The Franklinton Board of Aldermen and Mayor Darwin Sharp met on Tuesday, September 9 with a very short agenda. The Board first approved the minutes from the August 26 Regular Meeting.
Next, Ms. D'Ann Davis addressed the Board to introduce herself as the new Director of the Washington Parish Economic Development Foundation. A resident of Mt. Hermon, Ms. Davis brings with her over 20 years of experience in marketing, tourism and business development. She is excited in her new position not only for new businesses but also for the opportunities that come with "repainting" existing ones. She summed up her job as coordinating "what we have to offer in our community and what we want to match." Ms. Davis is committed to working tirelessly with Washington Parish for grant opportunities as well as helping make it a better place to do business.
Next was a presentation from Bryce Bullock, Louisiana's representative for Samsara, a connected operations company. The company's primary objectives are to reduce accidents, decrease insurance costs, and anticipate risks with AI that understands the full context of every situation, from weather conditions to driver behavior. This is done through fuel and energy, maintenance, mission-critical connectivity, and working with integrations and applications. Samsara's products include cameras, driver coaching, safety reports, asset tracking, location tracking, and real-time GPS.
Alderman Lee Dillon works in emergency services and introduced Mayor Sharp to the benefits of the company's programs in hopes of saving Franklinton money. Mr. Bullock added that clients include the cities of New Orleans, Covington, Bogalusa, the Washington Parish School Board, and on larger scale, American Airlines, Home Depot and Cysco. He explained that the town recently underwent a 45-day free trial and calculates that the town's saving potential is upwards of $55,000 per year. He detailed three possible plans that cost $28,000, $26,000, or $20,000 annually. The company is on the state contract list which includes a 15 percent discount. He left the quotes, and Mayor Sharp assured him this will be taken under advisement.
In Council Discussion, Alderwoman Patrice Crain shared that concerned citizen Vincent Johnson has worries about the intersection of Alford Street and TJ Butler, Sr. Drive when school buses are making their way to Franklinton Primary School. He also noted that there are no School Zone signs anywhere on Alford Street from Franklinton Junior High School at Main Street to the Primary School on TW Barker Drive.
Mrs. Crain also reported the funeral arrangements for Mr. Matthew Tate and memorial date and time for the late Juanita Barker. Mr. Tate's family asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship and Mrs. Barker's family asked for donations to be made to the Washington Parish High School Scholarship Fund.
Mayor Sharp ended the meeting by reminding aldermen that their packets contain two ordinances to read over and discuss before the next meeting on Tuesday, September 23.
