By William Midkiff
On the evening of April 4, Ruston City Council had its monthly meeting, during which a resolution passed that changed the name of Hart Avenue to Lincoln High Drive to commemorate the historic Lincoln High School, which was shut down in 1970.
The resolution passed unanimously and was preceded by several public comments expressing gratitude for the consideration and eventual approval of the name change. These comments highlighted the importance of this change in the name of preserving and cherishing Ruston’s black history.
One citizen, Bruce Roebuck, wrote a letter to be read at the meeting, detailing the importance of the school to his family, several members of which all graduated from Lincoln High throughout the 1950s and ’60s.
“My love for Lincoln High is embedded deeply within me,” Roebuck letter stated. “Thank you for your kind consideration in the changing of the street name to Lincoln High Drive and for this momentous occasion.”
Council member Carolyn Cage added that she was approached personally by Roebuck about this change months ago and has been working with him to make it happen ever since.
“We’ve been working on this since December, and today it is reality,” Cage said. “To God be the glory.”
The meeting also discussed a few other items of business, all of which were unanimously passed.
One of these such items was an ordinance authorizing the city to sell a piece of property to Courtesy of Ruston Realty, L.L.C. for $5,600. The Courtesy dealership in Ruston is interested in the property for their upcoming project to construct a new Chrysler dealership.
Another of the items was a resolution for the city to enter into a contract with Pohlman and Wilbanks Contractors Inc. based in Monroe. This contract refers to renovations that will be made to Ruston City Hall’s old courtroom on the second floor. The budget was $400,000 and was awarded to Pohlman and Wilbanks for $212,000.
The final item of consideration was a resolution authorizing the city to take action for the construction and completion of the University Hills Water Improvement Project, which aims to improve fire protection and water quality issues by upgrading and/or replacing certain water lines in Ruston.
This project will be funded by grants from the state that were applied for and have already been approved.
