May 2005: All Eyes Were on ‘City of Central’

May 2005 was an important time in the history of Central. On April 19, the Central City News began publication, and two days later the voters of Central voted to incorporate Central as Louisiana’s newest city. 

May 2005 was a time of great excitement but also apprehension about the future. All eyes in the capital region were on the new City of Central.  While the voters had approved incorporation, there were many unanswered questions. 

In fact, there was doubt as to whether Central would in fact be allowed to incorporate.

The Threat of Litigation. Central attorney Bob Raborn repeatedly said he planned to file suit to block Central from becoming a city.  A suit could put the City of Central in limbo and ignite a legal battle that could drag on for years.

The Governor. Just as worrisome was Gov. Kathleen Blanco.  The governor had rejected the first petition to call an election on incor

poration, and she appeared to be an opponent of incorporating Central. It was unclear whether she might try to torpedo the city before it officially came into being.

One obvious problem was that under state law, the governor has the power to appoint the interim Mayor, Police Chief, and City Council. What if Blanco simply refused to appoint anyone?  Or what if she appointed a Mayor and Council who then voted to disband the city?

Ace in the Hole. What few people knew in May 2005 was that Central had an ace in the hole with respect to Gov. Blanco.  I knew because I had served in the Louisiana House with then-Reps. Kathleen Blanco and Donald Ray Kennard.

The two of them had been seatmates in the House.   While they were not political allies, they were personal friends.  

Donald Ray hoped that he could influence the governor to back off her opposition to Central’s incorporating and appoint city officials who would be acceptable to the Central community.  

Courting the Governor. To encourage Gov. Blanco to do the right thing, Donald Ray invited her to his annual cookout at Kristenwood on Greenwell Springs Road. The event would give her the chance to meet the people of Central and see how sincere they were about incorporation. 

The event was held May 10, 2005 and was a smashing success! Many of the state’s highest officials attended along with a large contingent of Central citizens.  It was a night to remember!

Among the guests were Speaker of the House Joe Salter, former Speaker Hunt Downer, Supreme Court Associate Justice Kitty Kimball, PSC commissioner Jimmy Fields, Coach Skip Bertman of LSU national championship baseball teams, former All-American and All-Pro fullback Jimmy Taylor, Rep. Francis Thompson, and many others.

Things went well. Later, Donald Ray gave the governor some names of people to consider for Mayor, Police Chief, and City Council.  Then he held his breath. 

Community Schools. In 

May 2005, there was much talk about the need for Central to have its own community school system. Legislators from Central — Sen. Clo Fontenot and Reps. Bodi White and Donald Ray Kennard — were told they could not pass a constitutional amendment to create a new school system unless Central first became a city.  Since Central was on the verge of doing just that, could a new school system be far behind?

Cost of Busing. An article in the Central City News on May 5, 2005, said that busing school children out of Central was costing the people more than $350 million in lost property values. The average home in Central was selling for $117,000, while the average home in Zachary was $152,000.   The two communities were very similar.  However, Zachary had its own school system, while Central did not. Zachary was already being heralded as the No. 1 school system in Louisiana. A family in Zachary could send their children to public schools as good as any private school in the parish without paying tuition.  Public schools in Central were not as good. If you lived here and wanted to send your children to a private school, it would cost $2,000 to $4,000 a year, whereas a home in Zachary brought with it free tuition to great schools. That made home values higher in Zachary.

Honored for Service. 

Army 1st Lt. Jeffrey Adams and Staff Sgt. Mike McNaughton of the Louisiana National Guard were honored for the their service to the nation.  McNaughton lost a leg while searching for mines in Afghanistan.  Adams, a native of Central, lost a leg to a bomb in Iraq.  McNaughton, who resided in Denham Springs, led a large group awaiting Adams’ arrival at Baton Rouge Metro Airport on Monday, May 2, 2005.

State Champs. On May 12, 2005, Central Private School defeated Magnolia for the state high school baseball championship under Coach Kyle Aucoin. One of the outstanding players, pitcher Josh Wall, was considering whether to go to college or participate in the Major League Baseball draft. At 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds, the Central Private athlete was sporting a 9-1 pitching record this season and a 95 mile-an-hour fastball. He also hit 17 home

runs during the season.  Wall was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2nd round and ultimately played for the Dodgers and the Angels and worked in the Pittsburgh Pirate and Chicago White Sox organizations.

Spring Football Game. At Central High School, legendary coach Ronnie Devall was serving as principal. In May 2005, Central held its annual spring football game under head Coach Keith Menard. 

Seeking a City Hall. Leaders who had been active in the fight to create the City of Central were searching for a new City Hall. Since the city had no city officials and no revenue, the new city hall would have to be donated, at least for awhile. 

Russell Starns.  After successfully leading the effort to have the voters approve incorporation of the City of Central, Russell Starns, the founder of the City of Central, was leading a new fight. This time it was against a high density development called Morgan Springs. Since Central was not yet incorporated, zoning matters were still under the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning and Zoning Commission, which had only one member. from Central. 

In May 2005, high density projects could be approved without the consent of the people of Central — another reason it was urgent that the City of Central come into existence as soon as possible.

Central Chamber of Commerce. The Central Area Business Association had represented local businesses for the past 20 years. Now in May 2005 many members felt it was time for a new direction. 

They voted to convert CABA to become a new organization, the Central Chamber of Commerce. 

Central Bike-a-Thon. Chuck Langlois once again held his Central Bike-a-Thon to raise money for St. Jude.  It was another great success!

Zoar Baptist Church held its Car Show, which drew 107 antique vehicles. More than 400 attended the event on a hot steamy Saturday afternoon in May 2005. 

Ye Ole Goat Farmer. Gerald and Sharon Phares held a retirement party as they prepared to close their business, Book Warehouse, a wonderful bookstore on Florida Boulevard in the Broadmoor Shopping Center.

Their intention was to raise their goats, chickens and bees on their family property on Greenwell Springs Road. The Phares have five beautiful daughters and a large family. Editor’s Note: Regrettably, Sharon Phares passed away two years ago, and Gerald died earlier this month.  A great lost to Central.

Prayers for Central. During the National Day of Prayer, city fathers of Central gathered to pray for the future of the Central community in the exciting days and years ahead.

Central Thruway. The Central Thruway is in the planning stages. It is expected to be complete by late 2008. Mayor Pro-tem Joe Greco has taken the lead and gotten Metro Council approval for this historic highway, which will link Central to I-12. 

Central Transition District. The Louisiana House is considering a bill by Rep. Donald Ray Kennard to create the Central Transition District, which will smooth the way between the creation of the City of Central and its actual implementation. 

Greenwell Springs Rodeo. The Greenwell Springs Youth Riders held their annual rodeo at Shady Park off Greenwell Springs Road. It was a spectacular event. 

Tiki Tubing has opened on the Amite River. It gives young people the opportunity to float down the river and get some relief from the heat. Central Fire Chief Bill Porche warned of recent drownings on the river and said alcohol and tubing don’t mix. 

Camp Istrouma has opened the new Lake Lodge, a 8500-square-foot conference center on beautiful Lake Istrouma just north of Central. It is an ideal site for summer events and draws participants from around the state. 

Denham Road Bridge. The Denham Road Bridge has been closed due to its hazardous condition. One of the questions currently being discussed is whether the City-Parish will bring its existing bridges up-to-date before handing them off to the City of Central. 

Seeking a Chance to Breath Free.  Lana and Anthony Do, the owners of AAA Dry Cleaning on Greenwell Springs Road told the Central City News their story of fleeing communism in Vietnam and finding a new life in Central. After years of hard work, they have a beautiful home off Greenwell Springs Road. 

50-Year Reunion. The Central High School Class of 1955 held its 50-year reunion on May 7, 2005, at Central Middle School and took a tour down memory lane. 

Open House. Starkey Academy held an open house for students interested in enrolling for the fall session. 

93rd CHS Graduation. Central High School held as its graduation ceremonies at Bethany World Prayer Center in Baker. Attendee heard speeches by Valedictorian Katalynn Creel and Salutatorian Jenna Gibbs. 

Home from Iraq. Last year, in 2004, students in Ms. Charlotte Pilgrim’s 5th and 6th grades at Central Private decided to write to an American serviceman overseas. They chose Louisiana Army National Guard Sgt. Eddy Beraud of Greenwell Springs, who was stationed in Iraq.  Thus began an interesting correspondence.  The students sent hundreds of letters, presents, food, and countless reminders of Louisiana. Eddy shared his bounty with other soldiers no one remembers.  On May 19, 2005, Sgt. Beraud arrived back home from Iraq and made a surprise visit to Central Private. 

The kids thought Eddy’s mom was coming for a visit but to their surprise, in walked Eddy himself!  There were cheers and lots of tears of joy!  “It sucks all the air out of the room,” Charlotte said.

Eddy brought gifts for the kids from Iraq.  Mrs. Pilgrim’s students wrote a poem for Eddy called, “A Soldier Is.”  As they read it, the young soldier got a bit emotional.

The teacher said, “I loved how he answered all their questions so thoughtfully.  He showed a lot of grace.  He referred to the kids as guys and gals.  I liked that.  Not many young men would be able to communicate the way he does. Not many would be able to get into the minds of an 11-year-old and help them understand, like when he sent them a picture of the blister on his foot!  Oh, they loved it!”

  So in May 2005, life went on in Central but people were also coming to understand that soon things in Central would never be the same.