Even after enduring two pesky hurricanes in 2008, Mayor Peter Gitz called last year a success.

The town finally secured the establishment of the parish’s newest and most state of the art library.

The branch, the first to be built in the parish in 20 years, is being spearheaded by the St. Tammany Parish Library and will become branch number 14 for the parish, including the business resource branch and the electronic resource center. It took several months to secure funding and complete the paperwork for the $5 million venture, but library officials signaled the green light in December, and now all that’s left is to hire an architect.

Renowned Dallas-based architect Denelle Wrightson, who is the designer of more than 100 projects nationwide, including libraries in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Shreveport, has emerged as the Library Board of Control’s design frontrunner, but the library board is also planning to hire a local architect to aid in the construction.

That shouldn’t be too difficult now that a special committee has whittled about a dozen qualified applicants into three, which will now go before the Library Board of Control for interviewing.

Securing the library is long overdue, Gitz said, acknowledging that was one of his goals for the year.

Talks between the town and the library were momentarily disrupted for some time thanks to a tag-team of hurricanes that brought heavy wind and high water to the seaside town.

Hurricane Ike, which skirted the state’s coast on its way to Texas, brought more than 7 feet of storm surge into the town, Gitz said, flooding several homes and businesses only a week after waters subsided from Hurricane Gustav. Since then, Gitz said those impacted by the storms have all recovered. Last year, Madisonville also saw the beginning of what is to become one of the costliest restoration efforts the parish has ever seen.

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum finished renovation work on the 170-year-old Tchefuncte River Lighthouse with a complete restoration of its exterior and interior paint. It also cleaned the glass surrounding the light chamber.

Gitz is pleased with the museum’s accomplishments and looks forward to this year when work will hopefully begin on restoring the coastline and the pier adjacent to the lighthouse.

Another project Gitz is looking forward to in 2009 includes securing about $1 million for the construction of a new bulkhead around the public boat launch.