THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, M ay 13, 2026
$1.00N
12TH YEAR, NO. 31
Zachary Forward seeks support for school tax bid BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
to steer property tax collections that currently go into a school construction fund toward longWith a tax proposition to boost awaited raises for teachers and employee pay set to go before staff instead. Residents’ tax rates voters for a second time June 27, would not increase. The proposition already has been Zachary Community School District Superintendent Ben Necaise on the ballot once, in November, is again making the rounds to and failed by a slim margin. Necaise has been busy speakdrum up support. Called Zachary Forward, the ing to groups throughout the city; measure asks voters’ permission he has an appearance scheduled Contributing writer
at the Rotary Club on June 4. He and his team also are planning town hall meetings for June and recording video testimonials from employees, alumni, community members and others to help promote the initiative. The version of Zachary Forward presented to voters in November called for shifting tax proceeds not just to employee compensation but also technology upgrades
and facility maintenance. The district has since scrapped the latter two portions of the plan, focusing solely on salaries. “Honestly, the way things are going between inflation and other districts around us, we’re going to need as much of that money as possible anyway just to keep up with the compensation increases and make sure teachers and staff are making a fair wage,” Necaise told
the school board during a May 5 committee of the whole meeting. But he’s not giving up on the other priority areas. “We will work hard to figure out the facility and technology piece with other funding sources,” he said. More information about Zachary Forward is online at www.zacharyschools.org/zachary-forwardinitiative.
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Summer sports camps announced Zachary High Basketball Legacy Basketball Camp is 8 a.m. to noon May 26-29 at the Zachary High School Gym. Register at form.jotform. com/260996159507167. It is for ages 4-14. The Jacob Fisher Baseball Camp is June 8-11 for ages 5-14. It costs $120. Register at tinyurl. com/4ey34wey.
Part of Groom Road closed in May Groom Road is temporarily closed from May 6-20. As part of the Groom Road MOVEBR project, infrastructure upgrades are being made to improve drainage. As a result, Groom Road will be closed from Clermont Street to Plank Road to replace cross-drain pipes that will help alleviate local flooding. Through-traffic will be detoured around this area beginning at the intersection of Groom Road and Clermont Street. Drivers will be rerouted through a series of left turns: south to Paola Street, south to Molino Drive, southeast to East Myrtle Avenue, then east along Myrtle to Plank Road. Local traffic will be allowed past Clermont Street to access residences, Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Baker Funeral Home and Sonic Drive-in Restaurant on the north side of Groom Road. All other area businesses such as Walmart, CenterWell Senior Primary Care Center, Wendy’s Restaurant, Dollar Tree, CircleK, Walgreens and the Advantage Charter Academy can be accessed and egressed directly from/to Plank Road.
Library millage election set Election Day for the Library Millage Continuation is June 27. The proposed action is the same dedicated millage for the library that expired in 2025, but at a reduced 9.5-mill tax rate. The millage would remain a dedicated tax, and the library’s funding is almost entirely from this tax, library leaders have said. Library staff is also holding meetings to “Write the Next Chapter.” n The meeting at the Zachary Branch Library is at 2 p.m. June 3. n The Baker Branch Library meeting is 6 p.m. June 9. n The Central Branch will host two meetings, both at 6 p.m. One is May 18 and the other is June 1. n Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library will host one at 6 p.m. June 2. n The final talk will be held at Main Library at Goodwood at 2 p.m June 25. For information and to see more meeting choices, visit www.ebrpl. com/millage. Email Leila Pitchford at lpitchford@theadvocate.com.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL BACIGALUPI
Zachary High right fielder Braden Sanders hits a single against Dutchtown High on Saturday at the high school baseball semifinals in Watson.
After rain delays, Zachary ends season with 2 losses to Dutchtown Water, water everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. — “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The amount of recent rain and the effect on Zachary sports brought back memories of Donna Kline’s senior English class, where she showed tremendous patience to culture a teenager who was more interested in sports than poetry or writing. Thanks again, Mrs. Kline, for giving me a love of poetry and writing. Back to Zachary sports. When we last left them, the No. 4 seed ZHS baseball team was in the process of closing
out Hahnville in the they play?” but also quarterfinal round of “where will they play?” the nonselect Division The “originally” schedI playoffs. To address uled home doubleheadthe wet conditions last er scheduled for 4 p.m. week, the crack team and 6:30 p.m. at the Warren Zachary Youth Park at the Zachary Youth Brady Park used a helicopter was moved to Live Oak. ZACHARY to manage water and Perhaps it rained less SPORTS make John Herty field in Livingston Parish? playable. When the skies Last week, the Broncleared Saturday cos were scheduled to play the enough to play ball, Zachary No. 8 seed Dutchtown Griffins, won the first game Saturday night 4-3. Dutchtown won Sunwho upset the top seed Barbe Buccaneers. As you all know, day 3-2 (in 10 innings) and the the rain came down on Thurssecond game Sunday 22-9. Coach Chris Carrier and the day, it rained on Friday, and ZHS boys and girls track team Saturday, it was still raining. are also scheduled to compete As I watch the rain fall on in the 5A State Championship Saturday afternoon, the question now is not only “when will at LSU on May 9. I reached out
to Carrier, and he let me know that the meet was “going as planned.” We will check back on both sports next week.
Signing on the dotted line Needless to say, the rain did not put a damper on a celebration of 15 studentathletes as they signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their education and athletic careers on May 11 inside the ZHS Gym. Baseball signees were Cullen Howard (Arkansas State at Three Rivers) and Camden Massingill (Mississippi College). Camden Price (Northeast Mississippi
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Zachary seeks artist for City Hall Annex mural Community news report Build East Baton Rouge invites qualified artists or artist teams to submit proposals for the design an installation of a community-driven mural at the City Hall Annex in Zachary. This project is funded through a $10,000 Community Public Art Grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts. The annex is at 4650 Main St., Zachary. A new release said Zachary recently completed a comprehensive Downtown Plan that outlines a shared vision for a vibrant, connected and culturally rich district. Through this call for artists, the city seeks to support a mural that enhances the public realm, strengthens neighborhood identity, and contributes to a cohesive visual narrative that resonates with residents and visitors alike. Artists are encouraged to draw inspiration from the community’s history, culture and aspirations to
create a meaningful, place-based design that enriches the downtown experience. The project aims to enhance the visual appeal of a prominent public building: n Celebrate the unique identity and history of Zachary n Foster community pride and engagement through public art n Support local and regional artists n Contribute to downtown revitalization and place-making.
Submission details The $10,000 budget includes artist design fee, materials and supplies, surface preparation and installation, travel, insurance and any other associated project costs. This opportunity is open to individual artists or artist teams preferably in Louisiana and the surrounding region. Emerging and established artists are invited but public art and mural experience is strongly encouraged.
Applicants must submit an artist statement (maximum 500 words), project concept/approach (maximum 500 words), initial ideas for the mural (final design will be developed with community input), portfolio (5-10 images of past work), resume or CV, and two to three professional references. All materials must be submitted electronically to info@buildbatonrouge.org. Applications are due May 30, and the artist will be selected the week of June 15.
Selection details Submissions will be evaluated on artistic quality and originality, relevant experience with murals or public art, demonstrated ability to engage communities, feasibility within budget and timeline and alignment with project goals. A selection committee composed of representatives from Build Baton Rouge and the City of Zachary will review all submissions.
A community engagement and design phase will run June-August with installation in September through December. Completion deadline is December 2026. Build EBR and the city of Zachary reserve the right to reject any or all submissions and to request additional information from applicants as needed. The selected artist must enter into a contract with Build EBR, comply with all grant requirements from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, participate in documentation and reporting activities, and ensure all promotional materials include required acknowledgment language: “Supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism.” For questions or information, contact Ashleigh McHugh, with the city of Zachary, at ashleigh. mchugh@cityofzachary.org.