It takes a community to make a master plan

What a difference two weeks can make. The last public meeting for the Slidell Master Plan was called off two weeks ago because nobody showed up to give their input on a plan to control the growth of Slidell for the next 20 years.

Realizing the importance of public opinion on the issue, Mayor Ben Morris rescheduled the meeting and said he would advertise the meeting more aggressively.

It worked. Wednesday evening, about 30 Slidell residents showed up to give their opinions and views on the important issue of land use.

It was a lively audience with lots of suggestions for recreation facilities, economic development, quality of life and housing.

Participants at the meeting were all in favor of many suggestions, the two most popular being the city needs more sidewalks for walking, and bike paths need to be built to connect the different sectors of the city and connect with the Tammany Trace.

The idea of going green and promoting smart growth was expanded with suggestions the city find more green space and develop a mass transit system to lessen the use of cars on the streets.

One of the consultants putting together the master plan introduced the concept of “walkability,” or easy access to stores, schools and parks.

Though residents at the meeting seemed reluctant to expand the healthcare industry in the city, an interesting suggestion was made that if the city does need a new hospital, it should be put in the Factory Outlet Mall that has lain dormant since Hurricane Katrina.

Another theme was preservation. Instead of tearing down old buildings, let’s find new uses for them, participants said, especially in Olde Towne, which is the heart of the city and a major tourist attraction.

Yes, there were a lot of ideas and opinions at the meeting. For those who think they have a better idea, they missed out by not attending. The consultants plan to use most of the ideas expressed at the meeting in their final draft of the master plan, which is to be presented to the City Council in late September.

If you disagree with the plan but didn’t participate, shame on you. Kudos to those residents who showed up because they realized how important this is to their lives and to the future of Slidell.