Francine slamsSt. Tammany
Parish quickly recovers from storm
BY BOBWARREN Staff writer
Nearly 35,000 St. Tammany Parish residents were without power on themorning of Sept. 12,the morningafter Hurricane Francine knifed through the northshore. There were scattered reports of downed trees and some wind damage, but in St. Tammany, at least, officials said thedamage didnot appear to be widespread. Parish government reported several homes acrossthe parish were damaged by fallen trees and floodwaters flowed into ahandful of homes and businessesinlowerlying areas. St. Tammany Fire Protection DistrictNo. 4reported that several inches of water slipped into its station in old Mandeville on the morning of Sept. 12
Most of the power outages were restored by the end of theday on Sept. 12, as some 1,750 additional workers were staged in thearea to repairthe electrical grid following the Category 2hurricane’sromp through southeast Louisiana.
The St. Tammany public school district, which was closed Sept.11 and 12, reopened on Sept.13, once each campus had athorough safety inspection.
Though things returned to normal fairly quickly for most, Francine certainlymade her presence felt across the northshore, with heavy rains swamping roadways Sept. 11. At midday on Sept.12, some areas of the parish remained impassabledue to flooded roadways. Palm
LakeinSlidellstill hadshin-deep to hip-deep water in some spots at 4p.m.onSept. 12, the Slidell Police Department said.
The National Weather Service reported 24-hour totalsof9inches in Mandeville and more than 8 inches in Slidell. St. Tammany Parish government said it recorded a 45-mph wind gustinSlidell anda 43-mphgust inMandeville.
NIFTY NINE
Fun aboundsonthe northshore during six-week stretch
BY DONNA BUSH
Contributing writer
Fall is awonderfully,busy time in St. Tammany Parish with lots of outdoor activities to choose from.
The St. Tammany Farmer has chosen a“Nifty Nine” to help usher in the festival season. There are dozens of upcoming activities,all with their own merits, of course. But these nine are among the most tried and true festivals of the year, so in other words, expectto passagood time at any on this list.
Note: Halloween-related events are not included here, though we’ll have alist of spooky season choices for adults, teens
and younger children in an upcomingedition. Fundraiser-styled gatherings also are not part of thislist, but can befoundweekly in the Farmer’s“Aroundthe Neighborhoods” calendar To submit your upcoming event for consideration in Neighborhoods, send complete details and contact information to editor@ sttammanyfarmer.net
1.
St.TammanyParishFair —Oct. 2-6 at theSt. TammanyParish Fairgrounds,1304 N. ColumbiaStreet, Covington. Enjoy carnival rides, livestock showing, minifarm, 4-H exhibits,a parade, music,magic, thecrowning of theSt. Tammany Parish
As the winds died down and street flooding subsidedinthe hours after Hurricane Francine drenched south Louisiana, concern on the northshoreturned to the region’sswollen rivers.
The rivers flow south into the Pontchartrain basin, primarily into Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas. When the waters rise in those lakes, the bayous and riv-
ers that crisscross St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes can’t drain into the lakes as theynormally do.
Coupled with the hours of rain that Francine brought,parish officials said the recipe was there for potential disaster Still, no major river flooding was expected, theysaid.
“Every waterway is swollen,” St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper said at anews conference on the morning of Sept. 12.“The good news is that we’re not expecting any additionalrainfall in the coming days.” While none of the rivers were projected to experience major flooding, officials said they’d
Fair Queen and much more. Fair pageants will be held Sat. Sept. 21 at Fuhrmann Auditorium and the Rodeo Queen contest is scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Fairgrounds The annual parade will be held Oct. 4starting at 10 a.m. at the C.J. Schoen Administrative Building and traveling down Jefferson Avenue, Boston Street and Columbia Street, ending at the fairgrounds. For more information, go online to www.sttammanyparishfair.info.
2.
Bluesberry Music and ArtFestival —Oct. 5, 11:30 a.m. to 9p.m. at Bogue Falaya Park, 213 Park Drive, Covington. This relative newcomer to St. Tammany’sentertainment scene quickly became one of its most beloved cultural events. Enjoy one full day of nonstop, world-class music, art, food and culture on the banks of the Bogue Falaya River.Ticketsare $25 online, $30 at the gate, and VIP entry costs $100.
BY JESSICA SAGGIO Contributing writer
The city of Covington welcomed both anew membertoits City Counciland abudget proposal for the nextfiscalyear at its meeting on Sept. 10.
Council members unanimously voted to appoint Blaine Stanga as an interim member representing District B. Stanga replaces John Botsford, who ran unopposed for an open Council at Large seat in July Stanga was recommended by Botsford, who noted his passion for the city Stanga is alifelong Covington resident who graduated from LSU and is senior director of global supplier management for an international travel management company. Stanga both works and lives in downtown Covington. Stanga has spent most of his career in the travel industry,mostly working from thetechnical side. He has traveled abroad
for much of hiswork, but was always drawn back to Covington for its culture, festivals and scenic rivers, according to his bio. Stanga’sfamily heritage has deep roots in thearea dating back to the 1800s. The interim councilman and his wife,Billie,have two daughters, Abigail and Bridget. “I wanted to find somebody that is passionate about the city,” said Botsford. “…I twisted his arm a little bit, but he said ‘Yes’.” Council President Mark Verret added he looked forward to working with Stanga, calling him “a good choice, agood selection.” An election to finishthe remainder of the Council B term will be held in March. Also at the meeting, mayor Mark Johnsonpresented the council his budget proposal for 2025. In his budget message to the council, Johnson said his proposal would meet increased demand for city services
FILEPHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD
Ezekiel Bolton, 2, pets Sheep, agoat withafunnyname, being shown by ZoeySymons, then ajunior at PearlRiver High School, during the 2023 St.TammanyParishFair in Covington.
Stanga
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
Joseph Woods waded onto Lakeshore Drivetoget aphoto of the thigh-deep stormsurgeinold Mandeville the morning of Sept. 12.
ä See STORM, page 2A
Blaine Stangais
sworn in as the interim District BCity Council member in Covington. City AttorneyJulian ‘Rod’ Rodrigue delivered the oath at the council’sSept. 10 meeting
PHOTO BY BOBBY GILBOY
while keeping the citycoffers “in theblack.”
Operatingexpenses would increase to about $27.8 million under theproposal, up fromthe $25.6million allotted last year Capital expenditures are budgeted at just over $8 million, up from last year’s$6million, and another $646,230 is reserved for debt services Revenues have been “conserva-
tively estimated,”but sales tax is expected to bring in some$17.4 million.Revenuesonthis year’s budgetare slightly less than the 2024 budget, which estimated about $18 million in sales tax revenue. Property tax revenue is expected to sit around $3.1 million, and an additional $1.5 million is predicted from license and permit fees. Approximately $800,000 should be collected in utility franchisefees. The cityexpects to spend $7.38 million from its utility fund to operatesewer and water services
forhomes andbusinesses. However,money collected from utility bills is not anticipated to cover this cost and will come up short by about $1.1 million. That difference will be covered with the city’sgeneral fund.
“Per usual, there has been no deficient spending noranincrease in taxes,”the mayor’smessage states.
The council has scheduled a budgetworkshopat5 p.m. on Oct. 22. The public is invited to attend. The council will vote on Johnson’s budgetproposalatits monthly meeting in November.
STORM
Continued from page1A
monitor situation closely through the end of the week. In addition to school being canceled for two days, Francine caused further disruption to local calendars. Madisonville and Mandeville canceledtheir scheduled council meetings last week, and the St. Tammany Parish
School Board rescheduled itsmonthly meeting to Sept. 19 NorthshoreTechnical Community College, canceled for two days but resumed Sept. 13. TheSt. Tammany Chamber of Commerce Business &Community Expo, originallyscheduledfor Sept.12 at theHarbor Center,was rescheduled to Oct.17. AndrewCanulette contributedtothis report
PHOTO
Francine.
PHOTO BY GRANTTHERKILDSEN
Pylant
bagsfor people whocametothe Covington Public Works barn as Francine loomed in the Gulf.
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
Kelly’s Coastal Cabana in Mandeville took someof Hurricane Francine’s floodwater
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN Clayton Kingsmill takes his dog Azalea foraridethrough the flood water following Hurricane Francine crossing overSt. TammanyParish.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SLIDELL POLICE DEPARTMENT
The streets of the Palm Lake neighborhood in Slidell remained impassable on the afternoon of Sept. 12.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC MCVICKER
Though Hurricane Francinemadelandfall in Terrebonne Parish on the afternoon of Sept. 11, wave after wave smackedintothe Mandeville seawall on the morning of Sept. 12, almost afull daylater.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC MCVICKER
The fire hydrant gives an good indication of howhigh the water was on the Mandeville Lakefront on Sept. 12.
