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ADVOCATE&
THURSDAY APRIL 23, 2015 H
P R O U D LY O W N E D I N L O U I S I A N A THEADVOCATE.COM
Council approves rezoning, considers millage increase
Stacy Gill AROUND ZACHARY
BY STACY GILL
SGILL@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Free seminar on home mortgages Attorney General Buddy Caldwell’s office has partnered with the Louisiana Bar Foundation, Louisiana Appleseed, Louisiana Legal Services and the Louisiana Civil Justice Center to offer a series of free workshops on mortgages and personal finance titled “LMAP: Getting Your House in Order.” The statewide tour, which kicked off April 22 and includes stops in Baker and Baton Rouge, assists Louisiana consumers in conjunction with Financial Literacy Month, observed every April. Experts from the banking, real estate and legal field will offer education on first-time home buying, refinancing, reverse mortgages and other financial matters, Caldwell said. The Louisiana Mortgage Assistance Program was established by Caldwell to provide financial information and counseling on foreclosure prevention, wrongful foreclosure, loan modification, principle reduction, refinancing and related services. In Baker, the free seminar begins at 10 a.m. April 29 in the meeting room of the Baker Library, 3501 Groom Road.
but issue a waiver. Council majority voted in favor of the zoning change, 4-1. Also on the agenda, the Council discussed the posIt was a much different outcome at the April 14 Zachary City Council meeting for property manage- sibility of rolling Zachary’s current 3.17 millage rate forward, causing a $50 annual increase to property ment company Maestri-Murrell, of Baton Rouge. At the March 24 meeting, the council voted 3-2 taxes. “Even if we decide to do it, you’re looking at 2017 beagainst the company’s site plan review prohibiting a rezone of the property adjacent to Zachary Parkside fore any tax is collected from this,” said Mayor David Amrhein. “It won’t be a big impact on residents and Apartments. most won’t even notice.” “You refused to accept the “Even if we decide to do it, you’re looking Chief Financial Offisite plan review and refused the recommendation of planat 2017 before any tax is collected from this. cer Steve Nunnery said the last time Zachary’s ning and zoning, but will you It won’t be a big impact on residents rate changed was in give us a reason as to why and most won’t even notice.” 1999-2000, when the city you voted no?” said Lawrolled the millages from rence Maestri at the March DAVID AMRHEIN, mayor of Zachary 3.29 to its current 3.17. meeting. The city has the auThe company then appealed to the council to consider rezoning the La. 964 thority to raise the rate to 5.79 mills before it must go property from urban center to residential urban, cau- to a vote of the people, Nunnery said. Council members agreed that the impact would be tioning that a more commercial zoning status would make for an unsafe environment for nearby residents. minimal to residents and that the city must have the After much debate, the Council re-voted 4-1 in fa- ability to draw operating funds from sales taxes. The percentage of the increased millage was left unvor of allowing the issue to be tabled until the April meeting, with Councilman Ben Cavin casting his vote determined but the council agreed to merely discuss the amount and consider an ordinance at the April 28 against the measure. This time around, Maestri-Murrell was given the go meeting. PUBLIC SAFETY: The council approved Brandon Noel’s ahead to begin building the 40 additional residential units after two unanimous votes by the council ap- proposal to place two stop signs at the intersection of proving a resubdivision of the property and the site 38th and Main streets to create a four-way. “People take that route to avoid stop signs on 39th plan review. However, when it came time to vote for the rezone, Cavin again cast the only nay vote, saying he would have preferred to keep the zoning the same äSee COUNCIL, page 2G sgill@theadvocate.com
Advocate staff photo by STACY GILL
Steven Jackson, 26, surprised his daughters, Marissa, 4, and Melody, 2, at their preschool, The Little School, in Zachary on April 16.
Returning soldier surprises daughters at preschool BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com When 4-year-old Marissa Jackson and her classmates at the Little School in Zachary designed a banner last week in honor of her father serving in the Army, the children were simply told the soldier would be returning home soon. So when Steven Jackson, 26, returned to Zachary on April 16 after a 13-month deployment in South äSee SOLDIER, page 2G
Relay for Life
The American Cancer Society’s Baker/Zachary Relay for Life event is from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday at BREC’s Zachary Community Park, 20055 Old Scenic Highway. Relay for Life events provide an opportunity for communities to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost and fight back by raising awareness against the disease. Each year, more than 4 million people in over 20 countries take part in Relay for Life, raising much-needed funds and awareness in an effort to save lives from cancer. This year, Relay for Life has a movie theme — Lights, Camera, Cure — and will feature games, food and entertainment with proceeds supporting American Cancer Society with research, health services, transportation to treatment, education and prevention. For information, call Shea Malbreaugh, Baker/Zachary Relay coordinator, at (225) 301-0333 or Angela Nantamu äSee AROUND, page 2G
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Advocate staff photos by STACY GILL
Roma Prejean, a volunteer for the Zachary Food Pantry, shows Autumn Alvarado and Samantha Sanders, from left, where to put items of food the girls donated on behalf of their Girl Scout Daisy Troop April 15.
Daisies donate to Zachary Food Pantry BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com After hours at the Zachary Food Pantry on April 15, the scene was slightly chaotic. But in a good way. Daisies from Girl Scout Troop 10145 of Zachary and their parents were busy piling boxes of Do-Si-Dos and Thin Mints and bags of canned and dry goods into a shopping cart to be weighed by Food Pantry volunteer Roma Prejean. The girls then offered to help Prejean stock the shelves with their recently donated items — a can of tomatoes here, a jar of peanut butter there. “Where does this go?” asked Savannah MacArthur, 8, while tugging
on Prejean’s arm. “That goes here; wait, no it doesn’t,” another Daisy Scout said. The troop worked for weeks selling Girl Scout cookies to friends, relatives, residents and businesses throughout the Zachary community and during their sales asked people to donate boxes of cookies toward the Food Pantry effort. Those who didn’t sell cookies collected bags of food to donate. In all, 94.5 pounds of food were donated. “It’s wonderful to see these girls working together so that others can benefit. My oldest grandchild is 11, so it’s nice to be around little ones again; they are so cute, and we’re grateful for their efforts,” said
Prejean on behalf of the Food Pantry. A dip in donations between winter and spring is expected, Prejean says, but what the food bank really needs is dry goods. “Anything that comes in a box or bag — grits, oatmeal, pasta noodles, rice, flour, cereal — we’re in short supply. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll take anything people would like to donate, but what we don’t get, we just don’t get,” Prejean said. Because of the lack of dry goods, Food Pantry Director Reggie Dykes came up with the idea of a “no cando day,” which has been launched at Zachary High School as a contest between the female and male students to see who could collect the most dry goods, Prejean said.
Daisies in Girl Scout Troop 10145 of Zachary earned this Food Bank patch for their efforts in donating 94.5 pounds of cookies and food to the Zachary Food Pantry on April 15.
The Zachary Food Pantry delivered some of its collection barrels to the ZHS campus for the weeklong drive ending Friday. For the Daisy troop’s effort, the girls will earn a food bank patch.