City embarks on several events

Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard announced Tuesday at Franklin’s city council meeting a Community Connections Meeting to take place Dec. 5 at City Hall on Iberia Street.
Foulcard touted the CCM as a meeting for anyone in Franklin with “a vested interest in improving communities throughout the city of Franklin.”
It is billed as “an in-depth conversation with Louisiana Housing Corporation’s Executive Director E. Keith Cunningham Jr. and his team of housing experts, about housing and community development opportunities.”
Topics will include: homeownership, housing development, weatherization, energy assistance, rental opportunities, homelessness solutions and housing recovery.
In relation to Franklin’s community development, St. Mary Parish joined several other parishes via Franklin in being adopted into Project Front Yard, a litter abatement and community beautification effort that has been going on across Acadiana for five years.
Through a letter from the office of Lafayette Mayor-President Joe Robideaux, Alzina Burrell, of the office of the mayor, explained of the program, “We work to restore communities and neighborhoods through litter abatement, improving street states and revitalizing gateways to our culture by protecting and cleaning our watersheds and waterways.
“We also celebrate by creating more green spaces and allocating economically and environmentally sustainable practices like, ‘zero tolerance’ in waste and recycling.”
Burrell went on to affirm the expression of PFY as a concerted community effort by the citizens of Franklin, to cleanse and beautify the grounds of Franklin for the purpose of making its public spaces inviting and vibrant, starting with our own front yards.
In other business, Diane Wiltz with the Franklin Merchants Association, announced: Mingle and Jingle, an arts and crafts Christmas celebration, will take place Dec. 6, from 5-7 p.m. in downtown Franklin. Merchants will be open two hours later than usual, trolley rides will be available, and ornament painting, mug painting, cookie decorating, pictures with Santa, door prizes and a gift basket drawing will take place.
Wiltz also announced the Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts will host a White Christmas Celebration Dec. 7 at the Teche Theatre. She said local talent will be on-hand with beverages available at the concession stand, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show beginning at 7 p.m.; but, only balcony seats are said to still be available at $10 per-ticket.
Additionally at the meeting, an ordinance was introduced authorizing the City of Franklin to purchase from LBD Properties LLC, “the building commonly referred to as the Old Post Office building located on Willow Street,” and an ordinance was rescinded which designated Clay Street for one-way traffic only.