St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis has added a new wrinkle to the entertainment district he would like to see constructed southeast of Slidell along the lakefront.

On Tuesday, Davis said he has been in talks with Ron Foreman, executive director of the Audubon Institute, about bringing in an educational museum, an animal habitat and research facilities to the district.

In December, Davis said he was looking at using lakefront property owned by developer Robert Torres east of Interstate 10 and south of Slidell to build an entertainment district that would include hotels, restaurants, shops and a casino boat. The latter amenity has caused some controversy in the parish, and Davis said talking with the Audubon Institute is another exploration of what could go into the district. “We’re trying to see what other amenities we can offer,” Davis said.

The Audubon Institute, based in New Orleans, operates nine facilities that include Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, the Aquarium of the Americas, the Audubon Insectarium, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, the Audubon Species Survival Center, the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, and the Entergy IMAX Theatre.

Davis said the inclusion of the Audubon Institute would be beneficial for the proposed project. He said Foreman told him 2.5 million visitors visit the institute’s facilities annually, and having an Audubon Institute facility on the Northshore would draw people to the entertainment district.

He pointed out the institute built the Woldenberg Riverfront Park that transformed the riverfront in downtown New Orleans into a popular facility.

“They could do the same thing for the lakefront,” Davis said. “We don’t have anything like that here, and we should develop the lakefront.”

He added that currently the Audubon Institute is working on a similar project to transform the lakefront in Jefferson Parish and the riverfront in Baton Rouge.

Davis said Foreman is “very excited” about the possibility of building a facility in St. Tammany.

“They would make a great partner for us,” Davis said.

When news of the entertainment district was first revealed in early January, it was received with a lot of skepticism in the parish. The biggest objection by people was the suggestion of a riverboat casino. St. Tammany residents voted down any form of gambling in the parish 10 years ago. One of the hills Davis would have to climb would be a parishwide vote to allow a casino.

Davis said the casino idea is not the centerpiece of the district, just one factor that would attract visitors to the lakefront.

He envisions the district as a venue for world-class entertainment and said the casino would be needed to draw visitors. He said the area is perfect because of the I-10 exit at Oak Harbor Drive, which extends all the way to the lake on the east side of the I-10.

Davis said the possibility of having the Audubon Institute join the project would make the district more family-oriented.

One of Davis’ reasons for proposing the district is to relieve homeowners from high property taxes. He said the revenue generated from the district would offset property taxes that could be lowered. On Tuesday, he added another reason for the district: to generate jobs.

Davis said he spent the past week in Washington D.C. talking to leaders about the current sag in the economy.

Though St. Tammany has not seen the worst of the current recession, he thinks there may be some rough days ahead, and having an entertainment district would provide construction and permanent jobs, he said.

“We’re trying to do all we can to stimulate our local economy, “ Davis said.

Davis said he is still getting “mixed” reaction on his proposal, but he wants residents to hold their opinions until an economic impact study on the project is released in two weeks.

“After we look at the study, we’ll look at where we can go from there,” Davis said.