The Era-Leader from Franklinton, Louisiana • 1

Damaged bridge will be OK for fair traffic officials say Although a defective bridge at die fairgrounds will remain open during next fair officials say that motorists need to be worried Original plans called for the Fairgrounds Road bridge over Mile Branch Creek to be repaired before the fair However when it turned out that scheduling problems would not allow the work to be finished before the fair the decision was made to wait and do the work after the fair The bridge has some rotten timbers and supports but it is still secure as far as bearing norma! traffic officials say Thick plastic barricades have been placed along the edges of the bridge to force traffic toward the middle during the fair and away from the rotten timbers think they would let anyone drive across it if there was any commented Larry Magee longtime chairman of the Buildings and Grounds committee The bridge belongs to the town of Franklinton but the state of Louisiana has agreed to foot the bill for replacing it because it is heavily used by trucks from die DOT maintenance yard at the fairgrounds Governor Kathleen Blanco earlier signed -an emergency proclamation allowing the state to pay for the repairs The work is now expected to be accomplished following the fair vi v'Jr--' vt Thick plastic barricades shown in photo are to direct traffic toward the center of the bridge where it is more secure Local woman marks her 109th birthday Mrs Rosa Williams was honored on her 109th birthday at Good Samaritan Nursing Home on Friday October 1 Family members and friends gathered to wish her Happy Nursing Home Administrator Hugh Cassidy presented Rosa a bouquet of roses from the staff and she received many other tokens of love and admiration Rosa was born in 1895 in the San Pedro community She was married to the late Howard Williams and raised ten children four of whom were step-children She also served as midwife to many dozens of families in Washington Parish A record proving her birthdate was found in a family Bible PHOTOS BY MOGGIE BICKHAM rsexDS' esatsasoa tsaas WEDNESDAY OCT 20 Dierks Bentley on the stage at 8:00 pm MRADE BEGINS 10 un MONDAY OCT 18 Banquet for Catalog honoree Wayne Kuhn (by invitation) THURSDAY OCT 21 Trace Adkins on the stage at 8:30 pm RODEO: 7:30 FRIDAY OCT 22 Jimmy Wayne on the stage at 9 pm RODEO: 7:30 SATURDAY OCT 23 Final day of the fair RODEO: 2:30 7:30 TUESDAY OCT 19 WPFair Queen Contest 7:00 pm 0KNM6 CEREMONY I an 4 At last RMC roof lawsuit settled 2001 after Arc Mechanical was contracted to do some work for a renovation program Honeywell then said it would not honor the 20 year warranty because it did not accept the work done by Arc Riverside insisted that Honeywell live up to its contract and in June 2003 Watts said sued everybody a year of back and forth all parties agreed to try mediation thus avoiding going to court After a day of meeting and negotiating there was agreement by all parties Watts reported that there will be a two year unconditional warranty on the roof and a 13 year limited warranty Watts said are now protected as much as humanly LN OTHER BUSINESS Architect By M0G8IE BICKHAM After a long and determined battle Riverside Medical dispute with Honeywell (Allied) has finally been settled RMC attorney Richard Watts reported the settlement to the Board of Commissioners at the September 30th meeting He said there was an all day meeting which ended up as ua good ending in a successful resolution to the problem your attorney I can recommend the acceptance of the mediation Honeywell finally owned up to the fact they owe us as did Arc The original cost of the roof for the 65000 square foot structure was a little over $397000 in 1997 The problem began back in June Sam Fauntleroy said the Brunt Bonding Co attorney has been working to complete the punch list for the Emergency Department In her financial report Patty Mizell said the hospital still has a net loss for the year but the Critical Access reimbursements have not yet been received She noted that Emergency Department visits and surgeries were up for the month and die average daily census was 10 Since Riverside became a Critical Access facility it is limited to 25 patients at any given time including those in the ICU Gene Williams MSN reported the purchase of $6190 worth of portable radios for communications in case of a disaster Williams said Please Set Page A3 THE FAST INTERVIEW baseball in my youth I started playing for Dr team around 1937 1 found out I am the oldest player from that team still living Coleman Knight also played but a little older than he is Where is your favorite place to be in Washington Parish? A Home What's one thing you are most proud of? A My family and my service to my country Do yon have a family motto? A Back in the Depression my grandfather told me day if you make $100 a day save $10 of it" Where in Washington Parish can you get the best catfish? A Main Street Restaurant When you were a child who was your hero? A My dad Otis James Tell me one something that not everyone knows about you A I was in the National Guard in Franklinton from 1937 to 1940 In November of that year I joined the National Guard in Tylertown MS expecting to be sent to the war They turned me down because of flat feet I was 4F for a year After Pearl Harbor they look at my feet 1 was in the Army now! Where were you on September 11 2001? A In Bible Study at Trinity Baptist Church Do you have any pet peeves? A The way some people drive Where is your favorite vacation spot? Please Set Page A3 high school? A I worked at the Washington Parish Canning plant for 15 cents an hour Tell ns about your military experience A I served in foe Army for four years mostly in the Solomon Islands I was the oldest of die four boys my parents had All of us were in World War II Alton Leroy Malcolm and me To what organizations do you belong? A I am a charter member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Clyde Fussed was the commander and key in getting it started in Franklinton I am also a member of the American Legion Post 113 here in Franklinton What are your hobbies? A Sports I used to play a lot of By JIM FOWLER Clyde James was bom and raised on alarm in the Hays Creek Community between Hackley and Clifton He is a graduate of Franklinton High School and was employed for 35 years by the Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service He began his career in Franklinton however he ended up working primarily in St Tammany Parish Upon his retirement he and his family returned to Franklinton He purchased acreage southeast of the Town on which he grew timber and hay for cattle feeding Clyde is married to the former Miss Ellen Vamado and they have two children Randy James of Franklinton and Joni James Brindle of Allentown PA What was your first job after V2 IXvACsedfSceCtateNnulollMif -i-w iv'KcrriirArrr- y- LAURIE BELLI IUTI FAIM SIAM I AIM VftSSHI' INSUMNCg INSUIANCI s-at? r-v 2.