Criticstakeshots at growth plan
Parish moving
BY BOBWARREN Staff writer
Critics of adevelopment master plan adopted by St. Tammany
Parish more thantwo years ago took another crack at it last week, with opponents taking to themic to tell elected officials it is poorly-
researched and could ruin thepastoralsettingthat attracts people to thenorthshore.
Theparish Planning Commission adopted the plan, called “New Directions 2040,” in May of 2022. It broadly outlines how future development should happen, andparish officials have described it as a
blueprint that will be reviewed regularly
One component in particular,the designation of 17,000 acres across the parish for manufacturing and logistics businesses, has rankled someopponents.
TheOrleans Audubon Society and agroup of parish residents
filed suittoblock the planand a state appeal court last year orderedthe St.TammanyParish Council to convene aspecial meeting to hear opponents’ concerns.
The council did that on Sept. 25, taking commentsfromahandful of residents during ameeting that lasted less than an hour
But while some opponents likely hoped thecouncil would vote to block themasterplan, the council, on theadviceofits attorney,said it would stick close to the letter of the appeals court ruling and merely adopteda resolutionthatacknowledgedthatthe Planning Commission approved the plan in 2022. “I’m not against development we need it. But it has to be smart development,” Covington resident Joan Simon told the council.
Concert series in Covington starts with The Rumble
by his father,Big Chief MonkBoudreauxwiththe
community.The
13 events to brew up aspooktacularHalloween
BY JESSICASAGGIO
Contributing writer
It’sthat time of year again whena little hocus pocus makes its way to thenorthshore. Although October is just starting, thespirit of Halloween is already brewing, and St. Tammany has no shortageofhaunts, tricks and treatsthis spooky season
From thrilling scares tocreepy history tours, shows, festivals, pumpkin patches and trunk or treats, there’salittle something for everyone. Move over Jason, because this is the only “13” we need thisyear,and most of them aren’tonFriday
Thirteen ways to celebrate Halloween on the northshore
1.Olde Towne Pumpkin Festival,Oct. 5—Grab thekiddos and headtothe groundsof the First United MethodistChurch, 433 Er-
langer Ave.,inSlidell. From noon- 5p.m., theold-fashioned festivalwillbepacked with family fun, including games, activities, pony rides,a petting zoo, pumpkin chunkin’, inflatables andfood. Admissionisfree, but some activities requireticketsthat can be purchased at theevent. Proceeds go to RainbowChildcare. FUMC’spumpkinpatch will also beonsite and open to the public theentire monthfrom 10 a.m. to 7p.m. daily
2. Pelican Park CostumeSwap,Oct. 12 —Forget those rising retail prices, anddonateold costumes in exchange for anew-toyou option at this year’s Costume Swapat Pelican Park near Mandeville. Anyone can drop off costumes nowthrough Oct. 11 at the Castine Center and receive aticketto this year’sswap.All sizes will be collected,
FILESTAFF PHOTO BY SCOTT
Colton DeLaughter,2,picks out his pumpkin during an outing withhis family to the First United Methodist Church’spumpkin patchin Slidell back in 2022.
BY JESSICA SAGGIO Contributing writer
Pearl River High senior Zoey Symons could talk fordays about her goats. All 15 of them, although her favorite is Hikorii, whohas been Symons’ “pride and joy” since getting her five years ago. Symons showsHikorri at competitions, but she also showshens,
PHOTO BY BOBBY GILBOY
The Rumble, featuring Chief Joseph BoudreauxJr.,ofthe Golden Eagles MardiGras Indians, continuesthe legacy of MardiGras Indianfunk that was pioneered in part
Wild Magnolias. The younger Boudreaux is aGrammy nominated singer and aleader of the Black Masking Indian
Rumble Band,formed in 2021, performed Sept. 26 in TheRev.Peter Atkins Park to open thefall Rockin’the Rails concertseason in Covington.
THRELKELD
Work on newSlidell Police HQ should startinearly 2025
Robert Boulevard building couldbe complete by spring 2027
BY SARA PAGONES
Contributing writer
While the new headquarters for Slidell Police, including the city jail, won’tbe finished for more than two years, some initial steps forward arebeing takenfor the department’snew home on Robert Boulevard. The Slidell City Council voted earlier in September
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even dog costumes. However,the swap itself will be dependent on what’sdonated. Come back on Oct.12 between 3p.m. and 5p.m. to pick out your new flair.The first hour of the event will be for ticketed guests, the last hour will be opentoeveryone.
3. St. Luke’sFamily Bash and Pumpkin Patch,Oct. 12, 13 and ongoing —St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church is hostinga loadof fall-themed fun. The church grounds at 910 Cross Gates Blvd. nearSlidell will turn into apumpkin patch that officially opens Oct. 9and run through the end of the month. Pumpkin picking hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.The church will also host a 5K dash Oct. 12 at 7:30 a.m. followed later with a Trunk or Treat from 6p.m. to 8p.m. The Family Bash takes place all day Oct 13, beginning after morning Masses at 12:30 p.m. There will be ahost of contests, from pie-eating to patriotic hats and baking; asoccer and basketball challenge; bingo and art exhibit. No cost to attend and all are welcome to St. Luke’s.
4.Rocky Horror:Omen,Oct 18-26 —Come see the 1970s classicmusical campy horror show live at the Cutting Edge Theaterin Slidell. The show features anaive young couple who find themselves in amad scientist’sworld with his creation, Rocky.The cabaret-type show,known for pushing boundaries and its cultlike following, will run Oct. 18 through26withan 8p.m. show time each night. Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased at cuttingedgetheater.com.
5.Monster Mash, Oct.19— Grab the kiddos and Do the Mash, the Monster Mash, this year at Bogue Falaya Park in Covington from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. The event benefiting the St. Tammany Hospital System Parenting Center will feature thegambit of fun, fall activities,to include atrick-or-treat village, cookie booth, rides, games andother entertainment all included in the admission cost. Food and beverages for sale separately Tickets are $15 forkidsif purchased in advance, or $20 at the gate. Adultsare $5 in advance or at the gate.
6.Nightmare on Columbia, Oct 19 —Adults, this one’s for you. Take astroll down Columbia Street in downtown Covington for anight filled with craft cocktails, beer,food, and entertainment. The event from 5p.m. to 7:30 p.m. is asip and stroll with Halloween-themed tents lined up for foodand drink samplings. Alsoincludes acostume contest and free concert by Deja Voofrom 8p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets for the sampling portionofthe event are $45 and can be purchased in advance at nightmareoncolumbia.org.
to authorize the sale of bonds, not to exceed $19.8 million, to buildand equip the new headquarters. Now,the city needs approval from the state Bond Commission at its December meeting.
Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal said that bids forconstruction will go out after the first of the year.Construction is expected to begin in early 2025.
The facility itself won’t be much bigger than the current headquarters —a 36,000-square-foot facility completed in 1963. But Fandal saidthe layout willbe much better and everything will be under one roof.The new
facility willbebuilt on Robert Boulevard in north Slidell, near the intersection of Fountain Drive.
“They’ve been working in abuilding that should have been torn down 20 years ago, and certainly after Katrina,” Fandal said.
The current headquarters had 5to6feet of floodwater from that storm, butinstead of demolishing and building something new,aswas the case for anumber of municipal buildings in Slidell, the police station was only renovated. Right now,what the depart-
ment calls Building No. 2, which houses the evidence room and IT,is“eaten up with termites,” Fandal said, and the city will have to spend some moneytoaddressthatproblem since thenew building won’t be readyfor some time, possibly as late as spring 2027.
Fandal said he met with the architect for theproject, MP Design Group, in mid-September. Acurrent rendering is not yet available because some adjustments are being made, he said. Thequestion of what will happen to the building on Sgt.
Alfred Drive hasn’tbeen settled yet, although Fandal said it will be demolished eventually.Hewould like to see the land used as additional parking for OldeTowne.
Initially,officials had hoped to build at the current location, but that area is flood prone and building higher would have increased the construction cost.
Fandal previously said the city’sjail, used to house prisoners waiting for court hearings on misdemeanor and traffic counts, especially needed updating. The number of people held at the new police headquarters at any one time would not increase, he said.
The bonds will be paid off with revenue from asales tax of just over one-thirdof acent that Slidell voters approved by alarge margin in April. The sales tax,which goes into effect Jan. 1and is expected to generate $4 million annually,took the place of two property taxes that had supported Slidell’spolice department, although together they generated only $1.3 million ayear The more robust revenue stream provided by the sales taxwillnot only enable the construction of the new headquarters but also provide raises for police.
7. OldeTowne Zombie Crawl,Oct. 25 —Olde Towne Slidell will turn into ascene from “The WalkingDead” as the annual Zombie Crawlreturns. Expect family-friendly,ofcourse. The Halloween-themed festival is for all ages and will have live music, costumecontests, trickor-treating, bounce houses, face painting, pumpkin decoratingand more than 75 local art vendors. Crawl from 5p.m. to 10 p.m. throughout downtown; the costume contest is at7 p.m. Trick-ortreat from tent-to-tent on Robert Street. Three live music stagesatFirst and Cousin streets, Carey and Cousin streets and Robert and Cousin streets. Afree andpet-friendly eventsponsored by the Olde Towne Merchants Association
8.Access LouisianaBoo Fest, Oct. 26 —Aday of action-packed Halloween family fun on the grounds of Lakeview Regional MedicalCenternearCovington Theevent runs from 10 a.m. to3 p.m. and features trickor-treating, games, pumpkin decorating, face painting, a costume contest, aphoto booth and live entertainment. Both the Mandeville Milkshakers andBeHooper
Be Happy will perform. Food and beverages will also be available. Admission is $2. The event is designed for children of all abilities and benefits ACCESS Louisiana, anonprofit that provides grant money to families of children with disabilities to help bridge the gap of costs not covered by insurance. During the event, agrant awardceremonywill take place to showcase some of these families.
9. Field of Screams,Oct 26 —Bescared if you dare visit the Field of Screams in Covington. The annual spooktacular Halloween trail will run from sunset, around 6:30 p.m., to 10 p.m. The trail begins at the Covington Recreation Complex, 4001 De Porres Road, and goes through the Blue Swamp Creek Nature Trail. The Covington Fire and Police departments will provide allsorts of haunts as visitors journey along thepath, making this event more appropriate for those ages 12 andup. Children mustbeaccompanied by an adult. This free event put on by the CityofCovington will have some special touches for the youngest: an arts
and crafts and atrunk or treat for allagesat5:30 p.m.; vendors on the premises will sell food and drinks.
10. Halloween MovieNight in Lacombe,Oct 26 —“Hocus Pocus” fans look alive, because the cult classic will be the star of Lacombe’sHalloween movie night. Bring chairs, blankets and pillows and get cozy for amovie night under the stars, complete with free popcorn. The event will take place at Recreation District #4 in Lacombe, 61100 N. 12th St. No admission cost to see this 1993 film, rated PG, that tells the story of ayoung boy in Salem who awakens the SandersonSisters —a motley trioexecuted for practicing dark magic, but return to life for this spooky, silly story
11.Whisperings: ALiving HistoryTour,Oct. 27 —Takea tripbackintime at this annual event where guests tour Covington Cem-
etery No. 1and meet some of the cemetery’shistoric residents. Actors bring personas back to life while interacting with guests along this twilight tour,telling tales of the city’spast. The tour will highlight local history,architecture on the tombs and the historical figures who shaped the city.From 5p.m. to 7p.m. at the 608 N. Columbia Street cemetery. Ticketsare $10 and must be purchased in advance at bontempstix.com/events/whisperings-10-27-2024.
12.Fall Fest in the Park, Oct. 31 —Kick off Halloween eveningatthe Rev.Peter Atkins Park in Covington from4 p.m. to 6p.m. Features face painting, candy,crafts, games and prizes for best costumes. Free event for the whole family sponsored by the NAACP,Covington Kiwanis Club, Greater Starlight Baptist Church and
the City of Covington.
13. Trunk-or-Treats are all the rage these days as families opt for an alternative to traditional trickor-treating, or if the kids just want afew extra opportunities to score some candy.Here are afew of the free options this year: n Oct. 12: St. Luke’sSlidell, 6p.m. to 8p.m n Oct. 18: Fontainebleau Children’sAcademy,Mandeville, 6p.m n Oct. 20: Aldersgate United MethodistChurch,Slidell, 6p.m 8p.m n Oct. 22: Fontainebleau High School,Mandeville, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. n Oct. 26: PearlRiver Town Hall,39460 Willis Alley, 5p.m.-8 p.m n Oct. 27: First United Methodist Slidell,5 p.m.-7 p.m. n Oct. 31: Lacombe Monster Mash,LacombeRecreation District 4gym, 5p.m. n Oct. 31: Abita Springs Trailhead Park,6 p.m. to 8p.m
Fandal
FILEPHOTO BY GRANTTHERKILDSEN
Sophia Laird, Blakely O’Connor and Michael Torres focus on paintingtheir littlepumpkins at Boo Fest 2022.
Brian Addison encourages daughter June to try the ring toss as Drake Paddison shows how it’sdone at an earlier Monster Mash.
FILE PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
