01/30/2026
I've been inundated with a questions of lease, sale, and future of Paradise Catfish and I feel most appropriate to clarify...FULL transparency as our mayor of Ball stated so many times.
We sold original lot about 2 years after the fire because increased costs associated with rebuilding. We knew we were throwing $$$ away just paying property taxes. The old fish house had NO value. All was a loss when she went down.
When God opened the door and paved the road for Paradise 2 Go, we went with it. She's been a good mission field... Paradise is NOT our income source (I'm in oilfield and industrial services since 2003). Paradise is a ministry, giving to community local needs...so when you eat at paradise, you are helping others, blindly;) We've had theft, vandalism, and one in particular, got food and money under false presence ($363.+ Shirley, old friend who worked at the Chevron station in Colfax that I met in 2002. She's been a loyal customer so I believed in her when she called, texted, and came to me...but she took advantage) My point being, any loss effects those in need...paradise is NOT our gravy but sometimes literally dinner.
Yes, we have wanted to sell and get out of Ball. Why? Here ya go...We Ball taxpayers) and the hardworking employees with PD, streets, sanitation and sewer departments are all being taken advantage of...ticketing both by PD and code chick. No one wants to get a ticket, so they do several things...they lie, they disrespect the PD personnel, and then call someone to fix it. Our PD don't get paid enough and that's why we have such a large turnover. People get cited for unkempt properties, grasses, but the ditches and medians have been a nuisance for the last several years. Why? Ball has always been a pretty clean town, but we have lack of workers and that effects everything. The streets and sanitation departments are understaffed, underpaid, and overworked, "voluntold" to work both town sponsored and non-sponsored festivals and events. This is a taxpayers expense (paid by K-Time). Some sanitation workers also work in different capacities (like sanitation one day, code officer the next and back to sanitation) but paid by one fund (why deficit in one and over in another). To see office personnel making over 20./hr, working inside from extreme temps, access to water and restroom, no manual labor, nor the fear of being a female alone with male inmate from detention center. It's hurtful to see your child, any child, your daughter to be taken advantage of. But especially by the woman (one I called friend) gave her a second chance almost 5 years ago...for this I'm grateful❤️But my girl has been verbally abused, accused of and alienated all because her cousin being a council member at odds with another/s. She's been hated on publicly (another council member stepping in and contacting me! My daughter too proud to tell her mother). Supporting a town since 1987, with the past several years of paying taxes to a town who cannot find funding for sanitation crew, maintenance, street, code enforcement, dog catcher, pound, decorating, sewer, festivals, parks, etc...there are very few doing ALL aforementioned. Yesterday they lost another...we have faithful employees doing all backbreaking labor and they are the most overworked and least paid. Loose 6 workers in the field and don't have the funds to replace them? Hmmmm
My point being, we pay Ball property and sales taxes. We continue to pay more and get less. We suspend Mardi gras parade (in the safest place) but will have moon pie festival which is non town event but we (taxpayers) incur/ed expenses by town workers who were in committee meetings at town hall, on town time for hours (until recently), pay town employees K-Time at festivals to set up, work it, tear down, decorate, and clean up. It's hard to see all this and know this is so messed up and not speak out.
We (taxpayers) are also being taken advantage of. Please look and weigh in closely on those running in our town. Birds of a feather...if you roll with hogs...if you vote out one, but vote in another from the same litter...the genetics and fleas are shared.
This is why...Paradise has a mission and it's clear, the location is foggy but we have time.
Some will hate on me for this...not support us or our mission after this...some will deny...but most know I'm not one to stir a pot but to make something from it, like gumbo.
I love you all. I hope this answers as I am so emotional over the love and concern so many have come to me with. It makes us feel overloaded in love.❤️❤️❤️
