[00:00:03]
I WANNA WELCOME EVERYONE, UH, ON THIS SUNNY MORNING.
PROJECTS LIKE THIS ARE WHAT BRING US TOGETHER, FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTING.
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS TO ME THAT MAKE OUR COMMUNITY STRONGER AND, AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE THOSE BONDS THAT BRING US TOGETHER.
SO WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS PATH, THIS FIRST CAME OUT OF THE MASTER BIKE PLAN THAT WAS BEFORE ME.
A MASTER BIKE PLAN WAS LAID OUT ACROSS JEFFERSON PARISH.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS ENVISIONED IS A PATH DOWN BONNEVILLE.
SO REALLY THEN THE CHARGE BECAME CONNECT ALL THE WAY FROM METTIE ROAD TO THE LAKE.
GIVE US THAT PATH, THAT CONNECTION.
IT IS A 2.5 MILE, UH, PEDESTRIAN PATH THAT WILL MEANDER ON THE NEUTRAL GROUND AROUND THE TREES BECAUSE OUR SCHOOLS ARE ALL STARTING THEIR NEW SCHOOL YEAR.
WE DECIDE IT, WE'LL START DOWN AT THE LAKE, END OF THE PATH AND THEN COME TOWARD ST.
SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO INTERRUPT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
THIS PROJECT COMING TO LIFE, IT'S NOT CHEAP.
IT IS A $3.2 MILLION PROJECT, BUT WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SOME PARTNERS WHO HELPED US GET A $1.4 MILLION AWARD FROM THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FLEX FUND.
IT'S A REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM, AND THAT REALLY HELPED US BRING THIS TO LIFE.
IT WILL BE A SIX FOOT WIDE PATH THAT WILL MEANDER AROUND THE OAK TREES.
THERE WILL BE SOME NON-NATIVE SPECIES THAT WILL BE REMOVED.
THE LIVE OAKS WILL NOT BE TOUCHED.
HOWEVER, YOU MAY SEE SOME PRUNING AND TRIMMING.
THE PROJECT IS GOING TO GO, UH, LAST ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS.
YOU WILL SEE THE WOODEN STAKES, UH, ALONG THE, ALONG THE NUTRI GROUND, ALONG THE MEDIAN.
AND THAT IS THE LAYOUT OF THE ULTIMATE PATH AT THE MAJOR THOROUGH AFFAIRS, UH, WEST S GRENADE AND AT VETERANS.
AND AT THE, UM, I 10, THERE WILL BE PROTECTED CROSSWALKS.
LET'S GRAB A SHOVEL AND MARK THIS MOMENT.