Work continues on the mural being painted by artist Robert Dafford, at right behind the scaffolding in the top photo, and Ralph Schexnaydre, at far left in the bottom photo, at the Franklin Pocket Park on Main Street.
Franklin council discusses revenue anticipation notes, ongoing projects
The Franklin City Council passed a resolution giving preliminary approval to issue revenue anticipation notes of up to $750,000 to pay for street and road repairs and other general obligations for the upcoming fiscal year at its regular meeting on April 16.
The city will apply to the State Bond Commission for the approval of the notes, Mayor Eugene Foulcard said.
During his executive report to the council, Foulcard addressed many of the ongoing projects the city has undertaken, such as widening of the Yokely Canal, Cayce Street rehab, the HVAC work at the two recreation centers and the Love Louisiana Outdoors grant that was used to upgrade and replace playground equipment at all four city parks.
“I spoke about the grant that we had gotten to paint the mural in the Pocket Park by the artist Robert Dafford,” Foulcard said. “I was just basically saying that we have many of these different projects that are ongoing, but all of these (funds) are earmarked so we can’t use them for anything else.”
Foulcard said he’s been asked why the city didn’t use the $22 million that was granted to the Wellness Center at Bayou Bend Hospital to instead fix water lines in the city. Those funds were granted to Bayou Bend, he said, not to the city. Other funds that are granted to the city are earmarked for specific projects, he noted.
“All of those projects are earmarked funds for a specific project,” he said.
The mayor said the Fifth Street fishing pier work and the capital outlay grant the city has received for replacing water filters at the water plant and replacing water valves.
The council also heard from Marcus Johnson about Crohn’s awareness and from Joseph McDaniel and Damarra Middleton about the Sunday Funday event scheduled for May 5 at Broussard-Harris Park.
Upcoming events for the city that were announced at the meeting included the Sunday Funday event, a City-Wide Clean Up on Saturday, May 11, a Crohn’s Awareness Event at Parc Sura La Teche on Saturday, May 18 and the St. Mary Parish Soul Food Festival along Teche Drive on Friday and Saturday, June 14-15.
The council deferred action on adoption of an ordinance fixing the tax rates for the 2024 fiscal year until its May meeting.