VP Rotary Club welcomes recent guests

July 28, Meeting
Rotarian Peter Strawitz invited former Senator Dr. Don Hines, a former state senator, to discuss his involvement with Casa Paraninos, a mission-based organization serving in Guatemala, during the Ville Platte Rotary Club’s July 28, meeting. Dr. Hines participates through a group from Avoyelles Parish. The group, started by Mike and Dottie Clark, is currently caring for approximately 150 children in a small village in Guatemala.
Dr. Hines made a presentation displaying the medical care available to the residents of Guatemala through the technology of telemedicine. Through this program, the children in this mission are able to much better medical care. As an example, Dr. Hines noted that through telemedicine with a special stethoscope, a doctor in Bunkie can listen to the heart beat of a child in Guatemala. Dr. Hines had spoken with his contact Paula Guy in Georgia who had a telemedicine cart available and was able to get it donated and set up for Louisiana doctors to care for patients from Guatemala. He stated that 5,000 children have gone through the program to date and that the group is now working on obtaining a digital x-ray to more thoroughly examine patients.
August 4, Meeting
Rotarian Rob Eastin welcomed Bryan Vidrine, a member of the Evangeline Parish Police Jury, to give an update on current issues the board is dealing with. Vidrine noted there is a lot of roadwork going on throughout the parish. He said every single blacktop road in the parish will either repaved or chip sealed. The approximately $2.7 million project is being paid for through a bonded two percent tax that was passed back in 2011, and is estimated to be 75 percent of the expected total revenue from the tax.
Vidrine stated that the biggest problem facing the police jury is funding the rising costs of parish prisoners. He noted the parish jail usually houses five to 10 inmates over the limit. However, the sheriff’s department is now looking at 60 prisoners over the facility’s capacity. With the closure of the Pine Prairie prison, the parish is having to send those prisoners to Caldwell Parish, where the daily cost per prisoner of $22.39 is almost double the $15 per inmate that the parish was paying at Pine Prairie. Vidrine stated the jury is researching its options in order to decrease the costs to the parish. One idea he shared is trying to have more home arrests for non-violent criminals.
Crooked Creek Park, Vidrine shared, has been self-sufficient for the past six years. However, the jury is having trouble with maintaining its outdated electrical system inside the park. He said improvements were needed to increase revenue to the park and he is asking for ideas for fund raisers to help pay for the much needed repairs. He added that Chicot State Park will be donating three older cabins to the Crooked Creek facility for renovation. Vidrine noted that overall, the park is doing very well with a well-trained staff.
Vidrine then discussed the issue of collecting overdue sewer bills, noting that the jury now has a cooperative agreement with the various water systems throughout the parish. Under law, the jury cannot cut off a customer’s sewer bill for non-payment. Through this agreement, customers can have their water cut off until the sewer bill is paid.