St. Tammany Picayune 02-05-2025

The mighty liveoaksofSt. TammanyParish, likethese on the Mandeville lakefront, have withstood hurricanes, droughts, and both triple-degree and single-digit temperatures. But chances are likely they’ve not seen 7-plus inches of snowlikethe parish encountered on Jan. 21. Area arborists and agriculture scientists saythe liveoaks, and most other plants, should be just fine following arecord-setting winter storm.

FORCEOFNATURE

Record snow should notdamagenorthshoreliveoaks

BY KIM CHATELAIN

Contributing writer

The snow-covered oak trees along Mandeville’s lakefront during therecent winter storm provided apostcard-like scene, albeit one extremely rarefor an area more accustomedtofloods than blizzards.

But after marveling at the winter wonderland along Lake Pontchartrain, some residents began to wonder if the extraordinary weather phenomenon might harm theancient southern oaks thatgive Lakeshore Drive its cherished ambience.

Concern also surfaced over

TheJan. 21-22 snow wasdry and powdery, which is less harmful to treesthanheavy,wet snow,said Rad Dickson, acity planner and licensed arborist.

the fate of recent beautification efforts, including a $400,000 landscaping project to installplanting beds along astretch of Florida Avenue. That ambitious project was spearheaded by the Mandeville Parksand Parkways Commission and the city’splanning department to make the one-mile commercial stretch on theeastern side of thecity easier on the eye.

Mandeville City Council Chairman Scott Discon, formerchairmanofthe parks

ELECTION 2025

and parkways commission, saidhehasn’theard of any problemswith the city’s greenery because of the snowfall.

Rad Dickson, acity planner andlicensed arborist, said it may be alittle too early to tell what impact thesnowadextended period of frigid weather will have on greenery.

“Only time will tell,” Dickson said, noting thatitcan take weeks to determine damage to certain types of plants. ButDickson andother ex-

pertssounded optimistic about the area’scherished oaks.

“I don’tforesee theoak trees having too muchofa problem,” Dickson said.

Hisassessmentisconsistent withthose of other tree expertsinNew Orleans who said thelack of ice accumulation on the city’sancient trees bodes well for them.

Dickson said the Jan. 21-22 snowfallwas dryand powdery,which is less harmfulto trees.Conversely,wet snow is heavier than whatfell here. It can settle on to tree branches, causing them to break off.

Slidell’s Rosemary Clement

BY SARA PAGONES Contributing writer

When Rosemary Clement takes her royalride through Slidell on Feb. 16 as the very first queen of the Krewe of Antheia, the experience won’t exactly be old hat, but morelike old crown.

BY ANDREW CANULETTE Staff writer

Three candidates entered the race to fill the open District Bseatonthe Covington City Council during qualifying held Jan. 29-31. Blake Bushnell, aRepublican, and two Independents, Hermon Joseph and Blaine Stanga, will be on the bal-

lot when the election is held March29. They seek to replace John Botsford,who was electedto anat-largeseat on thecouncil last year.Stanga was appointed as the interim District Brepresentativelast September when Botsford ran unopposed for the citywide post In Folsom, DeAnna Richardson Mingo won aseat on thevillage’s

BoardofAldermen when no onesigneduptochallenge her.Mingowas appointed as an interim member of the three-person board in December,following the death of Jill Mathies Four propositions, twoof them parishwide votes, will be on the March 29 ballot, as well. The two parishwide referendumsinclude: n St.Tammany Parishgovernment seeks to rededicate aportion of an existing 2% sales taxthatcurrently funds

BY KADEE KRIEGER Contributing writer

St. Tammany hotels already are feeling the impact of the throngs of visitors arriving in the New Orleans metro area forSuper BowlLIX,fillingspace to near capacity and driving up room rates.

“It’s booming, and is going to be massive. We are so excited and can’twait to seehow it the game benefitsnot just the hotels, but tourism throughout St. Tammany,”said Northshore Lodge Association President AthenaTzuanos. She said the ripple effect is evident fromroom rates surgingto$600per night to requests for groups of 500 or more.

Tzuanos manages the Holiday Inn ExpressinSlidell and serves as regional

After all, Clement, whotaught several generationsofSlidell childrendance and gymnastics, has been aqueen awhopping eight times. Her role with Antheia won’t even be her first time to be a krewe’sinauguralqueen.She achieved that distinctionin 1971, when she reigned over the then brandnew Kr ew e of Perseus as Queen Andromeda I. Now,at92, she will reign over Antheia, a200-member all female krewe that will be stepping off this Carnival season for its third parade.

RosemaryClement has been chosen as the KreweofAntheia’s first queen.

Sitting in her living room, surro unde d by newspaper and magazine clippings documenting her royal bona fides, Clement is still excited about the prospect of donning queen regalia again foranother parade.

“I love seeing the people,” she said. “A lotofthe time they know me. Ithink I taught almost every little girl in Slidell foratime.”

But forClement, alifelong dancer,the ball is abig part of the thrill of Carnival, too. “I neverstoppeddancing the whole night,”she said of the recentKrewe of Antheia ball.

Northshore businesses counting on SuperBowl

manager for properties in Covington, Madisonville andNew Orleans. She said staff members are prepared to bring the SuperBowl spirit forguests, and the Slidell location will even offer SuperBowl party-style snacksfor those watching the gamefrom the hotel. Northshore hoteliers arecoordinating efforts to maximize the benefit for the parish as awhole,saidKatie Domingue, who is both aSt. Tammany hotel general manger anda St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission board member “St. TammanyParishhotelsare staying in communication with each other to accommodate anyone that is looking forrooms at this time so we can make sure our parish hotels get as muchout

also was the first

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Carnival has alwaysbeen afamily affair for Clement. Her three daughters, Candace, Mary and Gwendolyn, were all queens for the Krewe of Perseus. And when she rides in Antheia, it will be on a float with her daughters and three other women she considers adopted daughters. All of them are former Carnival royalty.

“It’sthe queen’sfloat,” Clement said. Her royalresumebegan as something of ajoke, shesaid,when she was chosen to be a“senior prom queen.” But thesecondtime, she competed in atalent contest at the Treasure Chest casino and won, advancing her to the Senior Miss Louisiana contest,which she also won.

“I was way out of my depth. They had people from California, former stars, aMetropolitan Opera star,and here Iwas with mylittle tap dance,” she recalled

ThefirstCarnival season after Katrina ravaged Slidell,the Slidell Women’sCivic Club named her as Queen Samaritan for its Krewe ofSlidellian’sparade. Her son, Bruce, was king —the only time amother and son ever reigned together

“I stayedqueen for two years,” she said. “No one else could do it They were trying to save their houses.”

From there she was queen of the Olde Towne Slidell St. Patrick’s Day parade and then the Krewe of Mona Lisa and Moonpie.

“That one Ilovedsomuch,” she said of the walking parade. “It was dancing all through Slidell.” She told children on theroute that they had to come do some dance steps with her in order to get a coveted moon pie.

Clement did not anticipatedonning atiara foraneighthtime.

“They just asked me because of my community service,” she said.

That’sexactly whyAntheia, which chooses amember to reign as its“goddess” each year,decided to include aqueen this time around,krewe president Kathy Lowrey said.

“Thisyear we wanted to honor someone in the community who is atrue community steward,” Lowry said. “Mrs. Rosemary is an icon. Shedoes so much, she’sjust an icon.” Indeed, Clement haslogged decades of volunteer work since

moving to Slidell with her husband, Walter Clement III, in 1956. Besidesrunning adance andgymnastics studio for decades, Clement was active in groups like the Slidell Women’sCivic Club and others. Her energy and her commitment to service haven’tflagged.

She begins her days at 5a.m. with amile walk and exercise followed by Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, which she attends every day. Once amonth, she and agroup of other women entertain at local nursing homes with dances that include the hula, the mambo and others.

“My husband used to say,‘Make sure they letyou back out,’” she said. She’salso involved with the

AbitaSprings will getguidancefrom stateauditor’s office

Town also hires CPA firm for budget advice

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

Abita Springsofficials have scheduleda March18educational meeting with representatives from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office in an attempttobetter navigate the town’s budgeting process and avoid the turmoil that has plagued town governmentrecently In December,Town Council member Regan Contois proposed aresolution asking the auditor to intercede in town affairs.Avote on thematter was scheduled for Jan. 7but the council meeting on that date was canceled. The town’sJan. 21 meeting then was delayed due to the snowstorm that blew through St. Tammany Parish

galbattle with adeveloper over a168-acre planned unit development on La. 36,and Mayor Dan Curtis andthe council have clashed over personnel matters involving the town marshal.

Contois said the meeting with auditor representatives is “anattempt,after the fact of the fraud and theft” to “understand that we’re budgeting correctly,we’re holding meetings correctly and that we are conducting our business —both the council and the town —appropriately,according to allthe state and local laws.”

The training will not specifically cover the town’s2025 budget, which it has not yet approved, said Town Clerk Janet Dufrene, but rather will be amoregeneral educational opportunity about budgets forthe administration, council members and residents.

Contois encouraged residents to attend the meeting or watch the recording afterward.

Thecouncilfinallywas able to meet on Jan.29and adate with LLA reps was set. It also was announced that night that the town contracted with theaccounting firm of Duplantier,Hrapmann, Hogan &Maher for budgetadvice.

Contois said asking the state auditor for guidance was necessary followinga seriesoftroublesome events in thetown. Theyinclude criminal charges brought against two former town employees who allegedly embezzledpublic funds for their personal use between 2019 and 2023. The town also has been in atense le-

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of this amazing revenue opportunity as New Orleans,” she said.

Domingue said hotels throughout the parish are seeing limited availability with strong rates through Feb. 10. She said the Homewood Suites by Hilton Slidell, where she serves as general manager, is showing high demand of at least 96 percent to fully occupied from Feb. 6-10.

“I think it will also help all of our residents understand the process alittle bit better too,” she said. Contois’ resolution appeared on aDecember agenda along with an ordinance to approve the town’s budget for2025. The council deferred action on the budget in part because of the alleged embezzlement of public money State law allows municipal governments to essentially operate under the previous year’sbudget until one can be approved forthe current fiscal year

in October 2024 set anew record.InSt. Tammany, hotels were either completely sold out or extremely limited in availability during the Swift concert weekend.

“Welook forward to showing the guests coming forthe game what hospitality is all about in the South andwhy to stay in St Tammany Parish,”

Domingue said

The Feb. 9game between the Kansas CityChiefs and the PhiladelphiaEagles is expected to surpass theoccupancy and rate records from 2013, when New Orleans last served as Super Bowl host, accordingtoColin Sherman, director of hospitality market analytics in Texas and the U.S. South for CoStar Group.

The 2013 Super Bowl held the record forthe highest hotel rates in the area’shistory until the Taylor Swift concert

“Our researchcontinues to show that visitors to New Orleans value nearby destinations, makingSt. Tammany Parish the ideal complement to Big Game festivities,” said Katie Guasco, chief marketing officer for Visit the Northshore, which promotes St. Tammany as adestination for visitors. Guascosaid Visit the Northshore’s marketing effortshave included highlighting restaurants, outdoor experiences and waterfront entertainment as areason to stay north of Lake Pontchartrain before and after thegame. In addition, ride share vehicles wrapped with Visit the Northshore promotional messages and images will circulate throughout thearea surroundingthe Superdome for the weekend, reminding visitors of the“easy escape” that St. Tammanyoffers. Guasco said it’stoo soon to accurately predict overall economic impact. Those numbers will come aboutamonth after the big game.

Rosies of Habitat, which brings women volunteers out to work on Habitat forHumanity building sites. Her group, Rosemary’sRosies, recently worked on refurbishing Griffith Park in Slidell.

While it has yet to be decided if there willbefuture queens, Lowreysaidthatthe krewe’sgoddess this year,Tammy Labarre, and Clement have bonded. “It’sbeen amazing, so it’squite possible,” she said.

As aqueen eight times over, Clement’stipsfor Carnival royalty are no different from what she’salways told her children.

“Myphilosophyis, try to make someone else’slifebetter.That’s how Ilive. Don’tforget to be kind and spread your blessings.”

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