Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office Web Site Now Online

ClaiborneOne.org (the official web presence for all of Claiborne Parish) announces the addition of The Claiborne Parish Sheriff's Office to the hundreds of pages already online at Claiborne One.  The CPSO site is now online at www.ClaiborneSheriff.org. The site includes: a welcome message from new Claiborne Parish Sheriff, Ken Bailey, information on divisions and staff, detention center visitation procedures, community programs, tips on how to protect yourself and your family, and employment opportunities.

Water, Trash Issues Top Council Agenda

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

Mayor Huey Dean informed the Homer Town Council he had received a notice from the Department of Health and Hospitals on Friday informing him that sometime during the period of July 1 through July 31, 2004, the Town's water supply violated the maximum contaminant level of coliform bacteria as set forth in the State and Federal Primary Drinking Water Regulations. The notice stated, "This is not an emergency. If it had been you would have been notified immediately."

There is no need to boil water or take other corrective actions, but people with specific health concerns such as severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk and should consult their doctor. Coliform bacteria are generally not harmful themselves and are naturally present in the environment, but they can serve as a warning that potentially harmful bacteria may be present.

Town employee Walter Young said two wells did test for coliforms the first week of July, but subsequent tests the following week showed no bacteria. He assured the Council that the water was okay.

The Town has 14 days to publish a notice in the newspaper and 45 days to notify customers by mail or hand delivery. Failure to do so may result in enforcement action.

David Greene, site manager for BFI Waste of North Louisiana, addressed the Council regarding the ongoing problem at the waste site on Oil Mill Road, a recent meeting of the Town Council where a competitor stated they could collect trash cheaper, and BFI's contract with the Town.

Greene said there is almost two years left on the existing contract with the Town. It is not a joint agreement with the Police Jury and the Town of Haynesville. They are three separate contracts. They only use the same bid  specs, and the rate for the Town is less than the Police Jury Bids were advertised and BFI's bid was $1.43 cheaper than the next lowest bid. Greene said he was working to see if BFI would offer a lesser price in exchange for an extension on the contract and would know by the next council meeting.

Greene said the Oil Mill Road dump site has nothing to do with the residential  contract. For years, BFI offered to help the Town by hauling the trash at no charge. They also cannot haul bins that are half full of metal and half full of trash. They must be separated. Greene said the DEQ will not allow you to put anything on the ground. When trash and metal is mixed and BFI has to dump the trash on the ground to separate it, it makes them liable and subject to  a fine.

White goods (appliances) are another problem. The Bienville and Claiborne Parish Police Juries hire a man to pick up white goods for a cost of $10 each. Freon and refrigerants must first be removed. He suggested the Town consider a similar agreement, where either the Town or the residents could pay for the pickup.

Dean suggested the Town check driver's licenses at the next Trash Bash to make sure those bringing trash are Homer residents. Dean said a meeting was scheduled with DEQ on Tuesday concerning the town being out of compliance at the dump site.

Clean City Committee Chairman Pete Pearson said they would pay half for an ad to try to educate the public on what must be done. Jesse Ford said the Town needs to make sure the gate is locked at all times and someone is there to monitor the site to make sure trash and metal are not mixed.

On Tuesday, Kevin O'Brien with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality met with Mayor Dean and John David Watson, executive director for the Claiborne Chamber of Commerce. After inspecting the site on Old Mill Road, he noted that all waste had been removed for proper disposal and the requirements of Compliance Order #SE-C-03-0215 had been satisfactorily fulfilled.

Industrial Board Vows To Keep Public Informed

Board Approves $6,000 For Lisbon Landing Improvements

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

The Claiborne Parish Industrial Development Board met on Wednesday, July 28 and voted unanimously to remain an industrial development board, reserving the right to review it at a later date. All the board members agreed that industrial and economic development boards were similar, but industrial boards were more open to the public. Board President Dennis Butcher said, "We intend to be very open with our meetings."

Melissa Watts said if the Board were to decide to request the Jury to dissolve the industrial development board, their assets would go back to the Police Jury and the Jury would have to donate the assets back to an economic development board.

Butcher said, "I think (the industrial board) is a better document for us to operate under in the fact that it is a little more open to the public, and I think if we have future needs from the public to support us, and I think we will, we are going to need to be very open and straightforward with them."

Butcher presented an artist drawing of what the Lisbon Landing on Lake Claiborne would look like if the Board would join with the Claiborne Watershed District and the Police Jury to make some improvements to the area. He said the landing was located on La. 2 which is in the Scenic Highway system and was recently awarded a grant to construct a kiosk that would make promotional material available to motorists.

Presently the area is waste deep in grass and is littered with beer cans and trash, which Butcher said was projecting the wrong image. He said if the Board and the Watershed Commission would each contribute $6,000, they could purchase concrete and materials to build a second boat ramp, 15' wide and 42' long, and do some landscaping. The Police Jury could provide the dirt work. This project would need to be approved quickly so it could be done during the drawdown of Lake Claiborne this fall.

Benjie Winn asked how this project would spur economic development. Butcher said, "Very obvious tourism and retirees; Retirees coming into the parish are the quickest, easiest way to get economic or industrial development. Retirement and tourism are industries. You don't have to build factories and smokestacks."

Butcher went on to say, "I want to show unity; I think it is worth the cost just to show unity." Winn agreed they needed to show some unity in this parish, but he didn't think this was traditionally the kind of project an economic development board would take on, although he added, "It obviously has some merit."

John Wesley Cooper said they definitely need to get more people to move to Claiborne Parish. Several years ago he attended a fact-finding trip to Cypress Bend on Toledo Bend where they saw a very successful example of economic development. He said, "We saw firsthand how tourism and retirees make a difference." The way we do business in Claiborne Parish is going to be entirely different. We are going to have to start looking at people as being business.

Butcher said, "Retired people are probably the best industry you can get. You don't give them a 10-year tax exemption and generally they are low maintenance."

The Board voted unanimously to spend up to $6,000 pending the Watershed Commission matches that amount and the Police Jury is willing to provide the labor.

School Bells Ring Next Week

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

Students at most Claiborne Parish schools will be in class next week. All Claiborne Parish public schools will begin classes for the 2004-2005 school year on Thursday, August 12. Classes at Claiborne Academy will begin Wednesday, August 11. The first day for students at Mt. Olive Christian School and Junction City schools will be Thursday, August 19.

LEAP, GEE, Iowa Test Scores Released

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

Claiborne Parish recently received the results of LEAP, GEE, and Iowa test results. School Superintendent James Scriber said he thought this was the first year the 4th grade had more than half of the students parishwide score basic, advanced, or mastery on the LEAP test—54 percent in English and 53 percent in Mathematics.

Compared to the national percentile rank of the average standard score of students nationwide, the Iowa Test Scores for Spring 2004 placed third grade students in Claiborne Parish at 53. That means 47 percent of 3rd graders in the U.S. scored higher and 52 percent scored lower than Claiborne Parish students. In 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th grades Claiborne Parish students placed below the 50 percentile—Grade 5 at 42, Grade 6 at 39, Grade 7 at 43, and Grade 9 at 39.

Iowa Test rankings by school and grade were as follows:

Athens - 3rd grade (44), 5th grade (26), 6th grade (31), 7th grade (39), and 9th grade (43).

Haynesville Elementary - 3rd grade (75)

Haynesville Jr./Sr. - 5th grade (41), 6th grade (35), 7th grade (39), and 9th grade (46).

Homer Elementary - 3rd grade (40)

Homer High - 9th grade (31)

Homer Jr. High - 5th grade (41), 6th grade (41), 7th grade (43).

Pineview - 3rd grade - NR, 5th grade (40), 6th grade (33), 7th grade (53), 9th grade (32). NR indicates the score was not reported because the number of students tested was less than 10 or results were not reported.

Summerfield - 3rd grade (51), 5th grade (61), 5th grade (54), 7th grade (45), 9th grade (53).

Scriber said, "I am for structure  and discipline in school. When you say discipline, most people think of punishment. I look at discipline as being able to focus on something and being able to accomplish that which you are focusing on. I think discipline is the foundation for success in life. When you can discipline yourself to read and do math and do science, then you have a real chance of being successful in life. I want every student to have that opportunity. Whether they take advantage of that opportunity or not depends on the student."

Scriber said students who failed the LEAP in March were offered free summer school and an opportunity to retest in July. The results of the July tests will not be received until after school starts, so those students are being asked to stay home the first of school until school officials can determine whether they will be promoted to the 5th and 9th grades.

Students take LEAP 21 in the 4th and 8th grades and GEE 21 in the 10th and 11th grades. Students who fail to pass parts of the tests are given additional chances to retake the tests. GEE 21 scores determines whether students are eligible to graduate from high school.

There are five achievement levels students can attain: Unsatisfactory, Approaching Basic, Basic, Mastery or Advanced. In previous years, 4th-grade students had to be Approaching Basic in English and Math. Now, with the new policy, 4th-grade students must score at least Basic in one of two subjects - English or Math - and at least Approaching Basic in the other subject.

To pass the 8th-grade LEAP 21 and the high school GEE 21, students must score at the Approaching Basic level or above.

The percentage of 4th grade students who failed the English Language Arts portion of the LEAP test this spring in Claiborne Parish was 20 percent, compared to 19 percent statewide. In Mathematics, 26 percent had unsatisfactory scores compared to 24 percent statewide. In Science, 11 percent in Claiborne Parish had unsatisfactory scores compared to 14 percent statewide, and in Social Studies, 21 percent of 4th graders failed, compared to 19 percent statewide.

In 8th grade, 25 percent in Claiborne Parish scored unsatisfactory in English Language Arts, compared to 18 percent statewide. In Mathematics, 26 percent failed compared to 25 percent statewide. Forty-two (42) percent of eighth graders in Claiborne scored unsatisfactory in Science compared to 23 percent statewide, and in Social Studies, 32 percent of Claiborne 8th graders failed, compared to 20 percent statewide.

Graduate Exit Exams (GEE) showed that 16 percent of 10th graders failed English Language Arts compared to 18 percent statewide; and 24 percent failed Mathematics compared to 23 percent statewide.

GEE scores for 11 graders showed 13 percent failed Science compared to 19 percent statewide, and 15 percent failed Social Studies compared to 15 percent statewide. (LEAP and GEE test results for each  school in the parish can be found on page 4.)

Scriber said he is also concerned about ACT scores because they are an indicator of what we are doing. As superintendent, Scriber said he intends to focus on academics.

School-by-school test results for LEAP 21, GEE 21, and The Iowa Tests are now available on the Department of Education's website at www.doe.state.la.us. The results represent the final Spring 2004 scores for approximately 1,400 public schools across the state.

Schools will use this year's data to gauge their progress toward the state's accountability goals. Each school receives a School Performance Score each year. LEAP 21 and GEE 21 scores comprise 60 percent of each school's score. The Iowa Tests comprises 30 percent and the remaining 10 percent consists of attendance and dropout rates.

Homer Natatorium Opens

After making a number of repairs, the Homer Natatorium opened this week. Due to the lack of certified lifeguards, the Town decided to close the Mayfield Pool for the rest of the summer and open the Homer Natatorium since it is a much larger pool and can accommodate more swimmers. Pool Manager Maz Bursey and lifeguards Dane Owens, Rashid Young, Jerrod Green and Devin Owens were busy cleaning the pool Monday. The Natatorium will be open from 1-7 PM Monday through Saturday through August 11. Beginning Thursday, August 12, pool hours will be 3-7 PM Monday-Thursday and 1-7 PM on Saturdays through September 4. Admission is $1.50. Children age six and under must be accompanied by someone 16 years or older. No swimming allowed after hours. Violators will be prosecuted. For more information, call the Natatorium at 927-2484 or Homer City Hall at 927-3555.

Qualifying This Week For Lisbon Mayor, Police Chief, Alderman

Qualifying for the office of mayor, chief of police, and three alderman for the Village of Lisbon will be held Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, August 4-6, from 8:30 AM-4:30 Wednesday and Thursday, and from 8:30 AM-5:00 PM on Friday. Anyone interested must qualify at the Claiborne Parish Clerk of Court office in downtown Homer. For information, call 927-9601.

No Cost Back-To-School Shots For Kids

Immunizations Available Without Appointment At Claiborne Health Unit

In order to help parents prepare their children for school and daycare this fall, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, through its Shots for Tots program, is holding its second annual no-cost immunization effort throughout the state. This continues the mission of the Shots for Tots program to have every child up-to-date on his or her immunizations by age one.

This concentrated effort is set to begin Thursday, August 5 and will continue through Saturday, August 7, in parish health units across the state, as well as in partner clinics in some areas of the state. While children are the primary focus of the program, older children and adults also may get any necessary immunizations such as tetanus shots or other important immunizations.

During the three days of the program, parents may bring children to parish health units and clinics across the state to get their immunizations without an appointment. The Claiborne Parish Health Unit is located at 624 West Main in Homer. Clinic hours are as follows: Thursday, August 5,  12-8 PM; Friday, August 6, 8 AM-6 PM; and Saturday, August 7, 8 AM-1 PM. Parents should also bring their child's shot record.

For more information, contact the Claiborne Parish Health Unit at 318-927-6127.

New Playground Equipment At Homer City Park

The Christmas Festival Committee, with the help of others, has added new playground equipment at the Homer City Park. They would like to invite everyone to come to the park to take a look at the new equipment. They are also asking for everyone to join in helping keep the park safe and clean, by picking up trash, making sure the gates are closed after hours, and watering the Bradford pear trees. If you see someone damaging the equipment, please call the Homer Police Department and report it. With everyone's help, this can be a wonderful playground, and they would like to remind everyone that "helping others is a wonderful feeling."