* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. GOOD MORNING, [00:00:01] EVERYONE. MORNING. GOOD [Nicolle Blvd Bike Path Grounbreaking Ceremony] MORNING. IT'S, UH, HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO, UH, WHO LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY, A PART OF THE ASSOCIATION. AND, UH, WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU ALL DO. UH, IN THIS COMMUNITY, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE LEADERS WITHIN COMMUNITIES BECAUSE THEY CAN INFORM US OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS BETTER. UH, TODAY WE ARE HERE TO DO THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR A BIKE PATH THAT'S FOREIGN AND COMING, BUT WE ARE HERE, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE BICYCLING, HEALTH AND WELLNESS ALL GO TOGETHER. AND SO TO HAVE A STRETCH OF 2.5 MILES WHERE, UH, WHERE WE CAN RIDE BICYCLES AND ENJOY OURSELVES AND, AND GET THE BEST OF QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH THAT MEASURE IS A WONDERFUL THING. SO BEFORE I GO TOO FAR, I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR TWO WONDERFUL LADIES TO COME UP. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A JOINT PLEASURE OF ALLEGIANCE. ALLEGIANCE. Y'ALL COME ON UP. WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. THERE WE PLEDGE. PLEDGE ALLEG TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC ONE NATION UNDER GOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, THIS AGAIN, IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, PERHAPS LONG OVERDUE. WE KNOW IN JEFFERSON PARISH WE'RE DOING AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO INCLUDE, UH, BIKE PADS WHEREVER POSSIBLE. AND SO TO BE HERE ON THIS DAY, IT'S A WONDERFUL THING BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING THIS DONE. LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIKE PAD THAT'S GOING TO BE 12 FEET WIDE, AND ONE, UH, THAT'S GOING TO BE 2.5 MILES. AND SO THE, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MULT FOR MANY PEOPLE WHO RIDE THEIR BICYCLES TO BE ABLE TO DO SO AT THE SAME TIME WILL OCCUR. THE COST OF THIS PROJECT IS $4,000,070. THAT'S 4 MILLION, $70. SO THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT. THIS WAS STU, THIS WAS STARTED DURING MIKE GUINEA'S ADMINISTRATION, AND WE THANK HIM FOR WHAT HE DID, AND WE THANK HIM, UH, FOR, UH, HAVING THE VISION ALONG WITH WORKING WITH THE FOLKS IN THIS COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO , THANK YOU. BUT ALSO, UH, LIKE TO GIVE THANKS TO, UH, OUR CURRENT, UH, PARISH PRESIDENT CYNTHIA LEE SHINGLE COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY. UH, AS WELL AS FOR, UH, THOSE IN THE LEGISLATURE WHO MADE SURE THAT THIS PROJECT, UH, PROCESS AND PROJECT CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD. AS I SAID, THE PARISH PRESIDENT CANNOT BE HERE TODAY, BUT I HAVE, UH, A GREAT STAND IN FOR HER, ANGELA DESOTO. SO ANGELA, IF YOU COME UP AND SHARE SOME WORDS WITH US ON BEHALF OF THE ADMINISTRATION, . THANK YOU, BYRON. I, I WAS, I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS SPEAKING TODAY. SO Y'ALL GOT, YOU NOW HAVE A COMPLETELY AD LIB SPEECH. SO AS, AS THE COUNCILMAN SAID, THIS IS A LITTLE OVER $4 MILLION PROJECT, A LITTLE OVER TWO MILES OF A BIKE PATH. UM, IT WILL CONNECT THE, A, THE PLAYGROUND, AVONDALE PLAYGROUND BEHIND US WITH THE INDUSTRIAL PARK, WHICH HAS BOTH PATRICK GAFF, TAYLOR, AND DELGADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE AS PART OF IT. SO WHAT WE'RE HOPING WE WILL SEE IS THE, UH, COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE GROW AS A RESULTED OF THIS, UH, THE BIKE PATH WILL BE SEPARATED FROM THE ROADWAY. SO WHEN YOU DROVE UP, YOU SAW THE BLACK FENCE CALLED SALT FENCE. THAT'S SEPARATING THE CONSTRUCTION FROM EVERYTHING ELSE. SO IT'S GONNA BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CANAL. THERE'LL BE TWO BRIDGES CROSSING BOTH OF THE, UH, THE MAJOR CANALS TO GET FROM HERE TO THERE. AND IT WILL TIE INTO LAPALCO. SO WE'RE RUNNING BASICALLY THE ENTIRETY OF, UH, NICOLE BOULEVARD. IT ALSO ULTIMATELY WILL HAVE ITS OWN LIGHTS, ENERGY. UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH ENERGY NOW TO HAVE NEW LIGHTS INSTALLED ON THE TIMBER POLES ADJACENT TO THE PATH, [00:05:01] AND ALSO TO IN, UH, PUT IN NEW POLES IN THE AREA THAT DOES NOT HAVE THEM CURRENTLY. SO ULTIMATELY IT, UH, SHOULD BE AND WILL BE AN INCREDIBLE AMENITY FOR THIS AREA. WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO SEE IT MOVING FORWARD. UM, WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO BYRON. OKAY. GOOD JOB. DIDN'T SOUND ADLIB TO ME. . UH, I'D LIKE TO, UH, NOW TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR CONTRACTOR CYCLE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY FOR ALL THAT THEY'VE DONE, THUS SAW AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS. WOULD ONE OF YOU ALL LIKE TO COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS, MAN, A FEW WORDS. WELL, WELL, HERE AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL. AND LET ME SAY, AS I ALWAYS WILL, I WANT TO THANK, UH, OUR GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT FOR ALL THE FINE WORK THEY DO, AS WELL AS, UH, RECREATIONS AND PARKWAYS. UH, BECAUSE WITHOUT THEM, WE CANNOT PUT ON THESE, THESE TYPE OF EVENTS, UH, THAT, UH, MAKE ALL OF US WHO, WHO REPRESENT THIS PARISH VERY PROUD. I LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY, HOWEVER, I SAY STATE REPRESENTATIVE KYLE GREEN IS HERE. KYLE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE SOME WORD WITH US? KYLE REPRESENTS THIS AREA IN THE LEGISLATURE. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. UM, KYLE GREEN STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 83 REPRESENTS THIS AREA AND THE LEGISLATURE. JUST WANNA THANK THE COUNCILMEN AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL AND THE PARISH GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR HARD WORK IN WORKING WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO WORKING TOGETHER TO INCREASE, TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR CITIZENS IN THIS AREA. UH, THIS IS JUST A DOWN PAYMENT ON THE THINGS THAT ARE TO COME IN THE FUTURE. I SPOKE WITH SENATOR PAT CONNICK, WHO REGRETFULLY CANNOT BE HERE TODAY BECAUSE HE'S TOURING WITH THE OTHER SENATORS FOR THE CAPITAL OUTLAY, UH, REQUEST FOR THE, UH, THE NATIONAL GUARD. BUT THANK YOU. YOU COULDN'T HAVE PICKED A BETTER DAY GOLF DAY TO HAVE THIS OUT HERE, . UM, HE'S A GOLFER, . UM, BUT I, I'M JUST EXCITED. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, IF WE ARE GOING TO, TO CONTINUE TO WORK, TO GROW JEFFERSON PARISH, IT'S GONNA HAPPEN RIGHT HERE IN DISTRICT 83, BECAUSE THIS IS THE ONLY AREA IN THE PARISH LEFT TO BUILD AND EXPAND. SO I THANK YOU EVERYONE, UH, AND WORKING TOGETHER TO, TO MOVE THE WEST BANK FORWARD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, KYLE. UH, WE, WE HAVE, UH, A LOT PLANNED FOR THIS COMMUNITY, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO US GETTING MANY THINGS DONE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. UH, I KNOW I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T SHOULDN'T SAY THIS BECAUSE I SHOULDN'T BE SAYING THIS AT A DIFFERENT MEETING, BUT WE ARE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS WITH IDEAL MARKET. YES. AND, UH, UH, JET COLE, ALONG WITH MY, MY OFFICE, HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER, UH, TO, UH, MOVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A GROCERY STORE DOWN HERE FORWARD. AND IDEAL MARKET SUBMITTED A, UH, LETTER OF INTENT TO WIN DIXIE. AND SO WE ARE JUST WAITING TO GET, UH, FIND, FIND OUT WHEN, UH, THE OTHER PARTY WIN DIXIE WHEN, OR THE RE REPRESENTATIVE OF WIN DIXIE SIGNED THE AGREEMENT. BUT THAT WILL BE THE FIRST STEP AMONGST MANY. AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, THE CALLS YOU'VE MADE, THE LETTERS YOU'VE WRITTEN, AND THE SUPPORT THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US, AS WELL AS, UH, MANY OTHERS. SO, THANK Y'ALL. I WANTED TO SAY THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, YOU GUYS DESERVE IT. AND, UH, SO WHENEVER THE NEXT MEETING, JUST LET ME KNOW. I'LL COME OUT AND I'LL TALK IN GREATER DETAIL. ABSOLUTELY. ALL RIGHT. SO WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ADO, LET'S THROW SOME DIRT, THREE, TWO, AND ONE. THERE WE GO. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.