Community History Festival on March 29 The free 15th annual Community History Festival is at the Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 29. The event will have country fun, food, games, crafts, music and entertainment. This year’s Leila theme is “CounPitchford try Crafts,” and AROUND various artists ZACHARY and craftsmen will display and sell homemade items. The Louisiana Lagniappe Dulcimers and The Upbeats will provide live music, and the cake walk will be held every hour. Other activities will include a pie contest, vintage dancing with the Lagniappe Historic Dance and Pastime Society, basket weaving, candle making, wood carving with the Pelican Wood Carver Guild, herb gardening with Master Gardener Claire Fontenot, jewelry making, a kiddie fishing pond and more.
THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
11TH YEAR, NO. 23
W e d n e s d ay, M a r c h 19, 2025
2 council members not happy with zoning changes INSIDE
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE Contributing writer
Two weeks after hotly contested zoning changes were approved by a slim majority of Zachary City Council members, discussion on the matter continued at the panel’s March 11 gathering. Council members James Graves and Jennifer Landry voiced concerns about the changes, which they had voted against, warning that Zachary’s housing scene now offers fewer options for prospective residents and developers. The updates, which were proposed by Councilwoman Brandy Westmoreland and passed on a 3-2
ä Council discusses rules for food trucks. Page 4G ä New rules for development code violations explained. Page 4G vote, eliminated Zachary’s residential rural zoning district and consolidated it with the residential estate zone. Another change was upping the minimum size required for residential estate lots from 1 acre to 3. “Now we have a zoning district of RS (residential suburban), which is basically quarter-acre lots, and now we have a zoning district of
3-acre lots,” Graves said. “So we don’t have anything in between.” “What I consider this to be is just a missed opportunity for thoughtful development,” Landry said. “We now have a zoning gap that could lead to sprawl, infrastructure challenges — all actually opposing smart growth principles and not aiding them. We’ve been left with a lack of a middle housing ground. It’s going to reduce housing diversity and it’s going to limit our choices for residents.” Graves also noted that 74% of lots designated as residential estate now do not meet the zone’s requirements. The city’s unified development code, he said, speci-
Better late than never
Play golf to help Zachary Zachary Charity League is holding its golf tournament April 4 at Fennwood Hills Country Club, Zachary. The four-player scramble is $500 a team and has a 1 p.m. tee time. Contact Claire Simmons at (225) 202-8297 or send us an email at zacharycharityleague@gmail.com with team information. Payments can be made by check or through Venmo @ Zacharycharity-league. Email zacharycharityleague@gmail. com with any questions. The Zachary Rotary Club is hosting the Rotary Bunny Hop 2025 on Saturday, March 22, near Lee and Virginia streets. The 1-mile run/walk is at 8 a.m. and the 5K run/walk starts at 8:30 a.m. Register at runsignup.com/Race/LA/Zachary/ZacharyRotaryBunnyHop.
Zachary school assistant principal arrested in child cruelty BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer
An investigation into a complaint from a parent about the treatment of her 6-year-old child at a Zachary elementary school ended Monday with the arrest of the school’s assistant principal, Zachary Police said Monday. Kristy Gilpin, 41, assistant principal at Rollins Place Elementary School, accompanied by her attorney, surrendered to the Zachary police department early Monday morning, Chief Darryl Lawrence said. Gilpin, of Zachary, was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a count of cruelty to juveniles. An arrest warrant was issued for Gilpin last week, Lawrence said. The police department began its investigation after the parent reported an incident last month. A spokesperson with the Zachary Community School District said the district could not comment on the arrest.
PHOTO BY SONYA GOSS
Gary Shotwell, Jennie Stewart, King Opie, parade organizer Ashley McHugh and Tanya Forbes pose Sunday before the Must Luv Dogs Rescue Pawdi Gras Parade.
Pawdi Gras parade rolls in downtown Zachary
More than 20 dogs participated in the Must Luv Dogs Rescue Pawdi Gras parade on March 16 in downtown Zachary. ä More photos. PAGE 2G Inclement weather may have postponed the Must Luv Dogs Rescue Pawdi Gras parade, but the group celebrated Sunday with blue skies and lots of dogs in downtown Zachary. A dog named Opie was the king of the parade, which included more than 20 dogs and their owners. The group also shared information about their rescue program and encouraged dog adoption.
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It was almost 100 years ago — 1927 — when the Zachary High girls last won a basketball State Championship. On March 8, in the last game of March Madness at Southeastern University, the 202425 Lady Broncos made history by winning the nonselect Division I State Championship. Warren Coach Tami Brady McClure exZACHARY plained the SPORTS feeling well “so proud of my girls. They put in so much work over the years, and they finally got to see the end result of this hard work.” For McClure, this is her first title with Zachary but third overall after winning two at St. Michaels. The championship dream began in February of 2024 as McClure noted that “this group was on a mission after the twopoint loss last year to Mandeville in the quarterfinals and was a driving force for us all year long.” The semifinals and finals provided an opportunity for the team to earn a championship, make history by beating both the first and seconds seeds, and get a little revenge in the process. In January 2024, semifinal opponent Walker beat the Broncos 88-44. This team was not that team and, in addition to not dwelling on previous experience, coach McClure emphasized that “I let the girls know that the pressure was not on us but on them.” This was true for both games. In the semifinals they played wide open and avoided the pressure winning 50-48 over Walker (32-3). Ava Raymond lead the Broncos with 17 points followed by Cimiya Rideaux with 12 and senior Tiarra McPipe with 8 points. “I kept asking my seniors what do you want your legacy to be. The Zachary team that almost did or did you want to be that team that finally erased the
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fies that amendments should “not create a significant number of nonconformities.” He’s concerned that the changes will lead to an uptick in requests for waivers, such as in situations where people want to subdivide family property into parcels smaller than the mandatory 3-acre minimum. Landry tried to be optimistic, suggesting that the issues be addressed in upcoming discussions about the city’s new master plan. “I’m confident and hopeful that we can work this out,” she said. None of the three council members who backed the zoning changes spoke on the topic.
Long time coming: ZHS girls basketball wins state title
Bunny Hop coming
Send news and events for the Zachary area to zachary@ theadvocate.com by noon Friday or call (225) 388-0731.
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