St. Tammany Parish voters approved the St. Tammany Parish school district tax to be renewed. The tax renewal will bring $102 million to the school district. Voters were in favor of the four property taxes that total 42.72 mills.

The school district’s current budget is close to $453 million. The renewal of the property taxes will cover a big part of the district’s budget. The money will be spread between general school operations, employee salaries and student educational programs.

According to St. Tammany schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia, the taxes will go into effect starting in 2023 and will be collected for 10 years. The communities votes were as follows. For the first property tax, 54% of the residents voted yes for the 4.42 mills that would bring in around $10.52 million per year. The second property tax vote was yes for 55% of the residents. This tax is for 32.41 mills and would collect around $77.1 million annually. The third property tax would be at 3.14 mills and would collected around $7.4 million a year which 54% voted yes. The fourth property tax got 53% of the voters approved and will bring in around $6.5 million per year at 2.75 mills.

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St. Tammany Parish could see a new steakhouse at the proposed Camellia Bay Casino in Slidell. The restaurant will be opened by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and renowned chef John Folse.

Brees is confident in his partnership with chef John Folse who Brees describes as a “Louisiana culinary icon.” Folse not only is a chef but also does TV & radio work, a restaurant developer and the founder of the John Folse Culinary Institute.

Brees, who just retired from the Saints the past year supports the casino project. Not only will there be a casino resort but also a $35 million youth sports complex that will be funded by P2E the company that will bring the casino to Slidell. Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) is a development company based out of Los Angeles, California. The company will build the casino and operate it.

The Camellia Bay Casino plans to have a total of seven restaurants on site. The casino will be located in East St. Tammany Parish just outside of the city of Slidell. The $325 million project is described as a luxury resort and will also feature an Outdoor Amphitheater, resort-style pool & lazy river, a new dock & Marina, and a convention center.

The revenue and jobs from the casino would be an advantage for St. Tammany. The project is on hold until residents will vote on whether to reverse the 1996 vote to pan casinos in St. Tammany.

“I know that winning is about building the right team. Chef John Folse is a Louisiana culinary icon. And P2E has a proven track record of successfully building first-class resorts like I know Camellia Bay will be. That’s why I’m so excited to announce our collaboration on our first signature steakhouse. We want everyone to come and experience the exceptionally high standard we have for our food here in Southeast Louisiana, with an added touch of my personal history playing for a region I love so much,” said Drew Brees.

“In Louisiana, you can’t have a good time without great food. I am proud to be a part of this tremendous opportunity for St. Tammany Parish,” said Folse. “Together with the team at Camellia Bay, we will build a first class-restaurant that is worthy of the association with one of Louisiana’s Greatest of All-Time – Drew Brees. We hope voters in St. Tammany will vote yes so we can make this a reality.”

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The Tammany Trace Tunnel broke ground in June 2019 and is about to be completed. The $3.5 million project is being built by Hard Rock Construction. The project will solve the dangerous impediment for bicyclists, joggers and those who enjoy a walk along the Tammany Trace.

Tammany Trace is an asphalt trail that runs from Slidell to Covington, with trailheads near Slidell and in Lacombe, Mandeville, Abita Springs and Covington. It is mainly used for hiking, jogging and cycling. It was funded by federal money and opened its first part in 1994. It was included in the Rails-to-Trail’s Conservatory’s Hall of Fame in 2017.

The location where the trace crosses over La. 59 has been a dangerous intersection for cyclists and joggers. Located close to a mile north of I-12 there is a high volume of traffic there along with an S-curve that limits visibility.

The tunnel was slated to be completed in December says Chris Welty, public information officer for the state Department of Transportation and Development, but the weather will have to cooperate.

Hurricane Ida put a halt to the project when the trace was closed due to fallen debris. Workers have been working diligently to clear fallen trees and miscellaneous debris that fell on the 31-mile asphalt pathway during Ida. St. Tammany Parish government has still not announced a reopening date.

The project will take bicyclists and joggers through the tunnel under La. 59 and will also make the S-curve a little straighter for motorists. Those using the trace will now be able to move beneath La.59 at Emile Strain Road seamlessly. This marks the second tunnel on the trace. The first tunnel opened in 2002 and goes under Florida Street in Mandeville.

As far as the S-curve, it will be realigned and slightly shifted east. Motor traffic has already been routed along the new alignment on the slight curve making it safer for motorists.

As of right now, the tunnel and north approach slab is completed and the south approach slab is currently being constructed. New drainage and driveways are being installed for those that have been affected by the realignment.

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