2A ✦ Wednesday, July 29, 2026 ✦ St. Tammany ✦
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COAST did more with less during the last fiscal year BY DARREN COOPER Contributing writer
COAST has reason to boast. Numbers from the 20252026 fiscal year reveal upticks in the meals served and the rides given by the Council on Aging St. Tammany, or COAST, proving that the nonprofit’s holistic approach to serving seniors continues to thrive. “We’ve all been asked to do more with less, and I’m so incredibly grateful to our staff for what they’ve been able to accomplish,” said COAST Executive Director Amy Kudel. “This is amazing, and it’s a huge blessing to know that we can help people and impact people’s lives in a positive way.”
COAST provides multiple services to seniors in the community who need a bit of help, from meals to physical exercise opportunities and simple home repair services. This past fiscal year showed an increase of 7,126 meals provided, up from 159,105 to 166,231 (that’s delivered and on-site meals combined), and about 2,600 more rides given via a partnership with STAR transit. FILE PHOTO Overall, Kudel believes the uptick in food and trans- Yoga instructor Jamie Powers, front center, leading a class at portation services is due the Council on Aging (COAST) Center in Slidell several years to a stifling economy with ago. Today, the COAST exercise space available in the center higher prices on goods and there is completely full. services. “We have to feed people. I hate that people are hun- without a lot. We know for are just trying to make sure gry,” Kudel said. “We have some people, this may be the we reach everyone we can.” COAST has also increased a lot of people who make do only meal that they have. We
its exercise services available. There is now tai chi offered in Madisonville and Mandeville, as well as line dancing and chair yoga through a partnership with the YMCA. Kudel said the rooms in Slidell for exercise classes are bursting. Exercise hours offered by COAST increased by 23%, up from 12,520 to 15,427. “Our big push is we want to keep you home and independent and moving for as long as possible,” said Kudel. “We want to help you improve your balance and your coordination so that you don’t fall. It’s a lot cheaper to do some exercise than go to the hospital after a fall, and we know it makes people happier and makes them feel better.”
COAST also saw an increase in clients from 2,837 to 2,957, and 203 seniors were given care through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Seniors, or TANS, program. Kudel knows that COAST can’t do everything for senior citizens on the northshore, but it will do everything it can. “Even if you don’t need our help now, you may need it later, so we never stop trying to get the word out,” Kudel said. “We have had lots of growth in Lacombe with our new activity center. We saw a large dropoff in clients (during) COVID, and we are still working to get people back into the centers and adding transportation so we can pick people up.”
Menetre father, son follow film biz to Nepal BY DARREN COOPER Contributing writer
STAFF PHOTO BY JIM DERRY
Daniel Seuzeneau, who has served the Slidell Police Department for nearly two decades, announced his candidacy for sheriff of St. Tammany Parish on July 21 in Slidell. Seuzeneau’s wife, Rachel, is at left, with their daughter, Danielle. Slidell Mayor Randy Fandal is at right and city council president Trey Brownfield, is back left.
RUN
Continued from page 1A since Smith’s departure. Qualifying will take place from Aug. 5 through Aug. 7, and the election will be held on Nov. 3. If a runoff is needed, it would be on Dec. 12. Scott Illing, who formerly was a U.S. Marshal and Louisiana state trooper, announced his candidacy early last week. More candidates are expected in the coming weeks. Seuzeneau, 43, is one of the most recognized faces in law enforcement across the parish, starting his career with the Slidell force in 2006. He often appeared on national television police shows, including “Live PD” and “The First 48,” and he started the Slidell PD Facebook page, which has more than 241,000 followers. They have another 50,000-plus followers on other social media pages, including X, Instagram and TikTok. He told the crowd gathered July 21 that he is “humbled” by the amount of support he has received in the short time since he decided to run. And he stressed that he’ll need the support, as he knows the path to becoming the parish’s next sheriff won’t be easy. “Anyone who says they enjoy running for a public office needs to be checked,” Seuzeneau said. “There’s nothing fun about it, except for meeting people, trying to make a positive change and give the people hope that you know there is honor in public service. That’s the message.” Slidell Mayor Randy Fan-
dal, Chief of Police Tommy Williams and City Council President Trey Brownfield were among those flanked next to Seuzeneau to offer support. Members of the city and parish councils, as well as the local legislative delegation, also stood by Seuzeneau for his announcement. When Williams took office earlier this month, he named Seuzeneau assistant police chief. While he hates to lose him now, he understands the decision. “Running for office is tough, and it’s even tougher on your family (than) it is on you,” Williams said. “Daniel is what this parish needs. He is ready to lead, he has the polished degrees, the police experience and the leadership experience. It is a huge hole for me to fill, but it is a huge plus for St. Tammany Parish. St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper also showed up. He said it was important for him to be there, but he is not ready to make an endorsement just yet. “I have great interest in who our next sheriff will be,” he said. “I am here to show support to Daniel as he embarks on this run. I will be showing support for others as we go through this, and ultimately, I will pick a candidate to back.” Seuzeneau’s wife Rachel Seuzeneau was there with him, as was as his 9-year-old daughter, Danielle. He also has a 25-year-old daughter, Gabrielle Seuzeneau. He graduated from Slidell High in 2001 and earned a bachelor’s degree in 2015 from Louisiana Tech and a master’s in business administration in 2019.
LAKEFRONT
Continued from page 1A
staging of that equipment — is just too dangerous for the public,” he said. “We don’t want anyone climbing on anything, even though you can put signs up, it’s still just too dangerous for public use while the project is going on.” The pier has been out of commission since 2021 when Hurricane Ida destroyed much of the structure. The Mandeville City Coun-
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Since leaving Covington more than two decades ago, Ralph “Beau” Menetre has been on the go. The businessman helped create a small film festival near his adopted hometown in North Carolina called the Tryon International Film Festival, or TRIFF, and has built it into one of the most respected of its kind. “Our whole town is about 1,600 people, and we get 1,000 people in for the film festival,” Menetre said recently while in New Orleans for a conference. “Don’t ask me what we do about housing everyone who comes. We get real creative.” But TRIFF also sparked in Menetre a deeper interest in film making and producing. To that end, Menetre, 48, recently returned from a 12-day trip with his son Myles to Katmandu, Nepal, and meetings with filmmaker Nischal Poudyal, whose work has won prizes at TRIFF. “Nepal is, I was trying to explain it to my wife, unless you’ve ever been to a major metropolitan Asian city, it’s hard to describe,” Menetre said. “The trip far exceeded any expectations that I had. Nischal’s family embraced us, like an Italian grandmother, we were fed nine times a day and we would go to hotels and the service was just over the top.” Menetre was in Nepal discussing development of Poudyal’s animated film “Lama La” and helping turn it into a globally focused feature. The film is set during the Nepal civil war, where two figures with different belief systems, one Buddhist and one Maoist, encounter each other
DREAM
Continued from page 1A Kori Sclafani, administrative coordinator at the cemetery, managed the day-to-day operations while the position was vacant. “We waited on him because he was an excellent candidate, and I really liked his background and his passion,” Krumm said. “And not that the other candidates didn’t have passion as well. But I was just looking at who would be the very best fit for this cemetery.” Newcomb spent much of his Coast Guard career as a marine safety specialist, inspecting freight ships, cruise ships and tankers. During his final six years, he led safety oversight for offshore oil and gas facilities. Originally from New Hampshire, Newcomb and his wife and three children have developed deep roots on the northshore. Although the Coast Guard transferred the family several
not making this as a child animation feature, but (for) adults, and we can extract a lot of symbolism from the religion.” Both Menetres were treated as honored guests in Nepal and interviewed by local media during their visit. The food menu included plenty of lentils, masala, mutton and buffalo. “It was delicious,” Menetre said. “I am a foodie at heart; you can’t not be a foodie being from Louisiana. Here, food is life. We had a lot of fun eating in big groups with our hands and celebrating being together.” The Menetre name is known throughout St. Tammany Parish. Beau Menetre’s great uncle, Emile, was mayor of Covington from 1945 to 1965, and the Menetre Park Boat Launch still operates as a conduit to Lake Pontchartrain. His grandfather, Ralph, was an LSU football player and worked for more than 40 years in the St. Tammany Parish Public School system in various roles, including assistant superintendent. He was also the “Voice of the Lions” at sporting events for 40 years. Menetre said he didn’t grow up a PROVIDED PHOTO Beau Menetre and son Myles in front movie fanatic, but he loved the idea of exposing audiences to different ways of the Boudhanath Stupa, one of of life. TRIFF screened 113 films last the most sacred stupas in the world year over four venues. This year’s fesconsidered the epicenter of Tibetan tival runs Oct. 8-11. “In my opinion, it’s more of a conBuddhist culture. ference. We have guest speakers, and journey through the Himalayas, we have workshops. It really is four discovering their own prejudices and days of non-stop activity,” Menetre worldviews. said, “and the films run the gamut. We “The film is so rooted in Buddhism, don’t have a theme. We like to have diand there is so much symbolism in versity. You can be watching a human the character, that we felt animation rights film and five minutes later be would help with the development and watching a comedy from China or a tell the story,” Menetre said. “We’re documentary.”
times, they repeatedly requested assignments in the New Orleans area and have lived in Slidell for 13 years. As he prepared to retire from the Coast Guard, Newcomb began looking for civilian employment, and it was his wife Andrea who discovered the cemetery opening in January. “And she’s like, ‘Dave, you love cemeteries,’ ” he recalled. “She’s like, this is perfect for you. And of course, I became fixated on it.” Newcomb said he often finds himself visiting cemeteries when he is in a new city, so his new position seems fitting. “It’s just beautiful. It’s peaceful. It’s my place,” he said. One of Newcomb’s goals as the new director is to increase public awareness of the cemetery and encourage eligible veterans to complete preneed applications to ease the future burden on surviving family members. Burial services are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with up to 15 services each week. Eligible veterans receive burial, military honors and perpetual care at no cost,
while eligible spouses also may be interred for a state-established fee. “The cemetery has interred over 5,600 veterans and eligible dependents since opening in 2014,” Newcomb said. He added that 24 acres of the property is developed currently, but that amount could triple over the next few decades if the National Cemetery Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), approves grants for expansion. Newcomb said whether expansion happens or not, maintaining the cemetery is paramount. It’s about honoring every person who is laid to rest there. “We’re going to keep this place as pristine as we possibly can. Because it’s not just for the day of the committal. It’s for when (families) come back — every week, every Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthday, Veterans Day, Wreaths Across America (Day).” For more information, visit the cemetery at 34888 Grantham College Drive near Slidell or call (985) 6466458.
Ida in 2021 was just the most recent hurricane to put the fishing pier at Sunset Point out of business.
cil approved $3.1 million in work to replace it, although it is expected that FEMA will pay for up to 90% of the costs. Also at the July 23 meeting, Mandeville Police Chief Todd Schleim announced Stephen Tarzia was named as the department’s “Officer of the Year,” as someone who does “everything with a smile, and he does it well.” “I really do appreciate the honor,” Tarzia said. “I do love working here. It is a great city. I came from across the lake, where you weren’t always appreciated. … I love being here, and I love working for the citizens.”
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