COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL
ST. TAMMANY
N O L A.C O M
Committee may push reducing Parish Council seats
BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer
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W e d n e s d ay, n ov e m b e r 13, 2024
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Veterans feted in style on Mandeville lakefront
St. Tammany Parish government has launched a committee to modernize itself, and one of its focus areas could be the size of the 14-person Parish Council. The Home Rule Charter Review Committee, which got its first official appointees at the Parish Council meeting on Nov. 7, will meet twice per month starting in January with a broad mandate to review the parish’s charter and suggest improvements. Reducing the size of the council is likely to be among the 11-member committee’s considerations, which would bring St. Tammany more in line with other parishes in the New Orleans metro area. Among the members appointed Thursday were former St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis; Retired Army Gen. Carl Ernst, one of the core members of community watchdog group Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany Parish; Jeffrey Schoen, an attorney who often appears before the council; and Arlana LeBlanc, a former schoolteacher from the Slidell area.
ä See SEATS, page 2A
St. Tammany schools unveil $325 million improvements plan School Board plans to seek renewal of property tax BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
St. Tammany Parish school leaders will soon embark on a campaign to pitch the parish’s often-reluctant voters on an ambitious five-year, $325 million school improvements plan — the public school district’s largest ever. Based on early comments from schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia and some School Board members, the pitch will emphasize the scope of the work — including improvements to 23 schools across the parish and a new health care/STEM campus near the technical college in Lacombe — and the fact that the district isn’t asking to increase taxes. A St. Tammany School Board committee voted on Nov. 7 to recommend the board accept the plan and call a May 3, 2025, election to renew an expiring
ä See SCHOOLS, page 2A
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael A. Cushman and Cleve Fair, of the Marine Corps League, ride at the front of the Veterans Day parade. The Old Mandeville Restaurant & Bar Association,
appreciative crowd then gathered outside Pat’s Rest
which formed earlier this year, presented a Veterans
Awhile and elsewhere along the lakefront to enjoy live
Day celebration on the Mandeville lakefront on Nov.
music, food and drink, not to mention camaraderie and
9. The day began with a parade of various motorized
pleasant November weather that greeted the inaugural
and walking units at 11 a.m. Participants and the
event.
Children’s Museum of St. Tammany has bigger home BY JESSICA SAGGIO Contributing writer
There’s no place like home — and for the Children’s Museum of St. Tammany, having a new home is finally a reality. After months of moving, redesigns, setbacks and workarounds, the museum that was once a staple on Koop Drive has reopened in Pelican Plaza in Mandeville. On Nov. 5, the museum officially opened its new doors to a crowd of 229 patrons throughout the day, giving them the first glimpse of the new facility. Greeted with an open-concept space very different from its previous building, guests got to explore adventures both new and familiar. The museum relocated all of its previous exhibits and play areas, and thanks to exPHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN tra square-footage, was able to add new features. Notably, those new Ezra Traina captains a craft.
additions include a party room for group events, a STEM-focused lights and shadows exhibit, a giant “Lite Zilla” Light Bright wall and more soft play and literacy areas. The museum also has all the old favorites as well, such as the play restaurant and store, the climbing wall, art gallery, and Natural Wonders exploration area to learn about plants and animals, among
ä See MUSEUM, page 2A
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CHRISTY MYERS, Children’s Museum of St. Tammany executive director
other displays. Christy Myers, executive director, said the museum gained about 1,000 square feet of space with the move, allowing for expansion — and a larger guest capacity. Exhibits from the old facility have been “reimagined” she said, and the open-concept design of the new space will allow children to explore more freely. The museum will now be able to host about 220 guests at once, compared to 160 at its previous location. The museum has a two-year lease with property owner Joey Champagne, with an option to renew for a third. Myers said Nov. 5 was a “great day,” and the museum is sending out surveys to get feedback about its new design. But the move did not come without its challenges.
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“When we found this location in Mandeville, close to Pelican Park, and a larger footprint than the former museum, it really checked most of the boxes.”
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