible.

Cashway Pharmacy providesa variety of services for you

Great strides made in parish school system...Continued from Page 6


Working at the Port....

• National Oilwell Varco. Oilfield drilling fluids company utilizing the port facility as main distribution and warehousing facility.

• Bagala Oysters, Inc. Seafood dealer

• SBA Structures, Inc. Cellular communications

• D & L Salvage, LLC Offshore Platform Salvage

• Kim Son Seafood, Inc. Seafood dealer

• Queen Seafood Seafood Dealer

• Marine Turbine Technologies, Inc. Adaptation and installation of gas turbines in non-aircraft applications

• St. Mary Seafood, Inc. Seafood dealer

• Twin Brothers Marine, Inc. Construction of offshore platforms

Tad Blevins - Executive Director/President

Calvin Deshotel - Vice President

Ralph Longman - Secretary

John Lockett

Phil Bell

Greg Paul

Willie Peters

Wayne Stevens

Will TerryRebecca O. Pellerin - Office Manager

Donna Louviere - Secretary/Receptionist

Commissioners

P.O. Drawer 601 • Franklin, LA 70538 • 337-828-3410e-mail: [email protected]

2011 AND STILL GROWING!

Grevemberg House Museum provides beautiful settingGrevemberg House Muse-

um has long added to thebeauty of St. Mary Parish.This historic home providesthe perfect backdrop for re-

ceptions, meetings and otherevents.

Brides enjoy beginningtheir new lives on the his-toric grounds of the museum.

Grevemberg was a privatetownhouse from 1851 until1948 when it was sold to thecity of Franklin for use as arecreation center. In the1960s, the building was to bedemolished after a moremodern recreational facilitywas built. Instead, it was“saved” as a Franklin treas-ure by a very young organi-zation, the St. Mary Chapterof the Louisiana LandmarksSociety.

St. Mary Landmarks wasincorporated in December1963 to engage in cultural,historical and educationalactivities for the benefit ofthe citizens of Franklin andSt. Mary Parish. Its majorresponsibility is the opera-tion of a community museumwhich depicts the vitality of19th century life in southLouisiana. Landmarks hasbeen the guardian ofGrevemberg House Museumsince 1969.

Seed money for therestoration of Grevemberg

was provided by the St. MaryParish Police Jury, the Evan-geline Economic Develop-ment District and the City ofFranklin.

Over the past 41 years,restoration activities havecontinued. The most recentprojects include landscapeenhancement, installation ofthe Grevemberg FamilyMemorial and replacementof the handicap ramp.

Restoration of Landmarks’antique furniture collectionhas also been a major focus.

The museum containsmany local artifacts includ-ing the Statue of Justicewhich adorned the top of theold Courthouse.

Funding for the mainte-nance and restoration of themuseum and its collectionscomes from dues, donations,fundraisers, private andpublic grants.

Grevemberg House is aNational Register propertyand the only non-profithouse museum in St. Mary

Parish.Grevemberg offers guided

tours and a variety of itemsfor sale including Antebel-lum homes color portfolios($35); custom tote bags ($20);Grandeur on the Bayouguidebooks ($5); a selectionof notecards and a beautifulcollection of sterling silverand gold St. Mary Land-marks jewelry.

Grevemberg House has be-come a dynamic tourist at-traction as well as the site ofnumerous cultural and edu-cational programs includingthe “blockbuster” exhibition,From Our Illustrious Past:Antebellum Portraits of St.Mary Parish, held in honorof the Louisiana Purchase2003 Celebration.

Musicians and Halloweenstorytellers have performedon the grounds and the Chil-dren’s Victorian Christmascelebration is a much antici-pated annual occasion.

To celebrate the 200thbirthday of St. Mary Parish

and the City of Franklin, St.Mary Landmarks will pres-ent a cemetery tour on Oct.15 and a tour of antebellumhomes on Oct. 16. The Teche-land Arts Council will pre-mier its “No Hitchin’,” pro-ducition that weekend aspart of the celebration.

Grevemberg House Muse-um is open from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. daily except during des-ignated holidays.

Grevemberg House Muse-um is available at no chargeto civic and charitable organ-izations for receptions, meet-ings, award ceremonies andother events. Arrangementscan also be made to rent thehouse and grounds for wed-dings, receptions, partiesand small meetings. For ad-ditional information contactGrevemberg House Museumat (337) 828-2092.

Come to GrevembergHouse and take a trip backin time. Enjoy the rich andbeautiful history this ante-bellum home has to offer!

Polito’s Bar & Café an institution since 1935

Polito’s Bar & Café is the oldest continuously run café inAcadiana.

Polito’s offers breakfast biscuits with fresh coffee.For lunch and dinner, they offer the new Polito’s Burger

served on a Kaiser roll with all the trimmings.Charm and ambiance abound in the recently renovated in-

terior, reminiscent of days past. Portraits by local photogra-phers, Francis Todd, Debbie Caffery and the late Ory Miguezplus antique photos from turn of the century photographyline the walls of the café as you would see in a museum. Theoriginal back bar with white carrera marble redone to theiroriginal grandeur reflect the history of this quaint place.There is even a lighted display of the “Jax Man” dating backto the early 1960s still in his original position on the bar thatwas advertising Jax beer that is no longer made.

Polito’s has a wine cellar in its newly formed wine tastingroom open for special small events, catering up to 20 people.The newly expanded cellar in its current capacity holds 3,000bottles of some of the world’s finest wines. Wines are pricedfrom the inexpensive to the much more glamorous. Interestedpersons may call the café’ at 828-0242 or the office of the winecellar at 828-0244.

Polito’s also offers video poker for your entertainmentpleasure.

Corner Cottage offersschool uniforms, more

For three years, Tricia Mora Mestayer has been operatingCorner Cottage at 407 Main St. in Baldwin.

When Ed and Sandra Payton closed Kem’s Uniforms &Gifts, “I saw the need to keep the business going to continueto provide wonderful service to the community and parish,”Mestayer said. “I changed the name and kept the concept.”The store is managed by Bertha Robinson with assistance byemployee Lexi Marcell.

First and foremost, Corner Cottage offers affordable, quali-ty and durable school uniforms and accessories for both pub-lic and private schools in St. Mary Parish.

And there is so much more in the gift department withLampe Berger lamps and oils, gift and home decorating mer-chandise, trendy and traditional jewelry, handbags and otherfashion accessories — all quality products at reasonableprices.

Corner Cottage is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Fridayand 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

Wet or dry slides andjumps at B&E Jumps

B&E Jumps is one the newest businesses in St. MaryParish.

Three couples — Earl and Stacy LaFont, Bodie and ReganBarrilleaux and Steven and Jenny Darce — joined forces toprovide affordable inflatable rentals for all occasions.

B&E offers wet and dry inflatable slides and jumps. Ifyou’re planning a birthday party, reunion, school event,church function or any other special event the fun and enter-tainment is just a phone call away. Just call (337) 578-7775 tobook a unit or send email to [email protected]. Youcan also like them on Facebook to see photos of their jumpsand leave comments.

B&E provides free delivery and setup anywhere in St.Mary Parish.

Since 1956, SouthernGlass serves the area

Southern Glass was founded in 1956 by Douglas Daigle Sr. andhas been serving St. Mary and surrounding parishes for 55 years.

In 1979, Daigle Sr. opened Southern Glass in Lafourche. It isowned and operated by Douglas Daigle Jr. They have been serv-ing the Lafourche Parish area since 1981. In 1996, DouglasDaigle Sr. assisted Mike Daigle in opening Southern Glass of Ter-rebonne.

On July 2, 1990, the senior Daigle assisted Dale Daigle inopening Southern Glass in Franklin.

Southern Glass of Franklin is located at 1010 West Third St.Southern Glass handles a complete line of auto, residential,

marine and commercial glass products.Southern Glass gives customers 100 percent guarantees on all

work and seeks to satisfy the customer.So if you want quality glasswork, come and visit the store local-

ly owned and operated by Dale and Gayle Daigle.The business is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

It is closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.The Daigles are a close, caring and loving family. When help is

needed, they get involved and help each other. They are big sup-porters of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and donate the $5minimum fee charged for installation of rearview mirrors to theassociation. Also, odd pieces of glass go toward it.

Southern Glass is a member of the West St. Mary Chamber ofCommerce, Better Business Bureau, National Glass Associationand National Federation of Independent Business. They also area service provider of Lynx Services, the glass administer for mostinsurance companies.

Next time you need glass work, give Southern Glass a try.

Protect your future and the future of your family by carry-ing the proper life and health insurance.

Scelfo Insurance Agency, located at 712 Main St., has beenserving the community for 27 years by providing individualand group life and health insurance.

Scelfo Insurance sells Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the largesthealth insurer in the state, and a host of policies from majorcompanies to fit all your needs.

They also do consulting work on group health plans, con-ventions and self-funding methods.

Tony J. Scelfo, owner and manager, started as a New YorkLife agent in 1984.

He was awarded as New York Life’s Group Leader of Salesin a Group Health Plan early in his career in 1986 for theNew Orleans territory.

He worked with them until 1994 before becoming an inde-pendent agent.

Becoming an independent agent allowed Scelfo to offer amore diverse line of life and health insurance products.

With employee Cynthia O. Rozas, Scelfo welcomes clientsto his office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Scelfo takes care of all your insurance needs

FOR SALE: Establishedhealth food store inFranklin. Fountain of YouthNutrition Center LLC hasbeen in business for overfour years! GREAT locationon Main Street right nextdoor to Subway. There isplenty of room to expandwithin the store and this lo-cation has a kitchen for asmoothie bar in the future. Ihave earned the trust of mycustomers so therefore I amnot looking just to sell. Iwant to sell this business tosomeone who will continueto guide people toward thehighest quality supple-ments and guide them awayfrom toxic or synthetic in-gredients. I currently carrythe highest quality productson the market and I havebeen blessed to see amazinghealth turn-arounds. Forthose who have never beenin this field but are inter-ested, I am willing to train.For serious inquiries,please contact the store.Fountain of Youth NutritionCenter LLC, 1502 MainStreet, Suite 6, Franklin,LA 70538. (337) 828-1445.

To all of Fountain ofYouth Nutrition Center cus-tomers: Some of you cameinto my store just to sit andtalk for hours. You made mefeel like family, thank you!Some of you came to thisstore and shared your painand shed some of yourtears, you let me know youtrusted me, and for that, Ithank you! For those who

came to me in my time ofneed, you let me know howmuch you loved me, and forthat, I can’t thank youenough! Thank you so muchfor all of your love, support,and all of the wonderfulmemories that I will neverforget. Thank you for takingin this California strangerand making her feel as ifshe were one of your own.From my Subway watchdog,

Sage, to my spinning mail-man, I love all of you! Iwould like to take this timeto thank Mrs. Keelie Bodinwho has been there for meto help out in any and everyway that she could. She istruly an amazing hardworker and an incrediblefriend. Like so many, Keeliewalked into this store as acustomer but left as family.I love you!

Need a professional soundand lighting company? Howabout a sound system foryour home or business?

Easy Street Productions,located as 708 Iberia St. inFranklin, has what you’relooking for and more than31 years experience behindeverything they do. At EasyStreet Productions, you’llfind a JBL 20,000-wattstereo sound and lightingtouring system for yourband. You can also rent astage or have a sound sys-tem installed in yourchurch, club, home or busi-ness.

The business is owned byRobin and Kathy Boudreauxand is managed by Robin J.Boudreaux Sr. who is an au-dio engineer, audio/lightingdesigner and installationspecialist. Also, when youvisit, you might meet War-ren Boudreaux lightingtechnician and monitor en-gineer; Kelvin Gaspard,monitor engineer and light-ing technician; and stagemanagers, lighting techsand roadies DanielBoudreaux and Jay Brous-sard.

In 1976, Robin Sr. startedhelping his brother Clay

Boudreaux haul and set upequipment which led him tobecome a stage manager in1977. He later became anaudio engineer for “Auto-band.” In 1980 when theband split, Robin Sr. pur-chased their equipment andthe rest, as they say, is his-tory.

“There has been a need inAcadiana for my services,both today and in the past,”Robin Said. “What startedout with helping my brotherhas developed into a greatopportunity.”

Family is important toRobin. He credits his wife

Kathy with helping thebusiness grow by pullingeverything together. Thebusiness has also allowedRobin to spend more timewith his family and has al-lowed him the opportunityto meet a number of profes-sional acts as well as greatlocal and regional entertain-ment professionals.

Some of Easy Street Pro-duction’s achievements in-clude the design and instal-lation of the sound systemsat Franklin City Hall andThird Ward City Court aswell as at the following

churches: Mt. Zion Baptist,St. Joseph Catholic, Churchof the Assumption, St.Joseph Baptist, New Mt.Horeb Baptist, LighthouseBaptist, First UnitedMethodist, St. JulesCatholic, Macedonia Baptistin Ashton, Teche Theatreand Hanson Memorial HighScool gym and auditorium..

With these kinds of refer-ences backing them, thisbusiness can surely handleall of your entertainmentneeds.

Easy Street Productionshas also worked with tour-

ing groups Neal McCoy, Z-Lot-Z, Double Cross, Rico-chet, South Bend, La-Red,Groove Dawgs, No StringsAttached, Joel Sonnier,Steve Riley and the MamouPlayboys, Egyptian Lover,Free Flight, Wayne Toupsand Belton Richard.

Professional. Easy to dealwith. Easy Street Produc-tions is the only place youneed to call for your enter-tainment needs.

For more information callRobin at 828-7155 or visithis Web site at easystreet-prod.com.

By FAY G. BROWN(The Banner-Tribune,

April 28, 1959)An epoch long since past,

colorful and exciting in itsaspect, provided Franklinwith a lifeline to distantparts of the country manyyears ago.

It was the early era of thesteamboat, when as many asnine vessels at a time an-chored at this former port ofentry — an era which wasinevitably supplanted bytime and progress. A cloudhovered over the future ofthe steamboat trade as earlyas 1850, and before the turnof the century railroads hadbegun to stifle the effective-ness of freight and passen-ger-carrying craft.

Bayou Teche, vitally im-portant to the region, wouldbegin to assume its periodi-cal air of life and interest inthe latter part of Novembereach year. By December theport of Franklin presented apicturesque scene, composedof gallant vessels with flagsand streamers floating in theTeche breeze. On one Decem-ber Sabbath in 1848 nineboats lay at anchor in port,and among them were twobrigs of 175 tons each. Thefollowing description of thescene is taken from the De-cember 7, 1848 issue of thePlanters’ Banner:

“When we see such a com-pany of weighty, dignifiedvisitors, leaving northerncities, traversing the ocean,stretching across the Gulf ofMexico, and winding theirway up these bays, lakes andbayous to this secluded vil-lage, it makes us feel that weare not entirely unknown inthe world.”

The arrival of boats fromNew Orleans or other citiescreated a stir among thetownsfolk, for they dependedupon the steamboats forlumber, the city papers, car-goes of materials and candy,ice, freight, and other com-modities. One of the finervessels which arrived fromNew Orleans was the “E.A.

Ogden,” described as a largewell-built vessel, which of-fered to the planters of At-takapas safe and speedyshipment of sugar and otheritems.

First SteamboatApparently the steamboat

“Louisville” was the first tomake her appearance on theTeche in April of 1825. Ac-cording to an issue of the At-takapas Gazette, the arrivalof the steamboat opened anew era in the history of thissection of the country, for theprevailing opinion had beenthat navigation betweenPlaquemine and the mouthof the Teche was impractica-ble for vessels of this type.The “Louisville” entered byway of Bayou Plaquemine,but the newspaper reportdoes not state how far downthe Teche the boat came norwhere she anchored.

For all practical purposes,however, Franklin’s steam-boat history began in 1835,when parish records showthat Wilson McKerall andA.L. Fields bought fromCharles H. Bostwick, attor-ney-in-fact for William H.McKnight of Bingham Coun-ty, New Jersey, the steam-boat, “Experiment,” and putit in Bayou Teche trade.

On October 1, 1842, the“Belle of Attakapas,” underthe command of Captain Ch-eney Johnson of St. Marytraveled the water route be-tween New Town and NewOrleans. Editor Robert Wil-son called the attention ofthe planters to the advan-tage of having a boat on thesea route. He stated that thedelay, trouble and expensewhich attended the ship-ment of produce by the lowwater route would be avoid-ed and that the planterswould be enabled to sendtheir new sugar and cottonearly to market. Wilsonadded, “The Belle is a goodboat, and Mr. Johnson willbe one of the most popularcaptains in our trade. Suc-cess to him.”

In September of 1847, the

schooner, “Col. Hanson,” waspurchased in New York bySimeon Smith of Franklin. Avessel of 31 tons, the “Col.Hanson was constructed inNorth Carolina of “live oakand locust” and was consid-ered the first vessel of largesize hailing from Franklin.

Port of EntryFranklin may have been a

“secluded village,” but thistown was not unknown inthe East, as attested to bythe following report copiedby the Planters’ Banner fromthe New York American Agri-culturist: “Franklin is theseat of justice for the Parishof St. Mary, and is a port ofentry. Large numbers of ves-sels of light draught annual-ly come to this bayou andload with sugar and mo-lasses for the north, bringingmanufactured articles, provi-sions, coal, and other sup-plies in exchange.”

Names of some of the

steamboats which plied theTeche in the 1840s and ‘50swere the “St. Helena,” Cap-tain McGowan; the “Ken-tucky,” Captain Strother; the“St. Mary,” Captain Muggah;the “Judge McLean,” Cap-tain Henkle and the “Billow,”Captain Pritchard.

Daniel Dennett, in the No-vember 23, 1848, issue of thePlanters’ Banner, gives thisdescription of the steamboattrade in Bayou Teche:

“The little Correo makesher regular trips between St.Martinville and the Park,enabling passengers orfreight to be transportedfrom or to the city way ofPlaquemine. Vessels fromthe North occasionally ar-rive, and flat boats, oysterboats and diverse othersmall crafts, arriving with-out the warning of a bell orscape-pipe, all act their partin giving to these waters abusiness aspect. There is one

flat-boat on whose long sideyou may read the nameAtchafalaya that is some-what remarkable for a flat-boat. At a distance she lookslike other boats of herspecies, but upon more care-ful examination you findthat she has a sternwheel,and inside a steam engine,and when she is in motionshe paddles and puffs withas much independence as afull grown steamer. But theseason has not yet arrivedfor our bayou to be in fullblast. Give us a plenty of wa-ter in the Plaquemine, andsteamboats plying betweenSt. Martinville and New Or-leans will be so numerousthat one may, any day in theweek, step aboard a fine boatthat will land him safe in thecity in about thirty hours.This brings New Orleans al-most within hailing dis-tance.”

The steamboat captains

had their troubles, too, how-ever, especially when theylost their craft beneath thewaters of the Teche. Onesuch mishap was reported inthe January 17, 1850, issueof the Banner, which statedthat the steamer, “Bertrand,”running between the Techeand New Orleans, had sunkin Bayou Sorrel with about250 hogsheads of sugar onboard. The loss of the sugarand the loss sustained by thesteamboat was computed tohave been not less than 15 or20 thousand dollars.

Names later associatedwith the steamboat tradeand well-remembered bymany of this generation wereCaptain Hubert Mahon,Captain William Clifton,Captain Victor Von Schoelerand Captain C.A. Barbour.

(Sources: Planters’ Ban-ner and “West of theAtchafalaya.”)


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Steamboat era saw a thriving, vivid local community

Postcard titled “Summer Scene on Bayou Teche, Franklin, La.”, the William Kyle steamboat,about 1903.

Need sound? Professionals from Easy Street Productions

Fountain of Youth NutritionCenter store is up for sale


Danny’s Fried Chickenspecializes in deliciousfried chicken and the best“rice dressing” around.Danny’s of Franklin hasbeen in business for 38years and is proud to serveyou and be part of this com-munity.

A FEW FACTS:Danny’s Fried Chicken

was founded by Mr.Howard Colgin, the firststore open in Morgan Citylocated on Brashear Av-enue.

Mrs. Lola Mae Broussardand the late Mr. NorrisBroussard purchased theirfirst Danny’s franchise in1972 in Ville Platte,Louisiana, by the end of1973 they opened the Dan-ny’s of Franklin (whereHimel’s is located today).

In 1974 Norris and LolaMae Broussard openedDanny’s of Bayou Vista;then in 1977 the Danny’s ofPatterson was open wherewe served the PattersonCommunity for 30 years.

Around 1978 Danny’s ofFranklin moved to the

present location on the cor-ner of Adams and MainStreet.

Dale Marie Hartford, thedaughter of Norris and Lo-la Mae Broussard, has beenthe manager and supervi-sor for Danny’s of Franklin,Bayou Vista and Pattersonfor the last 38 years.

Through the years wehave introduced many newitems to our menu, creatinga wide variety of deliciousfoods including fresh cat-fish, shrimp, crawfish,homemade onion rings, andthe best “rice dressing”around.

Danny’s of Franklin hasa drive-thru for your con-venience, a large diningroom and clean restrooms.

Come by and Shop Down-town in Franklin’s beauti-ful Historical District andstop at Danny’s and enjoysome delicious Danny’sFried Chicken, also checkour daily specials. Ourphone number is 337-828-4360 or 337-828-4361.

Thank you for your pa-tronage.

Danny’s Fried Chickenfounded 38 years agoserving delicious chicken

Almost four years into itsnew facility on NorthwestBoulevard, Franklin Founda-tion Hospital continues toprovide the same qualityhealthcare service it hasbeen serving the surround-ing community for the past58 years.

The hospital has been atits new 22-bed facility sinceAugust 2007 when it movedfrom the original hospitalbuilt in 1953. There are 179employees.

Administrative staff in-cludes Chief Executive Offi-cer Parker Templeton, ChiefFinancial Officer Ron Bailey,Chief Nursing Officer Jen-nifer Wise, Director of Hu-man Resources Elmo Vinas,Quality Resource DirectorKaren St. Blanc, ExecutiveAssistant Rebecca Courvilleand Director of Marketingand Business DevelopmentMarlo Tibbs.

Franklin Foundations’ gov-erning Board of Commission-ers of Hospital Service Dis-trict 1 are Allan Von Werder,chairman; Eugene FoulcardSr., vice chairman; and Dr.Nick Accardo, Didi Battle,Clegg Caffery Jr., Dr. RolandDegeyter and Ann Luke.

Medical specialties atFranklin Foundation includefamily and general practices,pediatrics, internal medi-cine, obstetrics and gynecolo-gy, orthopedics, general sur-gery, cardiology, podiatry,urology, digital mammogra-phy and ENT.

The hospital provides gen-eral medical and surgicalcare for inpatient, outpa-tient, and emergency roompatients; an intensive careunit and skilled nursingservices; a laboratory unit;physical, occupational,speech, respiratory and nu-

tritional therapy servicesand cardiovascular rehaband stress tests; and an ex-

tensive radiology departmentthat includes mammography,ultrasound, nuclear medi-

cine, CT scans, MRIs and X-rays.

Medical information is

available by calling 828-0760or visiting the website atwww.franklinfoundation.org.

Foundation Hospital continues to deliver excellent healthcare

was used for dancing until 1917, whenthat section of the building was con-demned. With the installation of a mod-ern sound apparatus, “talkies” came toFranklin in 1929. Manager CharlesLauve announced at this time that thework would be completed in July, whenthe “all-talking” production, “ShowBoat,” would be shown to movie-goers.

One must stop to remember that thetwenties were the “Flapper” days, for af-ter World War I women gained emanci-pation from the strict code of conduct inthe early part of the century. It was nolonger considered improper for a womento improve her appearance through theuse of cosmetics, although smoking bywomen was still somewhat frowned up-on. Charenton Beach became a popularspot for picnickers, swimmers, and boat

owners, and even the present genera-tion recalls the many dances held out atthe beach in days which have passed alltoo quickly.

Many of these elements are no longera part of the life of Franklin. Celebra-tions of carnival, however, have enduredthrough the years. In 1926 the royalparty came up the Teche on the “Wolver-ine,” then ascended the float for the pa-rade. The monarchs that year were Wil-son T. Peterman and Miss WinnieRogers (Mrs. Earl Lyman). In 1927William J. Talbot was King Rex. Thecarnival balls were given by the PTAand the Elks Club, while the parade wassponsored by the “Mysterious BabiesCarnival Club,” an organization formedin 1926.

As late as 1930 the world-famousshowboat, “Cotton Blossom,” exhibited a

four-act drama and five vaudeville actsat Franklin for two days. This showboat,of course, was the identical boat fea-tured in Ziegfeld’s movie, “Showboat.”The drama presented on this occasionwas “That Thing Called Love.”

And what shall we tell our grandchil-dren? That we lived to see the atombomb, the rockets, the innovation of tel-evision, and the first men in space?When story-telling time draws near atthe end of the day and we hear the lone-some whistle of the train in the dis-tance, will these modern stories capti-vate our descendants? Perhaps so, butour description of events will never havequite the magic of the showboat era.

(Sources: the St. Mary Banner,“St. Mary Parish—1958,” Mayor L.S.Tarlton’s address to the Elks Club).

‘With bubbling laughter in its heart’...Coninued from Page 1

2011 Profile

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