THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE&
THURSDAY
P R O U D LY O W N E D I N L O U I S I A N A
1st Year, No. 11
Stacy Gill AROUND ZACHARY
SGILL@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Christmas in the Village a big draw This past weekend was a huge success for organizers of annual Christmas events in and around Zachary. The city saw probably the largest turnout of people ever at the Christmas in the Village celebration. Last year’s event was minimally attended thanks to freezing, icy rain that kept even the most festive of folk indoors. Friday’s weather, however, had residents and visitors of Zachary out in the hundreds. Saturday was a great success for the Zachary Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the annual Christmas parade as a fundraising event. Festive and fun, the Zachary parade ended with several winners, a tie and honorable mention-worthy floats. Also this past weekend, Wreaths Across America was celebrated at nearby Port Hudson National Cemetery honoring fallen soldiers and veterans. Looking ahead around Zachary ...
DECEMBER 18, 2014 H
THEADVOCATE.COM
Council OKs restaurant site plan Officer discusses clearing junk cars BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com The Zachary City Council at its Dec. 9 meeting agreed with planning and zoning’s recommendation to approve the site plan review for Zaxby’s restaurant. If all goes according to schedule, the restaurant should begin construction in March and take about four months to complete, according to Charlie Colvin, associate broker at Beaux Box.
The 3,850-square-foot eatery will be located on Main Street across from Wal-Mart, Colvin said. Zaxby’s menu features chicken fingers and wings, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, sides, desserts and beverages. The council also approved a site plan allowing MedComp Sciences to add square footage to its existing McHost Road location. However, since the current building is more than 5,000 square feet and located in a flood zone, the company cannot bring in any outside dirt, Mayor David Amrhein said.
MedComp’s Randy Herring said the business is “doing extremely well with 200 employees.” In other council business, Bill Johnson, code enforcement officer, reported on the status of abandoned and junk vehicles within Zachary’s city limits. Johnson said so far in 2014, a total of 120 citations have been written, 60 cars have been removed, 65 are pending, 35 vehicles have been cleared or towed and 20 have been removed from private property. “As fast as I clear them out, they bring them back in,” John-
son said about the Avenues area of Zachary. The ordinance, which came into effect in 2012 after Amrhein took office, states: “junk and/or abandoned cars stored on private property or discarded in public place are a source of potential harm to children and others who may find them to be an attractive nuisance; they create safety and health hazards; and constitute a blight on the city’s landscape destroying the aesthetic qualities of the city and hurting the welfare of the city as a whole.” Amrhein said there were
Raffle prizes wanted
Close to 400 wrestlers, their families and supporters will be converging on Zachary on Saturday for the annual one-day tournament the Big Horse Open, hosted by the Zachary High wrestling team. Businesses willing to donate prizes to a raffle drawing should drop off items along with a business card before 5 p.m. Friday to Shawn Bickham at Castello Agency, 4257 Church St., Suite 107, or email shawn@ äSee AROUND, page 2G
INSIDE Crossword .............. 4G Sports .................... 1H
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Recovery funds help finish Youth Park renovations BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com
Holiday break
Midterm exams for students began Tuesday and will wrap Friday in time for the Christmas holiday break. Zachary students will be dismissed early Friday following their last exam and will return to school Jan. 6.
about 1,000 abandoned cars throughout the community. Johnsonsaidheaveragesclearing about 20 cars a week, but is “making a dent in the problem.” At the beginning of 2015, Johnson said, he will be sending letters to owners of the vehicles giving them a chance to have them towed or made movable again. Prior to adjournment, the council recognized 13-year Councilman Dan Wallis and eight-year Councilman John Coghlan.
Advocate staff photos by STACY GILL
Zachary United Methodist Church won best display of parade theme for a ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ float Saturday in the Zachary Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas parade.
Christmas movie madness Parade entries display creativity, fun with theme
BY STACY GILL
sgill@theadvocate.com Saturday’s mild weather no doubt played a part in the success of the Zachary Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas parade. About 75 parade entries proceeded along Church and Main streets Saturday. The creativity, decorations and effort by the contestants vying for top prizes didn’t disappoint. The parade, themed “It’s A Wonderful Life in Zachary: A äSee PARADE, page 7G
Mark Marionneaux and gang from the Bank of Zachary dressed as characters from ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.’ They won best float.
Zachary Mayor David Amrhein and city officials held a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 9 for the recent renovations made to Zachary Youth Park. The new improvements to the park were made possible thanks to about $1.4 million in Community Development Block Grants for recovery from damage sustained by hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. With the new improvements, the park serves as an emergency staging area for the city during severe weather conditions and is a place to protect citizens and local assets, Amrhein said. “The city of Zachary wanted to not only get their youth park rebuilt after Hurricane Gustav, they were determined to make it stronger to better resist damage from future storms,” said Pat Forbes, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Community Development. “With the improvements they’ve undertaken, this park can continue to serve the community in good times, as well as after disasters, for many years to come.” Following hurricanes and other natural disasters and based on disaster declarations and documented loss, funding is often made available to local communities through federal Public Assistance Grants, according to Chris Calbert, chief administrative officer for Zachary. The funds, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are facilitated by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness and awarded based on a demonstrated need for small or large projects and actual loss, Calbert said. Following hurricanes Gustav äSee PARK, page 8G
Oil Changes, Brakes, Alignments, Check Engine Lights, A/C Repairs, Shocks, Struts, Tires