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February 6, 1947 - March 17, 2021
 
Paula Ann Crain Garrot (“Ann”) was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on February 6, 1947 to Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Penn Crain, Jr. In 1965 she graduated from C.E. Byrd High School.  She attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. After graduating with a BA in History in 1969, she moved to Abbeville in 1972 and started a family. 
Ann is survived by her three sons Crain Garrot (Betty), Jason Garrot (Renee) and Brent Garrot (Heather); six grandchildren: Alex Garrot, Sara Garrot, Andrew Garrot, Anna Grace Garrot, William Garrot, and Ceci Garrot. She is also survived by her niece, Jennifer Jones (Craig), whom she treated as her own daughter, and her great-nephew Alan Jones and great-niece Ella Jones, whom she considered her grandchildren. 
 She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Dr. Alfred Penn Crain, Jr., her mother Paula Potts Crain, her sister Ashton Penn Crain (“Penny”), and her nephew Paul Dylan Raley. 
 Ann was an active member of the Abbeville community. Ann was a member of The Fortnightly Club of Abbeville since the 1970’s, having served in past years as its President and Secretary.  Ann was a member of The Woman’s Club of Abbeville and as Environment Chairperson for the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Louisiana. Ann was an active member of the Family Life Community and the Children of God Prayer Group. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Vermilion Parish Library Foundation and was a past member of The Confrerie D’ Abbeville for several years.  
Ann was a homemaker and devoted mother to her three sons, whom she loved and cherished. When her children left for college, she went back to school and became a paralegal. She worked as a paralegal in Baton Rouge for several years before retiring. 
Ann was a voracious reader. She loved books and amassed a small library of her own. She enjoyed working in the yard, gardening, traveling, and a good cup of coffee. She loved a good debate and would speak her mind candidly and openly. She was smart, articulate, and fond of history. She was known to love a good crime drama on TV and was a lover of PBS and supporter of LPB. Ann was compassionate toward others and loved her many friends. 
 Ann was a fighter. In recent years Ann survived cancer after having been diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014.
After a relapse in 2017, she underwent a bone marrow transplant which allowed her to have more time with the family she loved.
The effects of the therapies she received ultimately proved to be too much, and she passed away peacefully at her home in Abbeville. During her cancer fight, she enjoyed and endorsed the services provided by the Miles Perret Cancer Services Center in Lafayette. The family would like to thank Dr. Joseph Brierre, Dr. Gregory Riggs, and all of the kind and caring nurses at Hospice of Acadiana for their excellent care and treatment. 
 Visitation will be held at Vincent Funeral Home in Abbeville on Monday, March 22, 2021 beginning at 9:00 AM. A funeral service will follow at Abbeville United Methodist Church in Abbeville, Louisiana with the Rev. Mother Madge McClain officiating. Burial will be on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana at 2:00 P.M. Pallbearers are Alex Garrot, Andrew Garrot, Alan Jones, Craig Jones, Judge Byron Hebert, Chad Fortier, and John Listi. 
 In lieu of flowers, please direct donations in her name to  HYPERLINK “http://www.milesperret.org/Fund-Our-Cause” \t “_blank” Fund Our Cause | Miles Perret Cancer Services. 
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

Tuesday night, the Kaplan City Council approved a resolution offering lower rates to level billing for customers who may see an increase in their April utility bills.
February was a cold one for all in Louisiana, and something residents are not used to and hard to prepare for. Still, when utility bills arrive, people often begin struggling to pay the higher rates in usage.
Mayor Kloesel mentioned that the bills could be higher partly because of the increase in demand and partly because of the storm’s stressed energy market.
“During the ice storm that we experienced, energy rates went through the roof for everyone across the United States,” the Mayor said. “We are fixed on our electrical rates, but we are not fixed on the energy cost.”
The Mayor further explained that there are several components to the utility rate.
Technically the AER (Actual Energy Rate), which is only one small component of the rate that Kaplan pays, is a portion of your bill that is usually so small you wouldn’t notice it, but because of the demand on energy during the ice storm. This part of your bill rose drastically beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.
The Mayor says that he felt it was important for the council to consider relief for the residents during this difficult time and they were very accommodating. Since those resources’ price more than doubled for the city’s suppliers, Kloesel asked the council to vote to absorb the abnormal one-time increase caused by this storm and bill customers at the standard rate. Doing so will allow customers to be charged at the same rate per kilowatt-hour as they were in January and to be able to afford to do so.
Having gas stored up in an emergency, Kaplan used all of its stockpiles during the February winter weather.
City Engineer Todd Vincent further explaining the reason why these rate changes happen. “With Slemco, there are three different charges with two of those charges being fixed,” he said. “The other charge is an avoided cost charge.” An avoided cost is the incremental cost to a utility of generating or purchasing electric energy or capacity, or both, in an amount equal to that purchased from the qualifying facility.
“Because the utility has had capacity issues, these utility companies have to turn on very expensive generators at the plant to make up the capacity to rule out blackouts,” Vincent said, “That’s why the prices to spike so high.”
The council voted for the city to absorb the abnormal one-time increase that was caused by the February ice storm and bill customers at a normal rate.
Kloesel added that the language in the American Rescue Plan signed last week by President Joe Biden specified residential help in cities, meaning that the city’s utility fund, which the Mayor mentioned to be in great shape, should be reimbursed when the city receives that federal funding. Kaplan is expecting more than $1 million, and the additional costs of utility bills due to the winter weather is estimated at a minimum of $150,000, the Mayor added.
The council approved the resolution unanimously.
The Mayor said the city could afford to eat the increase, but many residents may be struggling.
“If we were hurting, I’d say everybody’s got to pay their fair share, but residents have been paying their fair share,” Kloesel commented. “Maybe it’s time we give our residents some relief.”
Adopting this resolution and allowing the city to absorb the excess rate will save residents and businesses over 50% of their utility bills because of this spike.

A 15-minute presentation by Charter Schools USA representatives did not convince one school board member as to why it is a good idea to allow a charter school build near Maurice.
Vermilion Parish School Board Member Kibbie Pillette and other board members listened to the presentation from four different members of the Charter Schools USA team. The charter representatives explained to the school board members that the charter school is being built to ease overcrowding in the Maurice area.
Charter Schools USA wants to build a K-8th grade elementary school that will house around 800 students.
The land has yet to be purchased for the school, but it will be in the Maurice area. By the start of the 2022 school year, Charter Schools USA could build a new elementary charter school at no extra cost to the Vermilion Parish taxpayer.
Pillette said he does not like the idea that if 800 students will be attending the charter school in Maurice, the Vermilion Parish public school system will be receiving less money from the state.
The state sends each parish around $10,000 to help educate each student. However, if a student attends a charter school, the state sends the same $10,000 to the charter school.
If 800 students are attending the charter school, that means the public school system would lose $8 million in MFP funding.
“I would still vote no because I am against this,” said Pillette after the presentation. “It is taking MFP dollars away from public schools and giving it to charter schools. No way is that going to fly.”
Charter Schools USA does not need the blessing of the local school board to build a charter school. Two different types of charter schools can be built. One is a Type 1, and the other is a Type 2.
A Type 1 is a charter school that has the local blessing of the school board. Parish zone lines can be drawn for the Type 1 Charter School.
A Type 2 charter school is one without the local school board’s blessing. If the Vermilion Parish School Board votes “no” against a charter school locating in the northern part of the parish, then the charter school representatives can apply to the state BESE Board for approval.
If BESE approves the charter school, it becomes a Type 2 charter school and can do whatever it wants without the school board’s approval. There would be no zone lines for the charter school, and students from throughout the parish and other parishes could attend.
Superintendent Tommy Byler gave his thoughts on the charter school locating in the parish. He did say that there is a need for an elementary school in the northern part of the parish. However, if the Vermilion Parish voters had to approve a special tax to build an elementary school near Maurice, it would not get built for another four years, Byler told the school board members. The other choice would be to jump on board the charter school being built, and there would be a new elementary school built within two years instead of four.
“We would be losing MFP dollars, but we would be getting a new school,” said Byler about going with the charter school idea. “I do not think we are ready to make a decision.”
Byler said he liked the idea of the new charter school being a Type 1 because the local school board would have a say in drawing the boundary lines for the charter school.
“This charter school organization wants to help with overcrowding,” said Byler. “If we can not ensure we are helping with overcrowding, then that is defeating the purpose.”
Byler said he wants to see only North Vermilion elementary students enrolling in the charter school and not students from other parish parts. Having only Maurice/North Vermilion students in the charter school would help with overcrowding at Cecil Picard Elementary.
“I do think a charter school is worth looking at as an alternative,” Byler said. “Tonight is a starting point.”

September 13, 1930 ~ March 15, 2021

KAPLAN – A Mass of Catholic Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church honoring the life of Paul “P.D.” Marceaux, 90, who died Monday, March 15. 2021, at his residence. He will be laid to rest at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Cemetery with Reverend Matt Hebert officiating the services.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Helen T. Marceaux of Kaplan; his daughter Geralyn “Gerri” Marceaux of Little Elm, TX; his three sons, Keith Marceaux of Kaplan, Sandy Marceaux and wife, Donna of Ohio and Brent Marceaux and his wife, Kim of Bay City, TX; his 12 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Marceaux and the former Olivia Romero; his sister, Yolande “Sis” Hanks and her husband, Mason Hanks.
Paul was a member of the Kaplan High School State Football Champion team of 1947 and the Parish Tournament Basketball Championship team. Sir Knight Paul D. Marceaux was a longtime 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus. He was an Army veteran during the Korean War, certified as a paratrooper and med-corpsman. He is a past Commander of the American Legion Post 271 and championed veterans through several organizations. He enjoyed helping many charity events doing one thing he loved, cooking for large events.
Paul was a member of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association since his retirement at the age of 56 from Valero Corporation. He was a farmer, caterer, hunter, fisherman, horse breeder and owner. He worked in the oil and gas industry from 1965 until his retirement, acting as Valero Property Manager for all Valero properties from the Rocky Mountains to New York. Prior to that he was a superintendent for on and offshore properties in Texas and Louisiana. After retiring he was a land bank auditor for many years.
He was generous to his family and his community. He was a true American patriot. His family will miss him, his large personality and his joie de vivre.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan, 300 N. Eleazar Ave., on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, from 2:00 PM until 10:00 PM with a rosary being led by the Knights of Columbus prayed at 7:00 PM, Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 8:00 AM until the procession departs for the church at 10:45 AM.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan, (337) 643-7276 {Service Information 225-5276}. Condolences may be sent to the Marceaux family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.