Suburban Terrace Civic Association July 2024 President’s Report
Hello neighbors!
We are in the throes of summer and the heat is here. Let’s be sure we take care of ourselves as we work outside and prepare our homes and yards for what looks to be an active hurricane season. During this extreme heat, here are a few pointers from the CDC:
Try to schedule outdoor activities before 10 am and after 2 pm.
Wear lightweight, loose fitting clothing.
Wear sunscreen!
Stay hydrated – increase your water intake. Sports drinks help but alternate them with water.
Don’t forget our furry friends. Make sure they have access to clean water and be careful of the concrete as it can burn their paw pads.
And lastly, try to stay indoors in the air conditioning as much as possible.
May 14, 2024, Meeting Recap
Teri Hrabovski with ONE Heart NOLA educated us on the work done by her organization.
The vision is to see children thriving in healthy, safe, and nurturing homes. As their website states, “Not everyone is called to be a foster parent, and that’s ok. You can help by donating so we can continue to provide some essential support for foster kids and their families.”
If you can help, please visit their website, and donate. All donations are tax deductible.
https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/OneHeartNOLAInc/general
JPSO
Many thanks and congratulations go out to JPSO Captain Frank Guttuso on his retirement! Captain Guttuso was present at most STCA meetings giving us crime statistics for our neighborhood, discussing any changes to laws, and answering questions from our members. Captain Guttuso, we will miss you! Enjoy your retirement.
Replacing Captain Guttuso will be JPSO Captain Andrew Walsdorf. Many of us are familiar with Captain Walsdorf as he has attended several of our meetings in the past. We welcome him and look forward to working with him in the future.
Legislative Update
Here is the process outlined at our May meeting on how to research bills:
To begin your research, go to https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Home.aspx
Click on “Bills”
From the drop-down menu, choose 2024 Regular Session if it is a current bill. You can also search bills from past sessions.
You can then choose the type of bill you are researching from the drop-down menu. SB=Senate Bill, HB=House Bill. You can also add the bill number if you have it. If you do not have the number, you can search by committee (agriculture, transportation, etc.).
Bills mentioned at the meeting: SB 456 (governor to appoint every board and commission member; HB 800 (constitutional convention).
If you would like to send comments either in support of a bill or in opposition to a bill, it is important that the email be directed to the appropriate committee rather than the general legislature. You can find committee contact information on the website by clicking on the “Committee” tab.
Neighborhood News
New playground equipment has been installed in the Little Jefferson Playground located at the corner of Jefferson Highway and Jefferson Park Avenue. It looks great and we hope that the children in our neighborhood will enjoy it! Many thanks to Councilman Deano Bonano for securing the funding for this project.
We have a neighbor, Patrick, a student at St. Catherine of Sienna, who is a candidate for Eagle Scout. Eagle is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America program. It requires earning at least 21 merit badges. “The Eagle Scout must demonstrate Scout Spirit, an ideal attitude based upon the Scout Oath and Law, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages.” For Patrick’s service project he will be building a Lending Library at Little Jefferson Park. Patrick needs volunteers to monitor and collect/exchange books once it is built. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact a STCA Board Member and we can put you in contact with Patrick.
Our STCA Beautification Committee, headed by Chappie Eppling, has met with the Jefferson Parish Capital Improvements Committee, and laid out a plan for additional trees to be planted in our neighborhood. We lost trees at Little Jefferson Park, and this is an area targeted for new plantings. There are also improvements slated for Jefferson Playground. Those discussed were more trees planted along River Road, the addition of Pickleball Courts, resurfacing of the track, possibly an area designated as a dog park, as well as other improvements. Again, we thank Chappie for his work and our Councilman Deano Bonano for securing funding for these projects.
Membership fees for 2024 are now due.
Individual Membership: $15.00/year
Household Membership: $30.00/year
Please renew your membership at our meeting by seeing either our Treasurer, Rhonda Gauthier, or our Secretary, Kim Catalano at the welcome table or visit our website and renew online.
Online payments are payable through PayPal.
When you are at our meeting, please visit our Advisory Board Member Suzanne Falgout to purchase 50-50 tickets. This helps add to our treasury and you could win money!
July Meeting
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, 9, 2024, at the Pink House (Thomas C. Laughlin Building) located at 4518 Jefferson Hwy. We are using this building until further notice.
The doors open at 6:30 pm and we will start promptly at 7:00 pm.
Our Guest Speakers – July 9, 2024
Representatives from the Jefferson Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness will present tips on Hurricane Preparedness. Please come and get advice from the experts on how to keep our homes, families, and pets safe in the event of a hurricane.
Councilman Deano Bonano will give us updates from the Jefferson Parish Homeless Commission.
Margaret Ether, Advocate Recruiter for CASA Jefferson
Refreshments – July 9, 2024
Refreshments for our next meeting will be ice cream, brownies, and bottled water. Our refreshments are provided by our STCA Hospitality Committee. We thank Jeanie Knesel and Kristy Reeser for their work in providing us with a sweet treat at our meetings.
Upcoming Events
Please put our next meeting on your calendar, September 10, 2024.
In addition, our annual Night Out Against Crime is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2024, from 6pm to 8pm at the Pink House (Thomas C. Laughlin Building) located at 4518 Jefferson Hwy. Please mark this on your calendars. Plan to come out and have a hot dog and snowball while listening to music and visiting with your neighbors, JPSO and STCA members.
We thank you all for your support. Your Suburban Terrace Civic Association would not be in existence without a team effort by our STCA Advisory Board Members. We live and work in this neighborhood right alongside all of you. Let us know where we can help. We do what we do on a volunteer basis to help preserve our neighborhood and make sure that it is a place we are proud to call home.
Hope to see you at the meeting!
Judy Wolf
STCA Advisory Board Member