Pearl River aldermen say 'No' to video bingoy Anne Lautzenheiser
St. Tammany News

A controversial video bingo proposal died with nary a whimper Tuesday, as the Pearl River Board of Aldermen voted 3-1 against the plan, with one abstention.

Bernie Brennan of Regional Gaming Inc. approached the council last month with his plans to turn the former Po Boys restaurant on Louisiana Highway 41 into a combination bingo hall, with live bingo on one side and video bingo on the other. The company then would partner with six local nonprofit organizations, which provide staff support and share in a portion of the proceeds.

A July 29 public hearing on the plan brought out more than three dozen residents, and a short survey conducted that evening showed mixed feelings, with 15 people saying they were against it and 11 for it.

A few others were undecided.

Tuesday’s vote showed Aldermen Virgil Phillips and Jay Scroggins and Alderwoman Ruby Gauley opposed to the project, although not necessarily for the same reasons.

“I’ve met with the people that are going to do it, and their plans look good,” said Phillips. “I just don’t think this is right for the town.”

Alderman David McQueen was in favor, saying that although he is not “100 percent sold,” he thinks the project would be of great help to area nonprofits. Alderwoman Marie Crowe abstained from voting.

In other business, Todd Dean, owner of Dean’s Body Shop, appeared before the board trying to get some answers as to why his occupational license renewal was turned down.

Dean has operated the body shop at 64286 La. 41 for nearly 10 years.

He also leases the property to Chris Gable of St. Tammany Collision, who has been cited twice by the Pearl River Police Department for violating a zoning ordinance.

The area is zoned for B-2 commercial use, and garages or car lots may be operated under a special use permit granted by the Board of Adjustments. However, Gable has apparently also conducted industrial painting and sandblasting at the site, working on cranes and other heavy equipment. In addition, these activities were reportedly taking place at all hours, sometimes as early as 4:30 in the morning.

What exactly this has to do with Dean remains unclear.

“I’m just trying to renew the same license I’ve had for several years now,” he said. “I usually copy it word for word from the previous year’s application, but for some reason they couldn’t provide it for me this year, so I just filled it out from memory.”

The argument appears to center on the word “movables,” which Dean said may not have been listed on his previous applications. While the board was hesitant to take a vote on the permit, Dean plans to fight to renew his application, although he is unsure as to what avenues he may be required to take in order to do so.

Also during the meeting, a preliminary approval was granted to Wanda Bourgeois to open a sports bar and game room, and resident Jacques Lauer submitted a formal public records request.