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ADVOCATE THE HE LIVINGSTON-TANGIPAHOA
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DENHAM SPRINGS • LIVINGSTON • WALKER • WATSON • AMITE • HAMMOND • PONCHATOULA
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2015 H
THEADVOCATE.COM
Darlene Denstorff AROUND LIVINGSTON
DDENSTORFF@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Deadline for soccer tourney logo extended The Pride of the Parish middle school soccer tournament logo contest deadline has been extended to Nov. 30. All middle school students in Livingston Parish are eligible to participate. The winner will receive a certificate, a $50 Raising Cane’s gift card and recognition during the tournament’s championship games. The winning logo will be used in tournament publicity. All entries must be submitted as a .JPG or .PDF files roughly square in dimensions, to sambarnes8@ gmail.com. Call (225) 9559149 with questions.
Council extends garbage contract in Walker BY HEIDI R. KINCHEN
hkinchen@theadvocate.com WALKER — The City Council extended for another five years Walker’s garbage contract with Waste Management, allowing it to lock in rates for the next two years. The extension, approved during a council meeting last week, will keep the contract in
effect until March 1, 2021, with the current rates remaining in effect through 2017, according to language the council approved at its Nov. 9 regular meeting. Otherwise, the rates are set according to the consumer price index. “Waste Management has done a very good job with providing service to our citizens,” said Fred Raiford, the city’s
chief of operations. “This gives us an opportunity to at least stabilize our costs.” The monthly rates that will remain in effect through 2017 are $13.19 per household or $8.68 for seniors, he said. Raiford said the lock-in will be beneficial to residents, who won’t face the annual increases typically associated with the consumer price index.
“Just last year, we were about 1.5 to 2 percent on the increase,” he said. Raiford praised Waste Management for providing citywide cleanups and for its conversion to compressed natural gas vehicles, which he said are more environmentally friendly and less noisy. Mayor Rick Ramsey said the fleet conversion also has finan-
ALL CHEERS
cial benefits for the city, which sells the company natural gas. “I think that’s a positive for us,” Ramsey said. “They’ve made investments in this city. They’ve made investments in us, and I would obviously support having this contract for the next five years.” Acceptance of the contract extension was unanimous.
Denham proposes reissuing bonds BY STEVE HARDY
shardy@theadvocate.com
An indoor brown bag lunch and movie for children ages 6 to 11 is set for 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the main branch of Livingston Parish Library. Bring lunch and watch a PG-rated movie. Call (225) 686-2436 for details.
DENHAM SPRINGS — Denham Springs could save a substantial amount of money by refinancing millions of dollars in bonds in the coming months. Last week, the City Council introduced an ordinance to explore its options. In 2008, the council issued $9.1 million in bonds to pay for modifications and upgrades to the city wastewater treatment facility. It’s paid off some of the money, but about $8 million is still outstanding. During the council’s last meeting, attorney Carmen Lavergne told council members they could save money by reissuing the bonds. It’s unclear exactly how much money a refinancing will be worth. Mayor Gerard Landry said the market changes hour to hour, but he expects the city will save hundreds of thousands of dollars. The council will vote whether to approve the refinancing at its next meeting, and, should it pass, the bonds can be priced in December and close in January, Lavergne said. If, contrary to expectations, the refinancing is more expensive, regulations prohibit the city from moving forward. “You do, in fact, have to save money,” Lavergne said. The public may comment on the city’s plan before the matter goes up for vote at the City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 23 in the Denham Springs Municipal Building on Government Drive.
Snoopy’s special day
Follow Steve Hardy on Twitter, @SteveRHardy.
NaNoWriMo write-ins
Time is growing short for aspiring novelists to finish up their pieces for National Novel Writing Month. Write-in sessions to work on submissions will be held from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Denham Springs-Walker Branch of Livingston Parish Library. Visit nanowrimo.org to learn more about National Novel Writing Month.
Brown bag and a movie
Snoopy and the gang will be featured at the AlbanySpringfield Branch of Livingston Parish Library at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Children ages 3 to 11 will make crafts and play a game before eating popcorn while watching a Snoopy movie. Following the movie will be a dog bone piñata full of treats. Space is limited, so registration is required. Call (225) 567-1441 or visit http:// bit.ly/1MMp8PK.
Albany fest features shopping, family fun
A-maze-ing challenge
Children ages 8 to 11 will have the opportunity to build big 3-D marble mazes out of everyday objects at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Denham Springs-Walker Branch of Livingston Parish Library. Registration is required due to limited space. Call (225) 665-8118 or sign up online at http://bit.ly/1SmI1gA.
Advocate staff photos by CHARLES CHAMPAGNE
Walker Renegade cheerleader Kylie Graves cheers Saturday during the Southern Louisiana Youth Football Association’s Super Bowl held at Walker High School.
The Southern Louisiana Youth Football Association’s Super Bowl was Saturday at Walker High School. Walker teams played in two championship games, losing both in the C and D divisions.
Story and craft time
The South Branch of Livingston Parish Library will hold a story and craft time at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Local author Wendy Woods will read her newest book, “Heaux, Heaux, Heaux, Indigeaux!” followed by a snack and a holiday craft. Woods will be available after the program to sign books. Call (225) 698-3015 for details.
Closed for Thanksgiving
All branches of Livingston Parish Library will be äSee AROUND, page 3G
Walker Renegade C-team player Derrin Bailey, 9, runs down the field Saturday during the Southern Louisiana Youth Football Association’s Super Bowl held at Walker High School. St. Amant won the game, 12-7.
BY VIC COUVILLION
Special to The Advocate ALBANY — The weather cooperated Saturday for the annual Albany Community Fall Arts and Crafts Festival. Area residents who enjoy seeking out unique, handcrafted items, specialty products, and locally grown, prepared and preserved foods shopped at more than 120 booths. Booths featured a wide variety of products, including decorative creations, apparel, jewelry and jars of preserves at the event sponsored by the Albany Community Church on Gill Road just off U.S. 190. Brother Ben Stratton, pastor of the nondenominational church, said his congregation hosted the festival for the fourth time this year. “It’s something special for our church members, and we work hard to make sure that the festival is bigger and better each year,” Stratton said. He said that at the church’s first arts and crafts festival, 60 vendors pitched their tents. This year, he added, about 120 vendors were on hand. “We have vendors coming from throughout Louisiana and even some from Mississippi. We welcome them all, and they seem to enjoy being part of our festival,” he said. In addition to the booths, festival planners added more attractions this year, especially for the children. Five large bounce houses were available in the play area. Horseback rides also were äSee ALBANY, page 2G