It was of those “you had to be there” moments at the Parish Council meeting last week when Fire District No. 1 Board president Ricky Sanders was giving an update on board progress. The board’s operations were in shambles as detailed in a legislative investigative audit. Sanders and others are trying to remedy what’s wrong with the goal of lowering the fire insurance rates.
It got tense when Sanders told Parish Council member Pat Ward-Hoover that he had been calling her for six months and she never returned his phone calls. Pat vehemently disagreed with Sanders and said she had not received a call from him or she would have surely returned it since part of the fire district is in her district. She took his accusations as an insult and told him so.
Sanders was as adamant as Ward-Hoover and said he had a witness that he had tried to call her. Fast forward. After much discussion Sanders returned to the lectern to apologize to Ward-Hoover saying he had been calling the wrong number all along. With apology accepted, Sanders said, “No wonder that woman didn’t call me back!” Interim Chief for the district, Patrick Hicks, was a bright spot at the meeting when he told of his plans for the district.
The man has even taken a course to learn to fill out the paperwork required by the fire rating board in Baton Rouge. He’s been busy stationing fire trucks and rescue equipment within the district. His enthusiasm was refreshing and as Parish President Rick Nowlin said after Hicks spoke, ‘He knows how to plan!”
JT is confident things will turn around in the fire district if the other board members are as enthusiastic as is Hicks.
JT heard some friends discussing upcoming Christmas activities and events. One said she referred to the Natchitoches Times Christmas booklet to plan her itenerary. JT has referred to the booklet several times to make sure he doesn’t miss a thing.
The booklets are free and available at the Natchitoches Times office at 904 South Drive.