Grambling held a short June City Council meeting last week, beginning with talk about the city’s Juneteenth celebration that will begin on Sunday and will run through June 17.
Grambling Police Chief Tommy Clark opened the meeting by saying the pond at Grambling City Park was restocked with catfish last week for Juneteenth.
“They’re doing a lot of work in the park preparing for Juneteenth,” Clark said. “It’s been quiet but I would like to ask our citizens that if they see something, please let us know just like in any other community. Juveniles are out of school and the newest thing we’re saying is they’ll come to your home, ring your doorbell and run. Sometimes at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning.
“The two incidents we had last weekend, the homeowner actually knew one of the juveniles and that helped let us know who the others were. But the best thing we can ask is for you to try and control your kids. And we ask that people don’t chase the juveniles, but they can sometimes get kind of violent. Just call us if you have any issues.”
Clark was asked if the GPD had done any active shooter training in light of recent events across the nation.
“That’s something we’re always doing,” Clark said. “We try to do it by shifts, so that the shift that works together trains together. That includes (Grambling State University) officers that work on the same shift. We know they already work together but they need that training together in case they need to handle that kind of situation together.”
Councilwoman Phyllis Miller told those in attendance that the Grambling Housing Authority recently hired Sheryl Dixon to be the organization’s new executive director.
“She’s extremely capable and a kind and cordial woman, and we are very pleased to have her,” Miller said.
Miller then asked Dixon to introduce herself to the council and those attending the meeting.
“I love Grambling and am excited to be here,” Dixon said. “I think the Housing Authority has a lot to offer, it just needs management, and that’s what I intend to do.
“We have a lot of things that are going on right now that I’m trying to get acclimated to. I’ve already come up with plans that I believe will help us to grow. I’m meeting with (Chief Clark) to try and get a grasp on what crime in the area looks like. I just look forward to working with the people here and if you need me to do anything, I’ll do whatever it is that needs to be done. I’ve worked many years in the public sector, so I’m well-versed in how to handle things and people.”
Dixon also said that the Grambling Housing Authority is currently without a maintenance worker, so she asked that anyone needing work and can do those kinds of jobs to contact the Housing Authority office.
“They are paid according to their experience level,” Dixon said.
The Council had no old business on the agenda, but in new business they began by approving the city’s portion of the proposed 2022/23 budget for the Lincoln Parish Sales and Use Tax Commission.
Daphne Gallot-Knighten then addressed the Council to talk about the Louisiana Broadband Commission, of which she is a member.
“We’re working with the city of Ruston because they already have their infrastructure in place as far as fiber optics,” Gallot-Knighten said. “So we’re looking at possibly piggybacking off them to help run what are called (internet) ‘superhighways.’ So I’ll pass on any further information I get about that.
“We need to encourage our homeowners to do a little survey where if they qualify for Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps or other federal assistance, they’ll get $30 for whatever kind of connection they have. So we need to get those surveys done so that they can account for how many people in our city will qualify for the discounted broadband.”
