The Franklinton Aldermen and Mayor Darwin Sharp were set to meet for a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 8 with a short agenda. However, with the absences of Alderwoman Patrice Crain and Aldermen T.J. Butler and Randy Reed, the meeting was adjourned after the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Sharp announced that the lack of a quorum dictated that no business be conducted. The meeting became an awards ceremony instead.
The Era-Leader asked all three of the missing aldermen about their absences.
Alderwoman Crain, a local funeral director, is Chairman of the Board of the Louisiana Funeral Directors and Morticians Association. A joint convention with the Mississippi funeral organization was held in Biloxi on April 7-9. Crain was in attendance and on the evening program at the convention at 6:00 pm, the same time as the town meeting.
Alderman Reed explained that he was working the annual outage at the paper mill in Bogalusa and was involved with getting the paper machines back on. He has been working 12-hour shifts for a month. Alderman Butler shared that he had an emergency at his home involving a weed eater and broken glass and this was a rare absence on his part.
The first presentation was by Turner Knight, son of Derrick and Kelsey Knight and grandson of Cindy Knight. Turner shared a piece of writing he completed in his 4th grade class at Bowling Green School. The writing and illustration are included in a published class book. Mayor Sharp had the opportunity to read the piece and asked Turner to share. The writing expresses that police are Turner's heroes, tools officers use, common police dogs and ends with a paragraph about Chief Justin Brown and his status as a role model to others. In response, Chief Brown made Turner an honorary officer with an ID card, two uniform patches and two commemorative coins that are usually only shared with other police departments.
Next, Chief Brown recognized Captain Shawn Rice, Sgt. Christopher McElveen, Officer Randall Gros and Officer Cody Magee. These officers were at the scene of a shooting that took place following the state championship game at the Superdome in December.
The officers ran toward the gunfire, secured students exiting the Superdome and administered life-saving first aid to the victim. Additionally, the men secured the crime scene while waiting for the New Orleans Police Department to respond and provided a description of the suspect who was quickly apprehended. For these efforts, all four received the Silver Star for Bravery by the American Police Hall of Fame. They were joined at the meeting by FPD coworkers Kyle Stogner, Brandon Creel and Darryl Mizell, as well as their families.
Bro. Joey Miller, Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church, then shared some events that will be taking place around Easter and encouraged everyone to attend. The annual "Carry the Cross" will begin at 9:00 am on Good Friday at the old Dirt Cheap parking lot. It is sponsored by First Baptist Church but everyone is invited and encouraged to participate.
Participants will then walk to the Fairgrounds and folks will have an opportunity to carry the cross. It will be followed by a short service at the main stage of the Fairgrounds which will provide an opportunity to reconnect and recommit to faith. Bro. Miller also invited everyone to attend the Community-wide Easter Sunday Sunrise Service beginning at 7:00 am at Mile Branch Settlement on the Fairgrounds.
Jay Pittman from Spangler Engineering gave a short update on the water line improvement project in the medical district. A grant was secured during former Mayor Greg Route's tenure with the Delta Regional Authority. Most of the water line is now in place and boring under the streets is in progress. Pittman reiterated that Franklinton's infrastructure is aging, and this project has made that even more evident. He predicts that all will be complete in approximately 30 to 45 days. Mayor Sharp thanked residents in the area who have been accommodating during the project.
Alderman Lee Dillon, a first responder himself, thanked the officers who rushed to action at the shooting scene in December. Seth Descant added that student Turner Knight "hit the nail on the head" when explaining the Franklinton Police Department. He feels the effort and sacrifice by the police department is incredible and thanked the officers and Chief Brown. Mayor Sharp thanked the large audience stating, "This is a great crowd. The town is going to move forward."
