Happy Spring! The flowers are starting to bloom, and the pollen is in the air. Oh joy! Beautiful and annoying all at the same time. I hope everyone has tissues handy!
January 2023 Meeting Recap
Ms. Emily Erata with Ochsner Health System spoke at our meeting and informed us of the expansion plans for Ochsner. The new Neuroscience Center will be built on the North side of Jefferson Hwy. across from the newest West Tower and behind the Imaging Center. This will be a full-service neuroscience center for research. It will also provide services for all aspects of those experiencing neurological disorders including services for the caretakers of those affected by the disorders. This will be the only facility to offer Neuroscience research and treatment anywhere between Atlanta and Houston. This will be an asset to our community.
Ochsner Clearview, on the site of the old Sears building, has opened and started receiving patients. This facility offers all outpatient services. This will take some pressure off the main campus location.
Farmer’s Market subsidized by Ochsner. This market was located on the South side of Jefferson Hwy near Maine St. in the parking lot of the Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital. There are no plans to resume the market currently. Emily will check to see if this is something that can be added to Ochsner’s plans for the future.
Neighborhood News
Finally! The gas station/tire shop at the corner of Jefferson Hwy. and Causeway is gone! STCA President Lisa Loup mentioned at our Advisory Board meeting that this business has been cited for violations since 2004. Thanks to our Councilman, Deano Bonano and the Suburban Terrace Civic Association for being relentless in the pursuit of maintaining our neighborhood. There is a lot left for us to do, but we push on! The next property in our sights is the former mail order pharmacy/restaurant located at the corner of Jefferson Park Ave. and Jefferson Hwy. It is owned by the same man who owns the now demolished gas station/tire shop and the now demolished car wash next to the Shell station at Newman and Jefferson Hwy. We will keep you up to date on our progress.
Our “Welcome” sign is now up on the median at Jefferson Park Ave. and Jefferson Hwy. It is surrounded by a garden of annuals and perennials. It is a beautiful addition to the median. We are working on reducing the number of signs at this location. There are currently two signs stating traffic pattern flow and truck size limit. Chappy Eppling, STCA Beautification Committee Chairman, is working with Brian Parks of Jefferson Parish to see how this can be accomplished.
The lights have been installed on the median at Dodge Ave. Chappy has informed us that Jefferson Parish is waiting for an electrical meter to be installed. Once that happens, the lights will be on! The parish has not given a timeline as to when this will happen, but we will continue to monitor progress.
Funds are not currently available to replace the playground equipment at The Little Jefferson Playground on the corner of Jefferson Park Ave. and Jefferson Hwy. We will continue to request this equipment and do our best and get this funded.
Cement pads have been poured for the benches at the park on the corner of Isabel St. and Gelpi Ave. New benches are on order and should arrive soon.
STCA Advisory Board Member Suzanne Falgout is pressing on with her project to improve the sidewalks along Jefferson Hwy. This is an important project since the walkability of our community is important to so many. There are a mix of parish and state agencies involved in the maintenance of these sidewalks. Suzanne continues to work on unravelling the red tape. She has recently been in touch with NikoleTomba, Senior Assistant Parish Attorney for Jefferson Parish and Mark Drewes, Director of Public Works for Jefferson Parish. This is a major undertaking, and we thank Suzanne for her willingness to take this on. We’ll keep you updated on her progress.
Membership News
Our STCA Secretary, Kim Catalano sent our 452 membership post cards last month. If your neighbors are not members, please urge them to join. Invite them to our next meeting where they can pay our STCA Treasurer, Rhonda Gauthier. Or they can join online at: https://suburbanterrace.org/ Single membership is $10.00/year and family membership is $20.00/year. Dues can be paid by cash, check or PayPal.
A reminder! Suburban Terrace Civic Association has a new Facebook page! Please search for us on FB at Suburban Terrace Civic Association (STCA). Ask to join and invite your neighbors. The page will be a great way to keep you up to date on all the happenings in the neighborhood! We thank Charles Jarreau, STCA Vice-President, for monitoring and maintaining the information on the page.
March 2023 Meeting
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, 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 will be:
Chris and Ashley Genard with Genard Developers.
Chris and Ashley have purchased the buildings on Shrewsbury Ave. and Jefferson Hwy. (the site of the now shuttered pawn shop and the motel housed behind it). They are coming to share their plans for the site. They presented their plan to the STCA Advisory Board in the fall and they are very excited about transforming this property into businesses that will be welcomed into our neighborhood. Please come and listen to their presentation.
We’re adding a little something new to our meetings! We’re calling it – STCA Small Business Spotlight. We’ll feature a small business in our community at each meeting. A representative from that business will take a few minutes to tell us about their business and what they offer. These businesses add a lot to our community. Let’s learn more about them and offer them our support.
STCA Small Business Spotlight for March 2023:
Woodie’s Grill and Bar
3741 Jefferson Highway
Jefferson, LA 70121
(504) 814-9418
Refreshments for our next meeting will be St. Patrick’s Day cookies and punch provided by our Hospitality Committee. We thank Jeanie Knesel, Kristy Reeser and Max Summerville for their work in providing not only our refreshments but lots of smiles and happy greetings to all our members.
Your Suburban Terrace Civic Association would not be in existence without a team effort by our STCA Advisory Board Members. 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. We are effective in our undertakings due to the leadership of our STCA President, Lisa Loup. Please thank her at our next meeting for her tireless efforts. We couldn’t do it without her!
Hope to see you at the meeting!
Judy Wolf
STCA Advisory Board Member