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ERATH — Erath City Council meeting turned a little heated when a volunteer fireman stormed out yelling and pointing his finger at the city council and mayor, and at the same time allegedly threatened an 80-year-old audience member. 
Last Monday, Stanley Norris went to the Erath Police Station and filed charges against James Howard, a part-time worker for Erath. He is also a part-time paid city fireman.
Norris filed simple assault charges against Howard for what Howard allegedly told him at a recent Erath City Council meeting.
When the city council voted to change the way the fire chief is selected for the volunteer fire department, Howard, a volunteer firefighter, became upset and began yelling, pointing his finger at the council and Mayor Taylor Mencacci.
Howard then told the council and mayor to “Find someone else to run your fire department,” and he stormed out of City Hall. Erath Police Chief Anna LaPointe got up and escorted him out of the meeting.
While being escorted, Howard allegedly told Stanley to take his  stick, which he was using to support himself walking, and “shove it up your A--.”
“I did not tell him anything,” said Stanley. “He got upset at Mayor Taylor Mencacci.  The mayor should have fired him right on the spot.  He is still working for the city.”
Nearly two weeks after asking the council and mayor to find someone else to run the fire department, Howard is still employed by the city.
The Meridional reached out to Mayor Mencacci to see if he wanted to comment about Norris filing charges against Howard.  The Mayor did not respond.
In Louisiana, simple assault is defined as an assault committed without a dangerous weapon. The penalty for simple assault is a fine of not more than $200, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both. 
Chief LaPointe said she floated the charges to the district attorney’s office. 
A few days after the Erath City Council meeting, the Erath Volunteer Fire Department held its normal department meeting and voted Norris, who has been an honorary fireman for 62 years, out of the fire department.
“I did not say anything and I get voted out, but the guy who cursed at the mayor, is still a fireman, “ said Norris. “That is not right.”

ERATH — By a vote of 3-2, the Erath City Council voted to have a resident who lives on Putnam Street remove 18 inches from a handicap ramp built in front of their home.
There were complaints to members of the Erath council about a wooden handicap ramp that was built in front of a home rented by an elderly lady. The lady hired a carpenter to build the ramp with Mayor Taylor Mencacci’s approval.
After the ramp was constructed, it looked to be built on the town’s sidewalk, drawing complaints from Erath citizens. However, after the town investigated, it was found that there is no city sidewalk in front of the home. The ramp was built on a concrete foundation of the house. 
However, the council members continued to receive complaints from residents who stated that the ramp obstructs their view at the intersection of Suire Street and Putnam Street.
During last week’s city council meeting, Councilman Jason Connor informed Mencacci that 18 inches of the ramp encroaches on the city easement. He expressed his desire to have this portion of the ramp removed from the easement. (A city easement is a legal right that allows the city to use a portion of private property for a specific purpose, such as public utilities or access, while the property owner still retains ownership. It’s a standard feature on many properties and is typically established for things like water and sewer lines, drainage, and utility access).
Councilman Cory Duplantis asked, “We have an easement ordinance?  That means no one will be able to park on the side of the street because they will be on the city easement?”
Erath Chief of Police Anna LaPointe said if someone files a complaint about a vehicle on the easement, she will send a patrolman to warn the vehicle owner about parking on the easement.  If it continues to park on the easement after a warning, LaPointe said a ticket will be issued.
The Erath police will only respond to complaint calls regarding easement violations and will not issue tickets for vehicles parked near the sidewalk or road.  
The council provided no timetable for when the renter must remove 18 inches of the ramp. 
Voting to have the renter remove 18 inches of her 48-inch wide wooden ramp were Stephanie Broussard, Jason Connor, and Mike Richard.
Councilmen Scott Bernard and Cory Duplantis voted to leave the ramp.

Released earlier this year, Becker’s Hospital Review composed a list of hospitals with a CMS 5-star rating for cleanliness.
Abbeville General Hospital was one of 374 hospitals in the nation to receive this recognition, as well as one of only 8 in the state. In addition, Abbeville General was one of 313 hospitals in the nation, and one of 23 in the state to receive a CMS 5-star rating for quietness, based on how quiet their rooms were at night.
According to Becker’s, a list of hospital ratings was crafted using CMS’s Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which is a database that rates hospitals based on a national standardized survey. Patients are given this survey after their inpatient hospital stay to inform the Abbeville General of their experience during their time in the hospital.
Abbeville General Hospital would like to recognize the Housekeeping Department, who works tirelessly, to ensure things are tidy, clean, and above expectations for all visitors and patients who come to visit, as well as the patient care team for ensuring our patients have a quiet stay while recovering at Abbeville General.
Abbeville General said, “Thank you to all the patients, employees and the community for the continuous support in keeping ‘Access To Quality Care Close to Home.’”

Fingers crossed, by the beginning of the 2025 football season, Vermilion Parish will finally have its very first artificial turf football field, and soon after the parish will boast two turf fields.
The turf fields are all a big part of the school board’s athletic renovation projects spread across all five high parish schools over the next six months.
The total cost of the projects will be approximately $5.5 million, paid for with interest from the Dan Dartez Trust Fund. The fund was created using excess oil and gas money the school board collected over the years.
“A few years ago, Mrs. Lebeouf made a motion to move forward with athletic facility improvements when the current Dan Dartez projects were completed,” said Superintendent Tommy Byler. “We are now at the point where we are able to move forward with that request.”
The fund was established approximately 30 years ago when oil and gas revenue was really booming and now holds around $15 million. It was a public trust established by Dr. Dan Dartez. Since its establishment, the school board has invested millions of dollars from the accumulated interest of the Dan Dartez Fund in capital upgrades for the school system, including the construction of multi-purpose buildings at elementary schools and funding for the cafeteria at Meaux Elementary.
Three years ago, then-school board member LeBeouf pushed to build bathrooms at the Kaplan baseball field, using interest money from the Dan Dartez Fund.
That small project then led to bigger ideas.
Byler said that instead of building or improving facilities in the $1 to $3 million range and using the interest from the Dan Dartez Fund to repay the loan, how about borrowing around $5-6 million at one time and using the money to build larger capital improvement projects at different high schools?
Earlier this year, the school board voted to borrow the money to fund various athletic projects. The school system will repay the loan, using interest generated from the Dan Dartez Fund.
Here is a list of the projects that have already been completed, are currently in progress, or will be completed by the end of the school year.
• Kaplan High baseball field getting new restrooms. Completed.
• Gueydan High got a field house built near the softball and baseball fields. One side of the field house is for the softball team, and the other side is for the baseball field. Completed.
• Kaplan High is installing artificial turf this summer at Ed Douglas Memorial Stadium, located behind the high school. Over the past month, contractors have been busy removing the grass and dirt, and relocating some of it to the front of the school near Hwy. 14. Depending on the weather, the turf is expected to be laid down in August. By the end of August, just in time for the parish jamboree, Kaplan High will boast the first turf football field in the parish. The entire project costs approximately $1.2 million and is scheduled for completion by Sept. 1.
Byler said Kaplan High was selected to get a turf field due to the size of the stadium and parking lot. The stadium is large enough to host band festivals, youth league football games, and soccer games.
Also, the high school’s basketball gym now has new bleachers.
• North Vermilion High School is also having a turf field installed on its football field, along with having a new concession stand and bathrooms constructed. Construction of the turf field began at the end of June and may or may not be completed by the start of the football season.
North Vermilion does not play a home game until Week 3, and that game is against Kaplan. If the NV field is not ready, look for the game to be moved to Kaplan.

Furthermore, the new concession stand and restrooms are not expected to be completed by Sept. 1. Byler mentioned that the stadium will have temporary structures for a concession stand and bathrooms when NV hosts football games.

He expects everything to be completed before the end of the 2025 football season.

• Erath High School is set to receive a brand new concession stand and restrooms, plus a fresh set of bleachers on the visitors’ side. These new bleachers will provide an additional 250 seats.
The visitors’ bleachers are expected to be completed by the start of the football season, but the concession stand may not be 100 percent completed. If that is the case, Byler is expected to bring in portable buildings for game-time.
Also, at the entrance of the football stadium, the old track storage building will be converted into a ticket booth.
Do not expect the EHS football stadium to ever install artificial turf due to flooding issues.
• Abbeville High School received a new bathroom facility inside the front of the gymnasium. The bathrooms are located to the left as you enter the gym, adjacent to the concession stand. That project is completed. In addition, the basketball court will be sanded down and repainted.
In the future, Abbeville High School’s football stadium at JH Williams will undergo a facelift. Byler said that after football season, the school board plans to build a new asphalt parking lot, along with LED lights. The asphalt parking lot will be built where the grass parking lot is today.
Additionally, the entrance to Wildcat Stadium will be relocated to the east side of the stadium, adjacent to the old gymnasium.
Byler said at this time turf at AHS is not part of this original project.
“Our student athletes and our parish deserve facilities that we can be proud of. This was an opportunity for us to get creative in funding these projects. These facilities are used not only by our athletes but by our marching bands, youth football organizations among others.”