City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening and welcome to tonight's council meeting. This meeting this meat. Oh, we got Well, looks like we're going to table this check.

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[Music] test. Test. It's on. Test test test. [Music] Check. One, two. We're going to try this one more time and I apologize for the inconvenience. Welcome to tonight's council meeting. This meeting is hereby called to order. Um I need a roll call, please.

Councilman Lewis here. Councilman Bushnell here. Councilman Roberts here. Councilman Enen here. Councilman Burrell here. Councilman Bodzford here. Councilman Barrett

here. Would you all please rise for a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance? And would Stephen Michelle please lead us in the pledge of allegiance of America and to the stands one nationice for all. We have this evening two appearers. The first appearer is Mr. Steven Michelle. He's president of the Never Forget Foundation, Never Forget 5K. Thank you for having me. Uh, first I'd like to apologize for being in uniform. Kind of double duty tonight. Um, so started uh the Never Forget uh Louisiana Foundation started back in 2022. Um, we put on a 5K race um each year. Uh, a little bit about Never Forget, we kind of when we first started, we piggybacked off of Tunnel of the Towers. Uh to give you a quick explanation, uh tunnel of towers, it was based off of a New York firefighter. After the planes hit the the Twin Towers, uh he decided he was off duty, got in his car and tried to uh get back to work to go help out his fellow firefighters. Um when was going through the Brooklyn Tunnel, uh because of traffic, got stuck in in the tunnel. uh got out, put his fire gear on, and he ran from the tunnel, the Brooklyn tunnel, all the way to the towers. Helped some people out and eventually uh the towers came down and

killed him inside. Uh family want to keep his name alive started Tunnel Towers Foundation. Um now it is like a billion dollar foundation. Um but they go in when a first responder is killed in a line of duty and they come in and they pay their mortgage off so the family doesn't have that burden. Um in St. Tammy Parish alone uh Vinnie Leberto Jason Seals from Slidel they uh they have the family has been able to get some benefits from Donald in that fashion. Um so the the 5K keeps keeps growing each year. It's amazing of the the turnout that that we do have um each year. They we're lucky enough to where they are some amazing years that were able to help. Um and uh the late uh Chief Locker even um suggested to me before he passed, you know, he goes, "Let's try and change it to where it's benefiting a lot of local uh first responders." So our whole foundation changed our view and so now we write checks to local St. Tony Parish residents that either the first responder was killed in line of duty. Uh this Saturday is the race. It's um starts off at 8:00 a.m. and it uh the we have a onem run that starts at 9 and like just last year we had 423 runner streets. Uh this year we're going to be well over 500 runners. Uh, so it it's just an amazing the businesses in downtown are starting to want to get involved as well. Um, a big shout out to Sarata with the cultural arts. Uh, she's a huge help to help, you know, make this happen. It is at the trail head. Um, and I thank you. I'm not going to keep y'all very much. We do have music and beer and we have firefighters will run in full

gear. Police officers will run full tactical gear. a kids obstacle course, firefighters obstacle course, but uh everybody's invited. Come show up, have a great time. Councilman Roberts will be our DJ, which good because if the communications goes down, he can fix it for us, you know. Uh thank you all for y'all. Thank you, sir. And thank you so much. Our next appear is Miss Barb Manton with Blue Line Solutions.

Good evening everybody. My name is Barb Man. I appreciate your time. Thank you, Council Mayor. Um, I'm just going to take a couple of minutes. I made notes so I'd talk quick because I have a lot to say in a short period of time. Um, Blue Line Solutions is a traffic safety company established in 2010 and we're located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but we actually work out of 12 states right now um, including Louisiana. And of course, this is my hometown and home state. So, it's important to me in that regard. I went out to um in Coington after meeting with Chief Frell and conducted fiveday speed studies and I believe each one of you should have the actual traffic survey and overview and these numbers basically no one is cited for anything less than or even monitored for less than 11 miles over the speed limit that's posted. And so those are designated in actually in the school zone. So if you'll look two and three. I've got in that um list, you have the schools, you have your traffic volume in the mornings and the AM, and then your number of speeders for each one of those schools in that location. Then you'll have your pres percentage of speeders. Then we go to the afternoon um school hours with your traffic volume, the actual speeders that are going 11 plus miles over the speed limit, and then the percentage of speeders. So, some of the schools, which you'll see in the yellow, are kind of substantial. Some of them are not very um high and they're not a problem. So, right now, I'm actually doing fiveday speed studies on the state highways as well. I'm doing that for Coington High, Coington Elementary, and Lion Elementary. Um DOTD is very slow, so I wanted to go ahead and get the city streets first and getting permits. um if

you ever decide you're going to go in that um direction. What makes Blue Line different is that we're a turnkey zero cost to the municipality. Um where our automated speed enforcement program features LAR speed detection, not radar, LAR, which is lasers and that technology during school zone times only. And Blue Line's automated enforcement program is an end toend program. So basically we collect the data in the beginning for five days. We actually look that's what you're looking at right now. Then we spend as long as it takes to educate the public and let them know what's going on, why and it's about safety of the kids and slowing people down in these school zones. After that and we gain the support, we want to be very transparent. We don't want anyone to drive through one of our school zones and not understand what automated enforcement and that program is then we do a 30 days warning where you actually the citations that are issued are only warnings for the public that's going 11 plus miles over the speed limit. Then when everyone knows we put it on social media we sent the flyers home to the children all the parents are aware then we actually began an enforcement um program that is continued to be collected so we can see the reduction in the speeders. It's a proven program. Um, we actually have 96 to 97% right now reduction in our school zones that we have throughout Louisiana. And I have that data. So, from the collection of the data, educating the public, placing the signage all within the state's um litigation. They basically set legislated by the state. So, we know exactly what we're supposed to do, how we're supposed to do it. Then what'll happen is if someone is um that passes the LAR cameras and they're

exceeding the 11 miles over the speed limit. What else? The camera will take a picture of the license plate and takes five pictures and then that is put through a true blue technology software that goes to Covington Park with the Coington Police Department. They have to look at and approve every single citation, every violation, and they decide whether it's accepted or and then their officer that's head of the program would actually issue the citation. It's a civil citation, not a criminal citation. So, Blue Line also would prepare any court packages for anyone that decided that they want a test um the actual citation. We put together the certification documents citations and evidence that everything that's needed for actually the court hearing. So, Blue Line Solutions and their automated speed enforcement program is basically a police force multiplier at zero cost to the city. So, while the police officers are out able to do proactive policing and able to go into other areas with speed enforcement, the cameras are actually working on behalf of the police department. Um, and it's of course no cost. The automat has proven to change people's behaviors and that's the whole point. We want them to slow down. We want the children to be safe. We want people to be safe in the school zones. And um when the school zones are safer, our kids are safer. And our vision is vision zero. It's zero crashes, zero injuries, and zero fatalities. And we like to be proactive rather than reactive after something bad happens. Um I've talked fast and put a lot of information out there, but I'm here to answer questions as well if you have any questions. Sir,

you said it's a a zero cost to the citizens of Cington. So, it's totally um paid for by the citations and the violators. So, is that it's 100% of the violation, whatever the the fine is, that goes directly to you or split with the city? No, it's split with the city and the city gets the majority and then they also the city would have to sign a um a cooperative endeavor agreement with the schools and they all the legislature um mandated that. So, so like if it's a 6040 split or 7035 what you know whatever it is then the portion that this would go to the uh a portion of that would go to the schools as well. Okay. Thank you.

And then the the little bit that we get over time would pay for the cameras and so that you also maintain the cameras. Correct. There's a problem. If a hurricane comes through, a storm comes through, somebody hits one, it's it's on us. We have to it's our equipment. We have to keep it running. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else?

No questions. But speak and appreciate her taking the time and digging deeper into much more data than we have in front of us today, but was just blown away that these numbers. The audience doesn't have it, but we've got several with 40% of speeders, 60% of speeders, 36% of speeders at 11 miles per hour over the speed limit in school zones. That's what's triggering it. I was just kind of blown away by that. I feel like this program would go handinand glove with our soldier roll program and we're covering I think I counted 11 schools had major violations or percentage of the violations. So we've got three officers on the street for speed enforcement put cameras in front of 11 school zones that just have our officers out in other locations. So just thought appreciate her coming. Thank you

and uh great data and look forward to learning more. And I think Mr. Lewis I'm just curious um how big are they? What do they look like? And how where do you guys usually mount them on existing poles or?

We have our own poles that basically DOTD and the and the national um highway traffic safety approves. It's a pole and it actually has a a camera on it. I got a picture and uh the picture and the solar or it's by AC and I can sit down and show you all that if you all decide to go there. But we also prepare and have all pay for all the signage because the state um regulates that you have to have by so many feet you have to have signs. We actually have four signs by the time you get to the camera, you know, so that if you get from the automated speed enforcement sign, then there's a sign that tells you, you know, what your speed should be. Then we have a radar feedback sign that's actually telling you how fast you're going. And then you actually'll get to the camera. So it's and now you also have to have the signage on the street where the school zone begins. So you know after the public is educated and everybody understands there's no reason after going through three of those signs you'd still be going 11 plus miles over the speed limit.

Anyone else? Yeah. Uh really quickly I do see private parochial and public schools on the list. So I'm assuming there would be quad driven de agreement with all that. Correct. And the second thing is you mentioned the uh cost would come out of the um fines or the fees. So my question to you is if we are and and I think that's wonderful. I'm not a fan of red light cameras and this that and the other but I do like the finite aspect of this only rule hours. Am I understanding that correctly? Yes. Prior meeting. Correct. And thank you for meeting with me by the way as well. And then um where I want to go with this is if we are working towards behavior modification and that seems to be the goal that then wouldn't there be fewer citations?

Correct. How does that work over time in terms of compensation for blue?

Well, the the the compensation might be and and this is what we're finding and that that my data has. You may have 700 speeders during the the data collection of the five days in the beginning. Then during those 30 days where you actually have the warnings, you may have 300 speeders. And then after that, it it's not a money maker, believe me. Then during the enforcement, you may only have 20 or 30 speeders. So, you're not going to make a lot of money. I mean, it's not about the money. It's about changing the behaviors of our drivers to make it safer. Um, and that's why an agreement would be a contract for several years because it would take us that much. I mean, one camera is $60,000. I mean, so, you know, it just it and the and of course, you know, the software and all of um the license plate readers that they get as well as those cameras. So, in case they have areas that they would, you know, high primaries they need it, that's where they would get those.

Okay. Thank you all. I appreciate you so much.

Thank you very much. All right. Moving on to our consent calendar. Our regular meeting minutes are August 5th, 2025. And that is followed by introduction of item number 2025-09-01, an ordinance of the city of Covington amending the official zoning map of the city of Covington to reszone lots 8 9 and 10 square 803 division of New Covington from RSL which is residential single family existing small lot to CN which is neighborhood commercial and providing for further matters in connection therewith. We also have tonight introduction of item number 2025-09-02, an ordinance of the city of Covington, the Covington code of ordinances, chapter 8, buildings and building regulations, chapter 102 vegetation, and appendix B all comprehensive zoning ordinance uh in 2010. That is followed by introduction-09-03 an ordinance of the city of Covington amending the Covington code of ordinum relations chapter 99 98 utilities and appendix B comprehensive zoning ordinance of 2010. We have also introduced item number 2025-09-04 and authorizing the mayor to sell on behalf of the city of Covington 09-05 is an ordinance of the city of Covington adopting the 2026 operating budget and the 5-year capital outlay 2026 through 23rd. I would note that that will actually be voted on at the November 4th, 2025 council meeting because there will be a council only workshop on September 25th workshop with city administration and department heads on October 23rd. And finally, introduction of item number 2025-0906, an ordinance of the city of Covington

setting compensation for the mayor of the city of Covington for the year will be voted on at the November 4th, 2025 council meeting. I need a motion to accept the consent calendar. So move. I need a second. Roll call, please. Councilman Lewis, yes. Councilman Bushnell, yes. Councilman Roberts, yes. Councilman Enman, yes. Yes. Council member, yes. Councilman Bodzford, yes. Council member Rhett,

yes. Under our regular agenda tonight, under unfinished business, items to be voted on, public hearing and action on item number 2025-07-02, an item number which was previously tabled at the August 5th, 2025 meeting. It is an ordinance amending the official zoning map of the city of Covington to reszone a parcel of property containing 5.11 acres in section 42-7-11 that is in the city of Covington and that is from CN again neighborhood commercial to CBD which is community business district. It is concerning zoning case number 25-06-04 ZC. Councilman Burrell, thank you. Uh, so the property, everyone probably be more familiar to her refer to it. It's the Annadell's property. Um, the planning zoning commission approved this requested change unanimously at their at their June meeting. And a familiar face in the audience, Mr. Pat Gallagher, is actually going to be the purchaser of the property and needs this zoning change to have it match what he wants to use the property for. Um, his plans are for a new restaurant as well as a fourbedroom bed and breakfast. And Mr. say anything else? Feel free to step up or not. So the neighborhood commercial zoning does not allow for we want to do the CBD zoning does.

And as we have speakers tonight, I'd like to remind everyone to give us your name and your address.

My name is Pat Gallagher, 26 Piper Lane, Mandeville, Louisiana. Uh thank you all very much for having me in tonight. Um my history with this property goes back uh to the 1990s and uh we had opened it as a restaurant and bed and breakfast as Annadel Plantation back then. I was involved in the project for about five years and then moved on to work for Roose Chris. But uh I always had a tremendous affinity for the property. Uh, it's it's special. There's nothing quite like it around here. And my wife and I were on vacation this summer and we got a call about it being available for purchase and uh she said, "Are you interested?" I said, "No, I don't want to I don't want to look at it." Well, I got a phone call in August and I went and looked at it. And I called my wife up after and I said, "Honey, I got to confess to you. I ran into an old girlfriend and she was looking good and flirting and batting her eyes at me and uh so she went and looked at it at at it the next day with me and uh we we've closed on the property and we would love to get it back into commerce in Covington. It's a it's a very special property with a lot of history behind it and uh would appreciate y'all's support on it. Well, I could tell you I would most uh likely be in favor of it even if you weren't involved, but with your involvement, um, heck yeah.

Thank you. Thank Thank you, sir. Thank Thank you very much. Is there any uh public comment? Is there any further council comment? Hearing none, I need a motion to close the public hearing. So move. I need a second. Second. I'd like a motion to adopt. So move. And I need a second. Second. Roll call, please. Councilman Bushnell, yes. Councilman Roberts, yes. Councilman Inman, yes. Councilman Barrell, yes. Councilman Bodford, yes. Councilman Barrett, yes. Councilman Lewis, yes.

Moving on to public hearing and action on item number 2025-08-01, an ordinance of the city of Covington declaring surplus equipment owned by the city of Coington. Councilman Roberts. Yes. Thank you, Council President. Um, so like we've done before, these are items that are are being surplus. They're going to go to a public auction. Everything from a Chevy Silverado to a generator to some IT equipment. Um, items the list can be found. I'm not sure when they host a public auction. Aaron, do you know how they do that? Okay. So, but anyway, these uh these items have to remove from our books uh legally and so this is the process we go in and ask for your support to do it.

Any uh further comment by council uh or administration? There any public comment? Hearing? None. I'd like a motion to close the public hearing. Motion to close. I need a second. Second. I need a motion to adopt. Motion to adopt. I'd like to second. Second. Roll call, please. Councilman Roberts, yes. Councilman Inman, yes. Council member Brell, yes. Councilman Bodsford, yes. Council member Berett, yes. Councilman Bushnell, yes. Public hearing and action on item number 2025-08-02, an ordinance of the 2025 operating and capital budget. Councilman Barrell.

So these are this is a simple budget amendment. We do these throughout the year. Um this one has a little bit of a twist because it changed slightly from what was in the agenda. So I'm going to read it quickly. Um but we are transferring $200,000 from the GMA drainage fund to the downtown drainage rehab construction project. We are transferring I'm sorry. That was what was original in the uh in the agenda. That one's not changing. This is what's changing. Um originally in the agenda was a public works sewer collection $160,326.60 um from utility infrastructure to downtown overlay sewer repairs. Engineering of $14,250 from downtown overlay sewer to sewer repairs. utility infrastructure uh transferring $68,99864 that was left over from a prior US190 lift station project uh transferring $72,882 to utility infrastructure that was left over from a river forest sewer project. The change is going to be $87,4416 from utility infrastructure to downtown overlay sewer repair, $14,12.50 from engineering to downtown overlay sewer repairs engineering utility infrastructure $68,99864 that was to utility infrastructure that's the change from the original agenda and then what remains the same from the original agenda there was a $1 million grant to the city for a boys and girls club facility we are still transferring that to the boys and girls club grantee

that's what I call progress sorry for stumbling through that one guys is there any uh administration comment?

Yes, since we seem to have a few guests with us here this evening, I would like to share that um the million dollars going to the Boys and Girls Club is from a state grant brought to us by our Northshore uh delegation, Senator McMath, Representative Mark Wright arranged and we're kind of like the conduit that flows through us. The Boys and Girls Club has also gotten a donation of property as well as an anonymous donor of 1.5 million. So hopefully they'll be uh at least breaking ground or getting close to that this fall. And uh a long time desire of our community to reestablish the Boys and Girls Club home in the West 30s neighborhood is uh is coming to fruition. Is there uh any public comment hearing? None. Or is there any further council comment? I need a motion to close the public hearing. So move.

I need a second. Second. And I'm going to make a motion as outlined by Councilman Burrell. I need a second. Second. Roll call, please. Councilman Inman, yes. Councilman Burrell, yes. Councilman Bodzford, yes. Councilman Barrett, yes. Councilman Lewis, yes. Councilman Bushnell, yes. Councilman Robert, yes.

Number 2025-08-03. An ordinance of the city of Covington amending the official zoning map of the city of Covington to reszone a parcel of property situated in square 36 Connelly addition to the city of Covington from CN neighborhood commercial to CR regional commercial and it provides for further matters in connection there with Councilman Bushnell.

Excuse me. Just a couple of side notes to this project. It's a full bay garage style repair shop already. Uh they're trying to make it an automotive repair shop. Is Mr. Fonk? Is he here? He's not here tonight. Uh CR, they have some other CR properties in the the block there, the city block. And also the size of the property would restrict a lot of the CR which is a little more aggressive commercial. So I have no issues with any issues uh from administration hearing. None. Is there any public comment? Is there any further council comment? I need a motion to close the public hearing. So move. I need a second. I need a motion to adopt. So move. I would really like a second.

Second. Roll call, please. Councilman Brell, yes. Councilman Bush Bodford, yes. Councilman Barrett, yes. Councilman Lewis, yes. Councilman Bushnell, yes. Councilman Roberts, yes. Councilman,

yes. Moving on, we have a U appeal of the approval by the city of Covington zoning commission of case number 25-07-02, conditional use for a conditional use permit for the proposed St. Tamony Parish Hospital parking garage in square 11. I would like to um very briefly just state forward uh or state and forward think. Uh there were two matters that were considered by the planning and zoning commission. There was an amended and restated site plan and an amended and restated use permit. The amended and restated site plan was approved that is not appealable to the city council and is not before us this evening. The amended and restated conditional use permit was approved. It is appealable and it has so been appealed. For context for the council's consideration, there are new items introduced within the appeals's reasonable extent and those matters before the council on appeal are limited to the amendments presented in the amended and restated application. That does include the skybridge relocation, the drainage plan, the right turn lane on westbound 11, the revised sign package, the revised screening to the parking garage, the amended traffic study, and city engineers report. Um, I would uh be mindful that those who have asked to speak presumably are speaking to ask the council to do something. And it somewhat surprises me sometimes that people come before us and don't me make a compelling argument, but they but they do say a few things. I would urge you to um to be

respectful and and some of Coington's finest are here and I do mean that with a compliment. So with that being said, we will move on that we have agreed there is one appellant this time uh Miss Carolyn Chasse who is represented by councel. I'm going to allow them to go first and then I will allow the um appel the hospital represented by Jeff Shane to to have some time combined times and this has been agreed to by the appellant and the appel they have a combined total of 30 minutes and they're going to have an opening and they're going to have a closing they can use as much or as little of that time as they wish and Councilman Roberts is going to assist me in keeping track. For the remainder of the speakers, we will follow our ordinance and our charter section 2-72 for audience participation. And I quote, "Audience participation and discussion of an agenda item requires recognition by the presiding of the council. Such discussion will be limited to five minutes per person. And to avoid repetition, groups interested in an agenda item should I think it is important to allow everyone to speak. And if you have filled out a card, you will so do. Councilman Roberts is going to keep track. If he raises his hand,

you have 30 seconds remaining. Um, and with that, may may we have just one point of clarity? When you say a combined 30 minutes, you mean that's the opening and closing per appell and correct? Everyone else has five minutes in accordance with the charter and our ordinance. I just wanted to make sure that it's not 30 minutes between the two in total or is it 30 minutes each? It is 30 minutes for the appellant and it is 30 minutes for the appell and they have an opening and a closing and how they wish to utilize that 30 minutes is totally on them. Thank you. I just wanted to just wanted to clarify

and it's a good good point, Council President. If they do not use all of the 30 minutes when they're opening, I will write down the time that they did use so they know how much time they have left for their closing. All right, we will begin with the appellant. Uh, Miss Chasse, Councilman Roberts, I might need your assistance to make sure we get this part of the system working. I don't know. I don't know how much help, but I will try. Pray this wouldn't occur just for time. And remember this. No. Did No. And as a reminder, it's housekeeping. We have to do it. We ask that everyone before they speak give their name and their address.

My name is Carolyn Chassie 10003 Southman. I would like to introduce Rick Schroeder who is representing the appellent.

Thank you. I don't see this on the screen anywhere. How do we get that? Check up Do you have that set where it shares the screen?

You might have to plug into it. It's got the HMI in.

There you go. actually go back.

Okay, got it. Hope this volume works. Okay, great. Thank you very much.

Uh, good evening. My name is Rick Schroeder. I live at 7 Truit Drive, uh, Coington, Louisiana, not in the city limits, up off of Lee Road. Um I I'm new to this group and a lot a lot of you and you won't find me on a website because I just well I was supposed to have retired from practicing law at the end of June. Um I practiced law for 37 years at Jones Walker not Jones himself um a law firm in New Orleans. Um where I headed it uh corporate compliance government investigations and white collar crime group for 20 years. Um, I I stopped a full-time practice of law, but took on a bunch of proono matters. Um, and a friend and colleague asked me just to look at the paperwork uh involved in this project in August. Um, I'm representing um citizens of of the city. Um, but I'm I'm doing so proono. And I just want you to know that I'm just here to give you facts um and my analysis of the law uh the code um uh transportation regulations um and what I saw. So we titled this, you know, garage or gridlock because this really is about traffic and this turning lane that's part of the amended cup that was just approved is supposed to relieve the traffic. Um but it's based on a traffic study. What I want to say, and this is not about opposing hospital expansion or denying the need for a parking garage at the hospital, denying the need for improved helport or opposing progress in any respect. Um, my wife was a nurse at the hospital for over 20 years. I have a relative who's employed at the hospital. I have a brother who's in the hospital right now. Um, we all love and depend on St. Tamley Parish Hospital. I just want to set that straight. What it is about is a traffic impact study that when I looked at it clearly

does not me meet and and I say clearly I use that word and I I know Mr. Veret told me yesterday he doesn't like that word when it's not appropriate but I use that word because in my opinion it's clearly does not meet code and does not meet industry standards. Uh we have a building height that does not meet code clearly and lacks a required variance if you want to go above 45 ft. um setbacks that do not meet code because the building height does not meet code and I we'll go through that. Um there are issues with process and transparency and I'm not giving you opinion. I'm just going to cite you your code articles that required certain steps to be taken before even that traffic study was taken that were not taken. Um and this is about saving lives. This is not just a parking garage in anywhere USA. This is a parking garage across the street from the entrance to the emergency room. And it's been said before because I looked at some of the hearings that took place in in connection with this um that minutes count in saving lives. And if a ambulance gets stuck in a in a traffic jam on Tyler um that that matters. A competent traffic impact study has always been required by your code. You have a very good code in that in my personal opinion in that respect. It's always been required. Covington code requires a traffic impact study. The Vector study does not meet that standard and it does not include the required traffic management plan. I'll I'll talk about that. DOTD um was not informed of the increased traffic generation accurately in my opinion. I met with DOTD representatives a few weeks ago, particularly at Tyler and 11, which is at an intersection that you we all know is already stressed where it narrows down to two lanes when you go from I12. Um they they were told in the application that there's no increase to traffic in

the vicinity and we'll talk about that. Um, common sense requires the traffic impact study. The Covington code requires a traffic impact study. In your appendix, I have the actual code for you to read. 40,000 or more usable speed of institutional space. Look at paragraph B. Including but not limited to. Including but not limited to. Um, this is institutional space. Um, we'll I'll talk about that in a little more detail in a second. Um, and and it's not commercial space. But you know what's interesting to think about is if this were a private garage where somebody was paying to get in and out, you'd clearly say, "Oh, that's commercial space." Well, how can the need for a traffic study turn on whether you have to pay to get in or out? Traffic doesn't know anything about that. Traffic is traffic. Um, this is institutional space. Paragraph two has never been talked about in any of the paperwork I've seen, but it applies. Parag paragraph two is a very excellent catchall that basically says if you're if this project is part of a larger concerted development in this case the whole hospital complex then you have to aggregate square footage of institutional space to decide whether even development of this project um um it will affect traffic. So under both paragraphs one and two, a traffic impact study has always been required by your code. And I think that frankly I think that that's why the hospital and the law and Jones cell law firm decided to conduct one. But the reasons given for not requiring the traffic impact study were simply incorrect. The code says 40,000 ft requires a traffic impact study. This parking garage is 204,900 square ft over 400 uh parking lots in it. Uh the applicant claims it's not institutional space with no citation to why they say that. It is it's zoned.

This parcel, this square is zoned IH. The I stands for institutional. When you look at your zone uh uh your zoning code, a space has to be something. It's residential, commercial, institutional. at list what it has to be. There's no nothing. This is institutional space. And if it was commercial, it would it would require um um a traffic impact study. As I said before, if somebody had to pay to park and why should that make a difference? It meets the standards for institutional space. It is a it is a required traffic study. The traffic study that was conducted was prepared for the hospital. Keep that in mind. It's like going to the bank and getting them, you know, you get an appraisal. The bank wants the appraisal. You can't go. It was prepared for the hospital. Um, it was not reviewed by DOTD. I'll tell you that in our meeting two weeks ago where I met with Dalton Williams, the head of want to talk about the report is written. You're going to hear that. Uh, yesterday I I received a phone call from uh attorney for the city who said, "Oh, there's a problem with the date in the report. Um, it it's a it's a mistake." But I'm not going to I'm going to talk about that in a little bit. But right now I'm going to talk about there's two traffic reports. One came out in January in the initial application and then it was a reissued amended report came out in May. Um both of those traffic reports throughout them referred to the date of data collection as November 11th 2024. Uh November 11th and I have that cited for you in this on this slide. Uh that's a Monday and it's uh Veterans Day. Traffic reports are never conducted on Monday and Friday. That's just not me talking. I I give you in your appendix the citations to that. Why? You you know why. And it's only a single day. Mo most state-of-the-art traffic reports today are three days analysis or

7-day analysis. But I will admit single day analysis is reckuses are closed on Veterans Day including a big traffic generator in Covington called the courthouse and all the litigants that go there and all the employees that go there and many state parish and other government offices are also closed in Covington and some of the stores closed. They take Monday off. Not all of them, but some of them. And banks are closed on on Monday. And that's particularly significant here because the square at question has a bank on the corner. Had a bank on the corner. Had a bank on the corner on the date that this traffic study was supposedly taken. DOT the industry standards make it clear observations shall be collected along the quarter stutter area on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday when schools are in session. and schools were in session on Veterans Day on that day. So, I I'll make that clear. And your TMC, your turning counts, all these things underly the data that allow VTUR to say what the level of service will be at the uh at the highway intersections after this building is built and they give grades to it. That intersection already has, if you look at the Vector report, failing grades at certain peak times. Increased traffic will will will exacerbate that problem. and can lead to what they a term that they use called um failure. You know, you could have a failure at that intersection, operational failure. Here it is again. Um Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So, the Vector study, if that date is correct, under seriously underestimates current traffic. It's a Monday. It's a federal holiday. The me bank was uh closed. And there's there's something that's concerning to me on page six of the vector report language which which states that their their account is

conservative. That means it's giving you a higher count than than would be normal because the the bank is there and they're going to um close and shut down and remove the bank. But if it was conducted on that day, then they should know that the bank was already closed. Similarly with the medical device company when they did the traffic study the medical device uh retail store on Tyler was already closed. I know that I got a hip replacement in October at auctioner last year. I I actually went there to try to get a walker for my rehab and uh it was closed. I had to go to over the highway 59 and that was in October a month before they took the data. So if the date is correct vectors use artificially low traffic counts the dubious date of data collection. So I I I'm told it oh it wasn't that Monday it was the 6th and and and that was basically a typo in the narrative but your this traffic study includes and it has to include by your traffic by your regulations in for what needs to be included in a traffic study and included in their accounts that they take you know to use and support their analysis generated pages that are attached to this traffic report. 20 pages of of data list November 11th, Monday, 2024 as the date of data collection. So if they made a typo or an error, they they did it 21 times in the report twice. They did it in J. That's concerning. The rest of the of of the of the pages in their report are or what called HCS data analysis. What that is is a computer program that runs it through and calculates LOS and other things. There's no data collection earning because if you go on the internet and look at other vectoral reports and we have one from they did in Mandeville, those HCS data sheets all include a date of data collections. So you've got data with no date and you've

got data with what they say is the wrong date. And and and as we stand here now, I haven't seen the new any new uh new data with with what they say is the correct date. So serious questions remain about the dates. Uh, and these are the questions and they're obvious. I don't have to go through them, but they need to be answered, but they do a they do look at the bottom question. It's important. What else is wrong and inaccurate in a study that includes such a critical mistake as to one of the most important facts that would be in a traffic study? When did you collect the data? On a Sunday? On Christmas Day? On what day of the week did you collect the data? That's not in your traffic report. If if this if this is an inaccurate date, it also underestimates and forget the date. You could they could be total mistake. They did do the the the uh study on the right day. It still seriously underestimates future traffic generation. It's across from the emergency room. There's 400 spaces. The the traffic increase will be enormous. They are,00 spaces in open lots. If you look at that diagram, if you're coming from I12 and you're going north, 1100 over, 1100 open lot stop uh spots right now, almost everyone will head to this garage. A fivestory garage connected to the hospital where you're not in the sun in the heat, where you're not in the rain, where maybe it's dark and it's at night, maybe you have an elderly person. For safety and convenience, everybody's going to try to go to to there. You're going to come from I2. you're going to go there and and I don't know the numbers and there is some subjectivity to this and and I I we'll all grant that there's some subject some subjectivity but I think comments that this hospital serves people not just in Covington but parish more than one parish and these

people are coming in from I2 and they're going up 21 right now they stop at the open lots but when they proceed another block to get into this the the garage. You generate traffic at at 11th and Tyler. Everybody, hundreds of cars a day going back and forth are going to go through that intersection. And if they go to take a right and try to get in that parking lot and find out that the 400 lots are already full, they're going to circle the block or go back through the intersection. You're about halfway through. You get

Thank you. Thank you for that. Um, so they're going to go back through the intersection. So clearly where there's this common misconception that parking garages on highways don't generate traffic. And the thinking there is that if you have an open lot, people aren't going just to park there. They're going to a store. And whether you build a garage or the open lot, there's still been a location of the highway. You're not it's not really a traffic generator. But you have to dig deeper in the analysis and and and this is all available on the internet. And if you have your favorite AI, go ahead and do it. It's amazing. And I can give you some printouts that I have. Traffic generation or trips. Where do they start? Where do they end? Yeah. Where do you enter the highway? Where do you leave the highway? Right now, everybody's leaving the highway at the open lots. Now, they're not going to leave the highway. This is what's called a diverted trip in in traffic generation parland. Now, you're going one block more. You're going through the intersection. That intersection is going to get stressed. that tour does not give any any number of cars coming there except employees. It did an analysis including some hospital employees will go there but no non employees and there's just a lot of non-employees from patients and visitors and vendors you know etc who who who are going to be entering that intersection. So also their study does not conform to section 4.6 six and I I included in the appendix, you can read it. Other items that are missing include uh a pre-study meeting with city planners before they did the study last November. Um I'm not aware of it. I haven't seen any evidence of a pre-study meeting. And it also their report is supposed to include and I quote summary of the assessments of affected citizen groups and neighborhood associations of the traffic and related impacts of the proposed use. There there was no public discourse of this before it was sprung on everybody in early

January, right after New Year's. What else is wrong? I'm going to get to this rather quickly. Um, height and setbacks. St. Tam claims the building is 50t tall technically, but actually the drawings show it's at 65. So they say it's an elevator penthouse that's exempt. That's what makes it go to 65. Go from 50, jump up to 65. an elevator penthouse. But this is not an elevator penthouse that that is on top. Excuse me. All occupied space counts. An elevator penthouse is a term of art used in architecture and and and these types of drawings and all. And it's an unoccupied mechanical space. Your code recognizes that. 2.2 of your code, words and phrases defined. It says, "No height limitation in this ordinance shall apply, but it exempts, excuse me, it should apply and it exempts elevator pen houses and similar structures not intended for human occupancy. When the elevator opens up onto the parking garage, it's no that's not an elevator penthouse. That's an occupied space where humans are expected to be, including the lobby outside it. An elevator penthouse would be the mechanical space above that. Maybe that's the top five feet. I can't tell from the drawings, but it certainly is not that whole 15 feet. Uh you've got a helport, you got people on that top thing. They have to get down. They go through a stairwell. They go through an elevator. That's part of the height of the building. So, it's not a 50-ft building. It's a 65- foot building. And so the setbacks have to be what a 65- foot building setbacks would be, which would be another, you know, 10 feet around. And that's the red area here that it would have to be. And and this is in addition to the PowerPoint that that you have, council, but Mr. Rome from Burgess Rome Architects has several

drawings here that would show what the setback should actually be. Um, not what they have it now. It probably would render what they're trying to do here impossible, but that's up to them. Um that would be the required setback. It's important not just for aesthetics. It's important because the f the the the footprint of this uh parking garage will limit the future widening of Tyler. If you want to put a middle lane in it, add another lane, etc. Right now, if you look at where the hospital is, how it extends towards Tyler, look at where the proposed building will will go. It's going to jut out further. Now you've you've you've curtailed yourself from future expansion. And here's the truth about height. And this is probably when it comes to this whole height issue and setback issue, the most important slide. And that is that their argument for why they can go higher than 45 ft is that it's an accessory to the hospital. And a hospital is can go higher than 45 ft and go as high as it wants as long as it does it contains the appropriate setback. And your code does say if if it's an accessory to a principal uh building or use, it then can go as high as that building. But this cannot be an accessory to the hospital because it's on a different parcel. The hospital is on a about a 17 acre parcel on on the south side of 11 street. This is its own parcel on the other side of 11 street. And if you read your own definition in your in your code in 2.2 too. Accessory building, a structure on the same parcel of property as the principal structure. And it even gives you an example, a garage that's used for purposes incidental to the principal structure. The only principal structure on this parcel is the little medical clinics you're going to build. Now, if they want to build a parking lot to serve the medical clinics, that's fine, but it's

subject to the 45 foot height in section 3.2 institutional IH. That's a 45 pipe. They can get a variance for that, but they have to go to the board of adjustments and get a variance. They did not do that. There's no variance here. So, there's no this is not uh unclear. This is not speculation or anything. Your your code does not allow this building to go above 45 ft without a barance. I would submit to you that a barren wouldn't be appropriate because it should only serve the principal building on the parcel which is a group of medical clinics. So I'm not here to to to to to argue you know where this garage could be. I I will send this plans to uh anyone and um and the planning and zoning board has not referenced your comprehensive 2030 plan how this fits in. Uh and the entire approval has is based in my opinion on a on a vector study that is that is not up to standard and on a misapprehension of your code ordinance. Um inaction will cause lives. the gridlock gridlock health and safety will be affected and also liability. Um you know when the lawsuits fly down the road and someone goes back and says yeah they built this hospital and and knew that that intersect didn't do appropriate traffic study had a wrong date in it or whatever. Um it's liability. It's liability for uh for the hospital and for the city. The solution is to grant the appeal. Require and it's simple. Require a a standard reliable traffic impact analysis. Ask DOTD to look at it. Limit the height to 45 ft per code and require legal setbacks. And I'll yield to my time.

Mr. Jeff Shane. documents to distribute. Let's see this. So, Mr. Roberts, I'll get a 15 minute mark. Yes, sir.

Okay. Thank you. That' be a red flag, I guess. Good evening. My name is Jeff Shane. I'm with the Jones Facel Law Firm and I have the pleasure of representing the Staint Tamony Health System. Uh, and we appreciate the opportunity to be for you this evening to discuss this project once again. Um I do not think it's necessary to go through the specifics um uh details of the garage that helped Rick when he was speaking and I expect the same when anyone else speaks and that doesn't matter on what side they're on. That is decorum that is really common courtesy and that's what we're going to do tonight. Please proceed.

Thank you Mr. Chair. Um, but what I do think is important tonight is to uh drop back and take a look at the process um as it relates to what your codes require, what the applicant has done, uh the feedback that we've gotten from the public at the public hearings, the findings of staff, the findings of your consultant, uh the findings of the zoning commission, and uh also of course the findings of this council. this council permit for this project and there'll be reasons that we will discuss in greater detail this evening as to why this matter comes back before you tonight. Um I think it's fair to say that I respectfully disagree with nearly all of the comments made by esteemed councel Mr. Schroeder this evening. I respect his comments and certainly respect the opposition. But to say that we have agreement on many things, many if any things that he stated would be an overstatement. I'm going to try to address those things, at least those that I think that are critical, and try to bring them to your attention and give you uh the reasons why we believe this project deserve the approval that it got by the zoning commission after the filing of our amended and restated uh application. Yes, the filing was on January 3 and since then I'm proud to say this case has gone to five public hearings here in this chamber and in each of those in this case moved forward with an approval based on a variety of reasons to the next body above in particular the handout that Mr. Schroeder and his team provided to all of us this evening being the slides that we watched

tonight. I'd like to make some comments in um connection with some of the particular points he's made. Uh our lives at risk. I don't believe the garage will put lives at risk. And what I've handed you this evening, if you'll go to the second page, you will see that it is the opinion of LA DOTD as of June of 2024 that in fact safety will be improved in this block of Tyler Street due to the removal of the existing businesses, the removal of the driveways that require movements northbound rights, uh, southbound left turns across oncoming coming traffic. So, LA DOTD believes that the development of the square without having ingress and egresses as have historically been the case actually improve safety uh in this location. Also, comments made hospital decide to get a traffic impact study. We hospital decide to get a traffic impact study. We knew from the beginning that we needed to know an answer and you needed to know an answer and the people of Covington needed to know an answer based off of a sophisticated study by an expert that is based on not only the law but industry standards to tell us would this parking garage work as it relates to traffic and safety. We determined that we needed a traffic impact study to evaluate if this was a sound economic uh investment by the hospital and would it in fact be fair to those that travel in the corridor and those uh that come to and from the hospital. I'm sorry, but I'm hearing that we did a study. So, if

you're going to do a study, wouldn't you go to the city and have a pre-study meeting with the city engineer? Even though she's not requiring the study, we did that. We sat at staff table in city hall and we asked Miss Baker to develop the scope of study that we should follow. She provided us that scope and from there we embarked on conducting a study resulting in the traffic impact study that has been tendered to the city reviewed by the city engineer. Interestingly, no one has suggested that the study is flawed. There has been lots of transparency as it relates to what we did and how we did it. And let me get now more into the details in that regard. If you look at um the letter that I have provided you this evening, interestingly after the Schroeder and others had with LOOTD last week when we heard about that meeting, we reached out to LA DOTD and they determined that the discussions with us would be handled by Mr. Joe Donahue who is the executive counsel for the state department. He is the former secretary of LA DOTD. I'm assuming he was assigned by someone at a high level to intervene and handle this matter. I was surprised but delighted because I knew that not only would I be getting commentary from the local district 62 in Hammond, but also this would in essence be coming from the state department, the secretar's department. And if you'll look at that letter, you can see that it very clearly states that a re-examination was done in the last few

weeks by DOTD resulting in a determination that no traffic impact study would be required, nor would it be reviewed by DOTD. And the essence of the reason for that finding is simply that they did not believe the parking garage would be a generator of new traffic. Oh, certainly there will be cars that come to the parking garage. But but we believe that those vehicles are already coming to the hospital and they will now have an additional opportunity or another place to park. So, we believe that our vetting of this issue, despite the lack of a requirement for a study by the city or the state, is prudent. It shows good business. It's transparent. We've shared that study. We've asked for commentary. And we've attempted to do the things that we think put the parking garage in the best position to not only meet code, but to function. to not only park cars for people coming to the hospital, but to make sure it does not further burden westbound traffic on 11th Avenue, Tyler Street. Things that all of us know are very critical issues. I will simply say that section 4.603 603 of your code clearly exempts a parking garage that is a service structure to the hospital from any requirement that a traffic impact study uh be accomplished. I don't want to take the time to go through each and every example previously cited, but suffice it to say that if we were building a structure that was going to be inhabited with employees, patients, service personnel,

etc., that makes it a traffic generator, and it would then be much more understandable why certain requirements might be in place. In this instance, we have nearly all of a city square, square 1110, that will now be utilized with an L-shaped fivestory 400 spade parking garage to service the hospital campus. I think that there is um just a significant difference of interpretation of your code between the opposition and ourselves. We do not believe that we fall into the any of the cate any any of the categories previously mentioned. But I would suggest to you we're noties previously mentioned. But I would suggest to you we're not the only ones that the only ones that feel that way. I think Miss Aji, I think Miss Carter, I think Mr. Rodrig, I think the zoning commission on two occasions and I think the city council on one occasion have already determined that a traffic impact study was not required. If not by specific finding, certainly as a result of discussion and debate such as we're having this evening. So to me, it's not a matter of just what the hospital thinks. It's a part of the system that we've gone through, the collaboration we've had with the bodies and the parties that we have dealt with. It is regrettable that Vector Consulting, our traffic consultant, made an error as it relates to reporting the date on which the traffic counts were

taken. No good excuse. But I will tell you that once you populate the wrong date in a report or a document, it will spread like wildfire. And that is why the date of Monday the 11th is throughout the report. Two things that I'd like to say in that regard and we'll move on. Number one, categorically the counts were not made on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11th. It's insulting to suggest that we in fact did that. It is not insulting to say that that's the date on the report because that was the date on the original report. But there's no traffic consultant, a PTOE, which is a professional traffic operations engineer. And that's what Mr. Lawrence Lambert, who's going to speak to you later this evening, he would not have conducted his his counts on that date. The date, in fact, that was selected to be the hallmark of the study was Wednesday, November 6th. And although it's disappointing that we uh misstated the date, once that was brought to our attention about three weeks ago, we immediately reported that to Miss Baker and we sent her phototric evidence. And you're going to see that tonight on your screen showing when the counts were made because you will see a time date on the film. And you will see that it was all done on Wednesday, uh September the 6th. and not I'm sorry November 6th of 2024 and not Monday Veterans Day November 11. Also, we believe that the proper data was collected, assimilated, reviewed, and studied. And the things that Mr. Lambert will show you this evening are all based on the heaviest traffic during

the heaviest hour during the heaviest period of the day. We did take the conservative approach because we wanted to make sure that we tested our system properly to suggest what the performance would be. And as you might imagine, in doing a traffic study, it's one thing to take counts, collect data, and render a report, but you also have a build factor, which means you then have to take the impacts of a 400 space parking garage after it's built and assign the number of vehicles and the movements at various times of the day and add that to the model to see if in fact the parking garage is going to function properly. I'm happy to report that categorically this parking garage will satisfactorily perform even after build based on the studies done by Mr. Lawrence's firm. I think it's important to note also that um the study was based uh in the bill condition with all four all 400 spaces being occupied not a partial occupancy. Certainly allowances were made in the report based on the number of parking spaces that are in the square today because when you're measuring it today we know that there's some parking in the square. But those factors were carefully taken into account to make sure that the results uh would not be skewed uh in any way as it relates to who's going to park in the garage and how will that impact traffic in the area. I think that some

of that is still an unknown. The one thing that is unknown is that the hospital has the absolute ability, legal right, but maybe more importantly an opportunity and a responsibility to monitor who goes into the garage and at what time of the day and what time they leave the garage. 15. Thank you. And what time they leave. And we will certainly be able to do that. My guess would be is that we may have to go through a full year and look at what happens at different times of the year because we may see different performance as it relates to use of the parking garage. But to think that the hospital is going to create a booby trap and suddenly allow a rush of vehicles at the peak hour and not only create confusion at the garage entrances on 12th Avenue and Harrison, but also interfere with what is already conflicting traffic in Tal Street. that would be counterproductive to our investment and our objective to turn to try to not only create an asset for the hospital but something that also is of benefit to the Talis Street Carter. So understand that we will be very careful and it's a very good opportunity that we will encourage and perhaps mandate many employees that work at the hospital on the 7:00 a.m. to 700 p.m. shift to park in the garage which means they'll be parked between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m. which is prior to peak and they will be exiting the hospital at approximately 7 to 7:30 in the evening. We also want to keep plenty of spaces available for the handicapped, the elderly, those that might have special needs that would be difficult for them to park in

more remote areas of the campus and access the facilities uh in our hospital. The garage itself is not a traffic generator. The cars that come to the garage presumably are all coming to the hospital anyway. And to the extent there is a concern that cars coming from the south will all crash the garage even if it's full, creating terrible nightmares, haven't all of us been to events before where there's signage that can be um remotely uh operated during the day to indicate if a parking garage is full. Perhaps there could be something if need be at 8th Avenue and Tyler that would tell traffic approaching the hospital if the garage had a limited occupancy and no occupancy. These are things that we know are available. It'll be things that we will learn. Yes, there'll be some trial and error, but we have a plan and we're confident that with the guidance of our professionals, we can make this garage very successful. With regard to heights and setbacks, we totally disagree with Mr. Schroeder's position and my law partner is going to speak later this evening, Katherine Mir, about uh the calculation of heights and setbacks. But to suff suffice it to say, we believe this is a service building on a freestanding square that meets the setbacks and height limitations of the city and that we have taken advantage of creating extra setback in order to achieve extra height. I would also emphasize that the city, as do I think all municipalities and parishes in our

state, must adhere to the international building code. And the 2024 international building code clearly states that elevator pen houses are ancillary spaces used to access elevators and stairways. So picture a small area on the top of the fifth floor which is an elevator shaft and the top of a stairwell that allow people to get to the roof. By the way, we have a helistop on this roof as you know and that is a critical component of this project to make sure that we can quickly, easily, and safely transport parents patients uh into the primary hospital across our skybridge which was relocated from the third to the fourth floor to connect to the hospital. And that relocation in and of itself precipitated a requirement that we file an amended and restated application and bring the matter back to the zoning commission. So why before you tonight? Why did we go back to the zoning commission? It was because of that primary change, but it also gave us an opportunity to make some other tweaks to the plan that eliminated any need for variances from the board of adjustment and allowed us to fill in any gaps that here to four might have been there. The Huh? Thank you. The location of the building as it relates to Tyler Street does not threaten the future widening of Tyler Street. Duplanis design group, our civil engineer, has studied the plans of current Tyler Street and its right ofway. And there's an existing 13 1/2 ft unencumbered and unin unconstructed

right-of-way area where an additional northbound lane can be placed. I'd like to close by saying that some of the speakers that we will have this evening will go into greater detail uh as it relates to uh the things that I've generalized um this evening. Uh we hope that you will listen carefully to some new information that we bring to you tonight about the impact that we believe this parking garage is going to have on the city of Covington. At this time, Mr. Chair, I'd like to reserve the remainder of my time for later. 8 minutes and 49 seconds remain.

All right. Uh, Miss Joan Kaufman. These are five. And as a reminder, these uh the remaining speakers are five minutes.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to address the city council. My name is Joan Kaufman and I'm very privileged to serve as president and CEO at St. Tamony Health System. Our flagship St. Tamony Parish Hospital, as you know, resides at 1202 South Tyler, which is in the city of Covington. Since 1954, we have remained steadfast in serving our local community. We are self- sustaining and we connect collect no millages. It is because of our dedicated board of commissioners, executive leadership team, and our hard-working colleagues in providing world-class health care right here in Covington that we're able to thrive without a millillage. Due to the growth of the area, we have expanded from our original 30 beds to now 281 beds. We have 25 off-campus sites and over 3,100 colleagues. In calendar year 2024, we served 21,996 patients in our hospital. When we explain our approach to delivering clinical care, we put the patient first always. When it comes to growth, we put our community first. We don't believe if you build it, they will come. Rather, we believe that if our community needs it, we will do our very best to build it. In health care, it is our responsibility to anticipate future market needs. Current projections indicate a 5% increase in inpatient beds over the next 10 years. Demographic data shows that within those same 10 years, more than half of our inpatients will be aged 65 and older. We must be ready. The parking garage

remains necessary to support our ongoing service to the community and safety for our colleagues, our patients, and their families. Our approach to seeking approvals for the project has been to engage our stakeholders and our community. This is the fifth public hearing on this project and we have engaged in numerous meetings as I am sure that you have. Throughout this process, we have all discussed infrastructure needs. When it comes to Saint Tamony Health System, we feel we have always addressed the cost of infrastructure required as a direct result of our projects. Indeed, when the fourstory south edition was approved by this body in 2018, St. Tamony Health System remitted fees totaling approximately $850,000 to the city for the south edition, encompassing building permits, water and wastewater capacity fees, and upgrades to the water main and the lift station. To sustain quality of care and minimize patient weight times, we must expand bed capacity, neurology services, and treatment areas. The fourth floor shell space within the south edition is prepared for buildout. However, current parking facilities are insufficient and certainly the proposed garage would be a great addition to our planned buildout and our pro improve our patient and visitor experience. We consider community partnerships to be an extension of our clinical care. Partnerships are key to meeting community health care needs. We believe we have been good stewards of our growth by partnering with our community neighbors, maintaining high development standards while managing infrastructure directly related to the project as we

have already done so with our amended and restated application in this case. Thank you for your time and your attention. I pray that we have all benefited from this exercise and civil discourse. We appreciate your prior prior approval of our conditional use permit and I will ask for your continued support and and approval of our project this evening. Thank you, Miss Candace Watkins.

Candace Watkins, 417 North Florida Street, Coington, Louisiana. So, one of the things that was mentioned earlier, and I'm reading straight from the code, and um you have Alex and Rod here to say if this is right or wrong. Under special provisions, parking garages design standards, maximum height. Parking garages shall comply with the maximum height for structures in the zoning district in which they are located. This garage will be in an IH district. IH medical services height requirements. No main or principal building or structure shall exceed 45 ft above the finished grade of the property or base flood elevation as established in the current FEMA firms and guidelines whichever is higher subject to the provisions of section 5.12 of this land use regulation. So the parking garage can't be any higher than the height limit in the IH district and that height limit is 45 ft. It was made very clear in a couple of previous meetings that this is not a hospital. It's a parking garage. That is what was presented by by the hospital. So to me this is the code. It is the law that you all took an oath to uphold. I took the same oath many years ago and I know that it is not always easy or popular to enforce the law of the city of Covington, but this is the law of the city of Covington. So this building as proposed cannot be built at that location. So, you may approve a a conditional use permit, but someone then has to approve a building permit. And

you cannot build a building higher than the limit in the use district. That's just a fact. So, uh, the code hasn't failed us. I'm asking you, please don't fail us tonight. Please grant our appeal. Mr. Veret asked, "What do we want you to do?" We want you to grant the appeal and and recognize the fact that the law of the city of Cumington prohibits this building to go over 45 ft tall at this location. Thank you. Since we do have, and I'll introduce her, Alex Carter is the expert consultant that the city has hired. I think it would be good um for maybe you to respond to that.

Absolutely. Um and I'm I'm happy to support the city of Covington. I've reviewed um the case and I do I do think it's important for people to sort of understand that there's different ways you can interpret the code um and and and that the city interpreted this to to have the elevator penthouse as we discussed as the um applicant has discussed doesn't contribute to the overall height of the building. The height of the building is measured at 50 feet. Um, that's the roof line of the building. The penthouse is considered above the roof line of the building, an unoccupied space that's facilitating access to the elevator for every one foot over the maximum height. So, if you think about this, the maximum height of the building in the IH district is 45 ft. So, this is all correct. Everybody's getting things correct. It's just adding the different pieces together. So the maximum height in the IH is 45 ft. The proposed building the the parking garage is 50 feet and if you look at the required setbacks within the IH district they're 10 feet, right? So they're 10 feet in the front, zero on the side and the rear.

So you're 5t over. Hold up. Hold up. Hold up. Hold up. Hold up. Hold up. Right. That's not what we're doing in nature behavior, frankly. Right. She's speaking. I'm listening. Well, you've already spoken and a debate between you and her. This is this council is trying its best to gain information. So when you say unlike your um what was it the uh the well circulated interview where it might be best to ignore the city attorney and disregard the expert. I have an expert here. I I want to hear her respond to you. Go ahead.

Um and so thank y'all so much. I think it's it's an important issue to to get right. Right. And I think everybody is saying things that are factually correct. It's just adding them up. The height and the setbacks are tied together. Right. So for every additional foot of height, so 45 to 50 of five extra feet of height, you need five extra feet of setbacks. So that would require a 15oot setback on the front. and the applicant has provided fif a minimum of 15 across the entire site. So the building is set back more than 15 feet in some instances but in all instances you have at least 15 ft. So per the city it does meet height and setback standards. When you interpret the elevator penthouse is not contributing to the overall height and you have the additional foot for every additional foot of height you have add. So instead of 10 you have 15. So you're getting that extra five feet that are required for the code. It's just a matter of tying them together, which is difficult and you know, we're here to support the code update and so you know, I understand the frustration. So, we're here to answer any questions and hopefully make this less difficult to understand in the future.

Thank you. All right, our next speaker is uh Chris Massing. Good evening, council, Mr. President, mayor. No, he stepped out. My name is Chris Massingale, and for the last seven years, I've had the uh the real honor of being the CEO of the Staint Tam Economic Development Corporation. And in that capacity, I've had the opportunity to work with an array of different economic development projects, business and industry leaders, partners, community stakeholders, elected officials to really help create and scale quality jobs that strengthen St. Tam Coington and our communities to be a place that we continue want to live, build a family, and engage in our dynamic community. What I'm bringing forth this evening as a part of my role as a certified economic developer and in this transition seeing this project come to fruition understand that the economic impact is significant and I think sometimes those numbers are overlooked. So I felt like it was important through our responsibility and economic development is to provide you a little bit of that information as it relates to our health care sector and specifically Saint Health Systems. The healthc care sector in St. Tam is a key economic driver particularly on the Northshore as a region in St. Tam and for our communities. In fact, it's 2.4 billion to our GDP almost 11%. The healthc care sector represents over 26,000 people being employed in that industry directly accounting for 16% of the total jobs and total wages in our parish with

workers earning about 2.1 billion in income. Specifically, St. Tammy Health System accounts for a significant portion of that impact as they are certainly a pillar of this parish and local economy. Sustaining employment, income, and business activity at a scale that far exceeds the hospital walls. Saint Health System is composed of 3,100 employees that you heard the president and CEO speak of, but it also represents an annual salary of a payroll of 217 million. These colleagues represent an array of occupations from nurses, x-ray techs, pharmacists, therapists, HVAC techs, accountants, social workers, and even chefs. The team also employs 626 physicians on staff. These impacts flow through the hospital's direct operations, its purchases from local and regional suppliers, the respending of wages and salaries by households in the wider economy. In fact, we commissioned a report with the Southeastern Louisiana University and in 2024, St. A Health Systems activity supported an estimated 896.2 million in total output, 392.8 8 million in household earnings and over 5,400 jobs for the parish and local community. More specifically, each dollar of direct output was associated with roughly 58 cents in additional activity and for every job on staff sustained more than a half a job elsewhere in the whole parish. You know, when we look at the quality of care close to home, and we recognize the over 2100 individuals that are receiving

unbelievable inpatient care, the 66,000 emergency department visits, the ability for these patients and their caregivers to easily access their facility and to the safety and quickly move from their vehicle to the facility and back to their vehicle is paramount. We believe from an economic development perspective, certainly from a project perspective, that the ease of access is not only imperative to those departing from the facility after surgery or the birth of a child, but for anyone experiencing pain or discomfort, parents with children, and certainly braving those unexpected downpours without an umbrella. The parking garage project directly enhances the ease of access for patients, family members, and caregivers. This critical access reflects the commitment to quality care, accessibility, and safety that we have come to expect from Saint Tam Health Systems and advances the success of the institution delivering exceptional care right here in Covington. St. Health System continues to reinvest in our community and specifically in the city of Covington. This $25 million investment for the parking garage is in addition to the over $45 million annually spent in capital right here locally. It also does not include the over $19.5 million worth of services purchased by the system.

30 seconds.

Thank you, sir. The point here is is that this is an important project both from an economic development standpoint, from an institution that continues to earn the respect to deliver on that promise as a major pillar of the community and certainly a project that's worthy of taking note. We certainly would ask for your continued favorable consideration this project. Thank you, members of the council. Right. Our next speaker is Mr. Lawrence Lambert. We're gonna show a video here. And so while she's doing that, I'd like to introduce myself. Uh my name is Lawrence Lambert. I'm a principal with Vector Consulting Services. We performed the traffic impact study. Um just a little bit about myself. I've been practicing engineering for 25 years. I'm a professional engineer, certified professional transportation operations engineer by the Institute of Traffic Engineers, which means I'm a traffic geek. Um, this is what we do. This is all we do. We hold contracts with DOTD, city of Mandeville, city of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, uh, New Orleans Regional Planning Commission. We know how to do a traffic study. We do them all day long. That's what we do. Uh we did have a mistake in the report. It was correct at the date. We would never count on a holiday. We

know that. Uh the way we do our data collection is we put cameras out and we put them out at all four intersections surrounding the square of the uh proposed parking garage. You're standing on the northwest corner here looking south. This is 7:38 in the morning. Um so the uh eastbound approach which is from from what I appreciate has been kind of the highest concern. Actually has the lowest volume out of all of the movements. Uh in the morning it has just over about 120 trips or uh vehicles coming out of that approach. The other side has about double of that. And so the light and I'm going to play it on my turn so we can excuse me. We can talk and watch at the same time. So the side street just got its green light and so this the light is timed. It's a twominut cycle 120 seconds and the side street gets 33 seconds. You can see that the east eastbound approach already cleared. There's no queue there. That car pulled up. Got a gap. The other side is clearing. You can see the southbound uh cars are waiting to get their green light. They're queued up. And then in a moment you'll see northbound traffic. This is a coordinated system. So you're going to see a group of cars coming. But right now it's there's no cars there. So um so when I hear that this is a level service F, this is not what a level of F looks like. A level service F means cars are not getting through in one light cycle. You can definitively see that everyone gets through in one light cycle. And you know because of the constraints of time we're just going to look at one cycle here but this is what this is how we based our study and you can see it was November 6th 2024 and

this is in the morning peak um we as Mr. Shane said, we met with the city. We developed the scope. We met the scope. We uh did everything in full in conformance to the scope. We didn't leave anything out. Um everything as we mentioned is level service C and D. I know when you have kids, D's are probably not acceptable, but that is actually what DOT designs for is there is a level service D. And so we all of these movements are uh D or better uh except for one movement at 12th Street eastbound and we did a sensitivity and that's existing. We did a sensitivity analysis of those cars relocating to this signal and this signal can handle it. It doesn't get any worse than level service D. So there's no failing or unacceptable movements um with or without the garage. Now, a little bit about the traffic generator. Um, sorry. So, this real quick is a model of the garage with the traffic coming out of the garage on the system. You can see that everything works fine. There's no cycle, what we call cycle failure or cars getting left um at the red light. Everyone gets through in one light cycle. So, that's what we're designing for. So uh to finish out the generator topic, what what that means is you have three existing businesses. Those are being removed and being replaced with a smaller footprint of a business. So that's why DOTD says there's no quote new traffic and that's why they didn't require a traffic study. And they said so so much in an email. When we did the study, we assumed the full garage, all 400 spaces.

30 seconds, you get

we subtracted out the existing uh 24 spots that are there, but we had the full garage and being utilized and pushed out into the uh traffic network and we analyzed that. So, there was nothing that was left out. Like 100% of the garage is being used and that's what we analyzed. Thank Right. Our next speaker is Mr. Steven Rome. Good evening. Thank you. My name is Steve Rome and I live at 1021 Minitry Drive in Cington. Last time I spoke here, I made it clear that I'm all for growth. I'm all for expansion. I am an architect and a designer. We always look for those opportunities and really work with our clients to make sure we do the best product for the best price. One thing I want to touch base on is why the code is so important. I respect the code. I It's there for a purpose. It's there for a reason and it's also there to protect the community. There's a reason why your zoning code reads at 45 ft. Do you know why? Scale. 45 ft is even tall, but you have 65 ft or a fivestory parking garage, 10 ft setback. Even though there's more setbacks for every foot that you go over 45 ft, you need to go back one foot. We won't go that way, but it's pretty clear in your code that you need to do that. But it's all about scale. You don't want something just to overpower that street and just become sort of an eyesore or something not great. The architecture looks good. It's just the scale and that's why you have 45 ft stipulated in your code. The one thing I want to tell you is um a thing I brought up I didn't

bring up but I wrote is zoning codes exist to design and protect the character of place and enforcement is what gives it real impact. Without consistent enforcement, even well-crafted codes become ineffective, risking loss of community voice, displacement, and ultimately eroded local integrity. And that's the last thing we want. We're here to express our opinions, not against it, but just to abide by the code. That's all we're asking. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh, Miss Carter, do you have anything to to add that we're not following the code?

So, in in reviewing this, I just want to make it clear that we're we we you know, we're looking at this reference specifically 5.1302, which relates to exceptions to height. And there's been some debate about this being an accessory structure, this being a hospital, this, you know, and I think it's important to know that the way this is being interpreted is the elevator penthouse brings the the roof line down to 50 ft. But this next section speaks specifically to semi-public service buildings, which is how the city is interpreting the parking garage because it is offering free parking to people who are in the area in the vicinity. So there is a semi-public purpose to it. And so that's what's allowing for that extra one foot of setback for every one foot of height. It's not that we're considering or that the city is considering the parking garage to be a hospital or to be an accessory, but that it is it is a building that is providing a semi-public purpose. And so there are these exceptions that acknowledge that if there are these buildings that are providing public purposes, there are there's some flexibility that that may be warranted. And so it's that benefit that the that the parking garage is providing that's allowing for that uh change in scale. And I would just, you know, just to reiterate, this is the sixth uh sixth public hearing on this. Um and I do think the city's been very responsive to to all the feedback that has been provided. Um, you know, it may not be what people want to hear, but it but I do think there's been an honest effort to be responsive, to look at every section of the code, to explain uh these different changes and and tonight we're trying to do that that much more um to facilitate y'all's full understanding of, you know, what is being proposed and what meets the code and and in reviewing this based on the city's interpretations, I do think it meets the code as it's written. when you look at those specific interpretations

of penthouse elevator semi-public buildings and these exceptions to height that the IH district doesn't really have a lot of setback requirements. it's 10 feet and zero on the other sides. And and when there are opportunities to be less, you know, uh less to to apply the strict letter of the law, the hospital tends to go beyond that and does more, right? And so when we look at the application, the setbacks could have been a lot less, but they're more in in many of those instances. And I think it's just important for the public to understand there has been an effort to comply with the code more than is required. It's just your code, you know, is what it is today, you know, and and there there's work to be done here. Uh but you you are required to comply with the code. I think everyone knows that. We appreciate the public's feedback on this. It's just this is the way it's written today and how it's being interpreted.

Thank you. Uh Miss Katherine Mir.

Good evening. I'm Katherine Mir of the Jones Susell Law Firm located at PO Box 1810 in Covington. I'm here tonight on behalf of the St. Timony Parish Health System to address just one particular issue that's been raised and that's setbacks and height issues. Councilman Barrett opened this meeting by stating the appeal is limited to new items in the amendment. The height and the setbacks of this garage are not new. They have already been approved by this council. The site plan has also been approved and is not a part of this appeal. Regarding setbacks and height, the project is in full compliance. The ordinance requires a minimum front setback of 10 ft for this project and the garage provides 15. That additional setback matters here as Miss Carter stated because the code allows for public or semi-public service buildings which the garage qualifies as to exceed the general height limit as long as the setback is increased accordingly. In this case, although the general height limit in IH is 45 ft, we've increased the setback to 15 ft, which allows the garage to be 50 feet in height per code. There have been some statements that perhaps this building is an accessory building and it is not. It is a service building as Miss Carter has confirmed. If this were an accessory building, interestingly, it would be a permitted use in the IH district with no need for a conditional use or for us to be here tonight. Section 5.13 of the code is very clear that elevator pen houses are permitted exceptions to the overall building height limit. They're specifically recognized as structures that can extend above the maximum height without creating any violations. Although some have suggested the elevator penthouse doesn't qualify because it might be considered space for

human occupancy, that is not the case here. The International Building Code, which is section 1511, defines pen houses to include ancillary spaces used to access elevators and stairways, which is exactly what we're talking about here. The extension is only for housing elevator mechanisms and allowing the elevator to reach the helellipad when a patient arrives by helicopter. It is not designed for office space or any other kind of daily occupancy. Therefore, as Miss Carter has pointed out, the elevator penthouse is exempt from the overall height calculation of the garage per your code, making this garage fully code compliant. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Brian Burns.

Good evening. My name is Brian Burns and my address is 127 Westwell Drive in Mandeville. and my comments are intended to reflect more of a community perspective this evening. Um, my personal relationship with St. Tam Hospital goes back 70 years to 1955 when I was born there during its first year of operation. Um, my father lived in Covington all of his life and he reached his 80s. While he was in his 70s, he had six different stays at the hospital. During each of those six visits, at the end, he left AMA. That's against medical advice. And that was not out of disrespect for the staff or the doctors or the nurses. He just liked to do things his own way. My wife and I were blessed to have two children who were in turn blessed to have seven children. Each of our daughters had a medical trauma with one of their children when they were an infant. And each time it required a two-eek stay in the pediatric ICU, one of the most stressful and anxietyfilled times in each of their lives. Yet they both left that two week stay with an incredible admiration and love for the people that they encountered at the hospital. I think just about all the families in our area have similar experiences and know St. Tam Hospital to be a wonderful community institution that we all love and support. Professionally, I've been in the commercial real estate business for 40 years as a senior vice president with Transwestern, a privately held uh national commercial real estate company based in Houston that's grown to become the largest one in the country, privately owned. For most of those 40 years, my primary focus was on office buildings. And for 15 of those years, I

was in Houston where there are lots of office buildings and lots of parking garages. Uh Houston also is home to the largest medical center in the world. Uh the Texas Medical Center, which has 61 institutions, including 21 hospitals, eight medical schools, 120,000 employees. It's the most incredible place I've ever seen. Our company has participated in some of the building in the Texas Medical Center and in that two-mile area. It is so densely developed that building has to take place in a very efficient, effective and responsible manner which it does. St. Tam Hospital and St. Tam health system has developed their campus in exactly that same manner very efficiently very effectively and very responsibly over the years. St. Tam Parish has been the fastest growing parish in our state or very close to the fastest for as long as I can remember and the hospital has continued to respond to those needs created by that growth for decades. The proposed parking structure in the much improved life-saving helport is just the latest example of this organization responding to the growing demand for its services in a very responsible and professional manner. As the largest employer and one of the most visible organizations in our parish, it's easy to second guessess decisions that the hospital system makes. However, I would note that those leaders, the executives who run it and the board that oversees it are some of the most respected, talented, and successful people in our region. They're working together to make this community service organization the best that it can be. I founded a faith-based nonprofit

affordable housing ministry that provides owned affordable housing to residents in the impoverished West 30s community in Cington. These residents have struggled over the years with obtaining effective health care services. St. Tamony Health Systems responded by building the North Coington Clinic just north of the West 30s neighborhood a year and a half ago that helps address those needs. It's one of the nicest clinics I've ever seen. I admire the significant financial and service commitment that St. Tam Health Systems made to our most impoverished community. I think it's indicative of the organization's strong character and it and its well-earned good reputation. As my dad neared the end of his life, he wanted to do something to honor his father. He made a donation in his father's name to the finest organization he knew of in Covington, St. Tam Hospital. St. Tam Hospital honored our family by naming the hospital chapel the Brian Burns Family Memorial Chapel. I cannot think of a higher honor than naming of this sanctuary where prayers, thanks, and private conversations with God take place. In closing, I'm thankful for the heritage of responsible development of St. Tam Health Systems over their 71 years. Their leadership has earned the support of our community as they continue to respond to our dynamic growth and I encourage all of us to continue supporting them. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Matt Hardy, Matt Hardy, 1027 West 11th Avenue. A couple of comments on particular Mr. Lambert's comments. The video he showed you was focused on Tyler Street. My opinion, Tyler Street's not the issue, guys. It's the side streets. I can show you, unfortunately, my phone won't connect to this. I can show you I've shot within the last two weeks while school's been in session where from Jackson Street on a east on the east side of Tyler, it takes five to five and a half to six minutes to clear that intersection. And the reason is that the opposing traffic from coming from the west has the right of way. The city, not the department of transportation, has the responsibility to properly build out those streets or to control those streets or to control development in such a way that those streets are adequate. I don't think that five minutes to get two blocks from Jackson to Tyler is in anywhere reasonable. And I suspect that even Mr. Landry, what Mr. Mr. Lambert would agree that that probably would rate an F on the side street. So the city is the one who this excuse me DOTD specifically disclaims any liability for what happens on the side streets, but that liability is yours and this is your opportunity to do something to fix it. Second, we wasted a lot of time here tonight because nobody in this room has contested the quality of health care at the hospital. You've gotten a lot of rahrh about it. You've gotten the

Economic Development Foundation talking about it. But no one has suggested that anything we're talking about here will impair employment, impair health care, impair the economics of the hospital. And I would urge you in your deliberations to look at the code, look at the facts, look at the problems on the side street that are created and are going to be they're currently existing and going to be much worse. When you talk, Mr. Shane ignores the fact in his talk about traffic circulating through the garage. ignores the fact that the night shift people will be coming out of that garage between they get off at 7. They'll be coming out of that garage between 7 and 7:45 once they transfer information to their replacements. That's on top of this school peak. And that traffic analysis does not fully accommodate that when you've got 300 potentially 300 250 cars coming out in that one 45 minute section and a similar number going in just before that. I have a very hard time believing their estimates for traffic through the garage. That's the extent of my comments to Thank you very much. Yes, sir. uh clarification on your comment uh about the videos you have on your phone. Was that the uh that would be the east coming towards west?

Yes, sir. I

uh three days a week I I go to St. Peter's Church early in the morning and I find myself at the corner of Jefferson and 11th at about 7:40 between 7:40 7:45 and I've got three videos I'd be pleased to show you that take between five and six minutes even to get to the one of them it took me five and a half minutes to get to the fact that the light was turning to caution and I had to sit there for another minute and a half. I didn't even count that the traffic try it. Drive that side street at that hour of the morning. It's a hazard. And the reason it's a hazard is only because the oncoming traffic from the other side of 11th Avenue has the right of way and folks who are leaving from the east side are unable to make their turn to go south until the traffic on the other side of the street has cleared. And frankly, you clear about five or six vehicles per cycle of the light if you're coming from Jefferson Street going toward Tyler at that hour of the morning. That's horrible. And the city could become liable for problems associated with access to the emergency room because of the traffic jams that occur on that street. Uh, grant you it may not be like likely, but your decision tonight and the fact that the city engineer told you that there are modifications needed to those streets puts you in a position of incredible liability should there be an accident. And I think you should bear that in mind. Thank you.

Thank you, [Applause]

Mr. Paul Weddington. All right, Mr. Keith Bar. All right. Um, Mr. Brian Gilbo. All right. Thanks for the clarification.

Could I ask a question? Sure. Mr. Bar, you had a card but chose not to speak. Quick question for you though. You are the architect for the project, right? Please give your name and address.

Okay. I'm Keith Bar. I'm an architect with FLWB Architects and our address is 90 Louis Prima Drive, Sweet A. Um, and I've been the architect for St. Anthony Parish Hospital for 33 years now. So, um, I'm well verssed in the development that's occurred there. Um, I did want to make one point though that I don't think is quite understood in the scale of the project. The highest part of the the garage, the 50 feet, is not 15 feet from Tyler Street. It's actually 30 feet from Tyler Street because in front of that is an arcade to break the scale that Mr. Rome was talking about. You've got a one-story arcade, which is masonry to mimic what was already at the hospital. If you remember when we did the Millennium Project in 2004, there was a a masonry arcade and there's a similar arcade to break the scale that steps up to twotory as you get to the 65 foot elevator penthouse that is in question. So you basically have a break in scale from Tyler Street 30 feet before you get to the fivetory 50- foot high garage. And I don't know that anybody's quite understood that concept. And I think that's important because it's not 50 feet tall in your fa in your face 15t off the title. That's not what it is. And that was intentional. And we've also used materials consistent with the hospital because that was also a direction from the board of commissioners back in 2000 when we did the hospital. It started the new millennium in anticipation of the growth that was going to happen in healthcare in the new 2000 millennium. So one of

the things that we tried to achieve was to create a consistent material of uh aesthetics. so that you couldn't see additions. So I would gather that you took somebody from Minnesota and put them on that site. They couldn't tell you how many additions have happened since that original construction. There's been five. But you wouldn't know that because there's been a desire to create that consistent aesthetic campus. And I think that's important too that you know you could do a easy parking garage probably a little cheaper like Chevron off of 190 with cable rails and that that's the option but that's not what you're getting. You're getting an aesthetically designed garage that is consistent with the aesthetic uh vocabulary that's already been established at the hospital.

I don't know if you have any I appreciate that background. That's good. And didn't understand the 30 foot step back with the arcade. That's helpful as well. My question was going to be around we've heard from a lot of other people about the code. You being the architect who designed the structure and the project. You have any thoughts on

absolutely meets code. I mean we've looked at the setback issues multiple times and we agree with what the the experts have said. Uh we definitely agree with the penthouse that that was uh described and there is unfortunately no definition of a penthouse in the code. So, you'd have to look at other resources like the IBC, which was referred to, which again specifically says it's a penthouse. Even if it has a little occupied car, which is not really occupied, it's really a transition space. When you get out the elevator, it's more like a airlock before you get on the roof. So, multiple definitions exclude hallways or nonoccupied spaces. They're not considered habitable, which is one of the issues that the opposition is saying that it's habitable. So, it's not a penthouse. It absolutely is a penthouse and it is exempted from the height requirements and the setbacks are met with the 15 ft and again on Tyler Street it's as much as 30 before you get to that 50 foot elevation. So, I think that's important to understand.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay,

Mr. Ben Gry Ben Gidry, 304 West 17th Avenue. Um, heard a lot tonight about interpretation of code. That can mean a lot of things. Traffic analysis, Mr. Lambert put forth would make certain assumptions. The city hasn't tested those assumptions. We don't really know those assumptions. When the hospital says it's a it's they don't think it's a net traffic generator. That's again under the assumption that there's so many cars parking there right now. The two businesses that they bought brought so many cars there. So they're trying to equalize all of that out. Okay. They're trying to equalize that out and say it's not a net traffic generator. It's very technical. Okay, the council, y'all need help to interpret this stuff in in my opinion. Okay, y'all need to hire someone. I'd like to see the council in the city hire a professional traffic engineer to peer review Mr. Lambert. Was his assumptions valid? Is it correct? We don't know that. And y'all owe it to the city, the folks who drive the the that that that roadway, right? Even I would say people in Fossome and all around, y'all owe it to us to make sure that this traffic study meets every single requirement of 4.6. So, if y'all can add that into your motion tonight, I would like that. I would like for y'all to add an independent engineer to peer review Mr. Lambert. Okay. There's a lot of technical things that go into that. Mr. Lambert should be able to tell

y'all there are certain assumptions we made. We need to know that and we don't have the technical capabilities to to make that decision tonight. Right? I mean, one side of me thinks y'all need to table this, right? And get the help y'all need because last time y'all voted on a right turn lane. their own traffic study said only eight or nine or 10 people would be taking that right-hand turn. It makes no sense. Y'all wait y'all wasting a hospital's money. If y'all do want to add another condition besides the traffic analysis meeting every single aspect of 46, having the city hire independent engineer that they should pay for. All right. Our code in 46 says yes, we can hire independent and yes, they can pay for it. By the way, they need to pay for all the ZR lines fees. All right? All this consulting stuff that we're having to do to interpret our code, which is an issue. Our code doesn't even specify the minimum lot size for a parking garage. Think about that. You want to build a house, you got to have so many square foot of land. I district doesn't even give us that. So there's a lot of issues here that no it it is technical and if you're not in this building construction ramp then you can get lost. Um our own engineer says the right-hand turn lane there's really no she emails Mr. Lambert. What measurable benefit would the right turn lane from 11th on 221 provide? Mr. Lambert, he's not going to be able to tell you that. His answer is, well, the council basically as part of their approval required that y'all approve

something, guys, that makes it's there's no benefit to a right turnway. If y'all want to rescend that tonight, I would love for y'all to do that and put in a lefthand turn dedicated from 11th onto southbound, which is what their report shows would be a traffic hund something or whatever it was um that they that they've came with. So, you know, you can pause this and table it and get y'all some someone to, you know, advise y'all or y'all can put all these conditions on the table. But what y'all did last time didn't benefit the job the project. Okay? And cost them money. Just wasting money. We really need a left-hand turn lane because that's what the traffic study says. I would prefer the engineer to peer review this because I know there are certain assumptions that just doesn't seem right. Okay. And I think y'all owe it to us. Um I think that's all I got. Thanks.

Thank you. Mr. Todd Rishard.

Thank you, sir. All right, we will return back. Um, what I usually do for a living, I would refer to this as a closing argument, but I I'm hesitant to do so. Um, Mr. uh, Rick Schroeder, and you have six minutes and 40 seconds.

I'm going to need that 40 seconds. Not really. I'm gonna Let's make something clear. The Department of Transportation and Development requirements for TIA are different than yours. It it has to do with traffic generation on the highway itself. And everybody agrees the same number of cars are going to be on Highway 21. People going to the hospital and not going there. I think they should have taken into account, DOTD, the fact that they're going to have an extended trip. They've chosen not to do that. Politics, I don't know. That letter, I never seen it before tonight. Transparency. Why wasn't it given to me weeks ago when they got it? Don't know. Your code is clear on when a traffic impact study is required. It's the 40,000 square foot institutional. Nobody talked about that. It was required here. They just want to say it was good enough. It's not good enough. Uh you it your code requires it have data sheets attached to it. Right now it does not have data sheets with the correct data on them. Print those data sheets out. Uh he was showing you just a highway. Your code is protecting traffic on the city streets. The DOTD is just Tyler. You got three other city streets. 11th 12th Harrison intersections. That's your traffic impact study. That's not DOT's jurisdiction. You're responsible for the traffic on that. And even adjacent streets as people back up. You need the traffic impact study for that. This is not a good traffic impact study. It didn't include the detailed traffic management plan, which may make it a semi-public building that would then could go above 45 ft under that section five, but that's up to the hospital. They could change that in a heartbeat and then all of a sudden you allowed a big building and when it's not being used for the public, you have no guarantee of that and it's not an accessory to the hospital. The final thing I want to talk about is this

penthouse. There is I'm I'm going to tell you in the research I've done I'm I'm I'm really kind of shocked that all these people are saying something to you that they know is not accurate. An elevator penthouse is only mechanical space. It's not where human occupancy occurs. Here's the definition I'm going to read to you more slowly from the International Business Code. an enclosed, unoccupied, unoccupied rooftop structure used for sheltering, mechanical and electrical equipment, tanks, elevators, and related machinery, stairways, and vertical shaft openings. Now, what why would they say unoccupied, but elevator and stairways to access the machinery rooms? So, I'm g I'm going to close by going to the the and I'm going to be very honest with you. Go to the the uh the the greatest expert I know right now, artificial intelligence chat JPT5. I asked it to look at the IBC code and tell me what does that definition mean when the elevator goes all the way up to a top of a rooftop of a garage and you can walk out. And this is what do your own own research. This is what chat GPT tell me. elevator serving the top occupied floor versus elevator penthouse. And this is kind of coincidental. If an elevator extends all the way to the top occupied floor of the garage, say the fifth parking level that I I just it just fifth parking level. The elevator lobby and car doors that open at that level are part of the building story, not part of the elevator penthouse. And your your code does define elevator penthouse. It says not exempt or elevator pen houses and similar structures required to be placed above the roof level not intended for human occupancy. I'm sorry I know these are experts but you know as the lawyers

among here know what experts sometimes do. What I'm telling you is unabashedly there is no reasonable goodfaith argument that an elevator penthouse under your code or building standards it should be uh uh exempt from the building height. This is a 65 foot building requiring 20 feet of setback from 45 ft and under your code clearly it requires a variance and they did not obtain the variance. Those are the facts. The hospital is is We love the hospital. We want the the big parking garage. They picked the wrong parcel to build it on. The same garage to the south of the hospital would not generate traffic on city streets. It would just keep the same traffic on the highway and it would resolve all of these issues. But these are issues. 11th and Tyler will be gridlock. Lives will be at stake. The law, the code is clear. And that's the end of my argument. [Applause]

So ju just a question real quick. Um does the where the building is at 65 foot, does the setback count for that 30 foot? Right. So you have you have your 10 foot at 45 ft and then we have an additional one to one ratio. One foot is set back to one foot. But where the building is 65 foot tall, is there a 30 foot setback on that? You know what I'm saying? Well, and it it depends on which part of the building you're considering the front because that's where that would apply. So I would defer to the

So I I would defer to the applicant. I I would like just just to be clear because there are portions of the building that have more than 30 feet of setback, right? And so when it was interpreted um and I'm looking up the definition of occupancy within the Americ and and when you can't rely on your code, you've got to rely on resources that are within the profession. And so if y'all would give me a minute. I'm I'm looking up because occupancy is typically like long-term or short-term occupancy where people live, sleep, eat or res reside for an extended period of time. Um and so this a penthouse is also can describe a living quarters above the roof line. Like this is something that we interpret regularly. There's lots of penthouse structures that are living people live in them throughout the city and those are still considered above the roof line. Um, and so when we measure roof height, there's lots of considerations and I would say this is very consistent with how a planner would look at this um, interpreting a site plan. And so I just, you know, but I but I do think occupancy here is the key term. So doing some due diligence and looking at this.

Thank you. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Shane,

Mr. Shane, you have eight minutes and 49 seconds. Thank you again. One of the things that we attempted to do this evening was to bring some new speakers and new information to you that hopefully would better balance the discussion. And it was not to suggest that anyone was opposed to the service or quality of service or the mission that the hospital serves in our community, but to make sure that you could see the connection between our need for more better and safer parking and also to decrease the amount of time to transport critical patients from helicopter to emergency room radiology etc. Hopefully, we've given you some perspectives that allow you to understand that the hospital has taken what we believe to be prudent but wellthought, deliberative steps in determining how it can not only meet its needs, but in turn better fulfill the needs of all of us that are in the community. Um, I would suggest with all due respect that there's one voice in the room that seems to consistently suggest a breach of code, but I also would suggest that there are other multiple voices, and it's not just my client in the room that seem to consistently reaffirm that code has in fact been met. With regard to height, it's because of our use of additional setback. Uh with regard to um other elements of the project that some have suggested are lacking, that

were not well thought out. We have brought to you this evening professionals, experts, people at the top of their game in their respective field to let you know that these issues have been studied. And I believe that that's why these issues have been consistently approved by every body, meaning governing body that this case has been brought to before the city. The cumulative vote to this point of all of the prior hearings in 2024 are 17 votes for and six votes against. Nearly 75% approval. I'm not suggesting that that means you have to do anything. I'm only suggesting this project's been out there. It's been vetted. It's been revetted. And between your staff, that would be both your planner and city engineer, the zoning commission with this expertise, desire line with this expertise, consultation with L DOTD, a traffic impact study that was not required but was provided any way to provide asurances that the project could meet its goals and objectives without threatening health, safety, and welfare of the people of city of Covington. I would suggest to you that you have a great duty and responsibility to carefully consider sustaining the decision of the zoning commission and allowing this conditional use permit to issue and move forward. The hospital continues to stand ready, willing, and able to address any problem that might come up that we can't conceive of or that we can't predict. That's not a guarantee that there may

not be a flaw, but that is an assurance that what is good for the hospital also has to be good for the people of the city of Covington. That's why we're going to monitor this project after it's constructed as it relates to who occupies it. For example, if it doesn't make sense to fill the garage with night shift employees and allow them to discharge during peak hour, well, guess what? We have the ability to make sure that doesn't happen. At night, we probably don't have 25 to 30% of the cars on campus that we do during the day. So we don't have the same pressure in the evening as it relates to where all the cars need to be. Understand that as we told you the first time we appeared before a body at the city of Covington, we consistently hear that the hospital needs to do something about their parking. How can they improve their parking situation? and those that have had to use the helicopter service for a loved one understand that we could have a better situation than the current rather than landing in that awkward parking lot configuration in the southeasterly portion of the campus. We would love to have a much more efficient, safe conduit that would ensure us that seconds could be saved which might allow lives to be saved. In closing, I would like to say that we really appreciate the efforts made by all concerned through the process in examining this project. And as I was sitting this evening waiting to get up to give my closing remarks, I honestly cannot think of any other points that I wish that any of my speakers could have made. I would suggest to you that you have now seen

the full picture of what this project is all about. No one on staff are your expert have suggested that there is a code violation as it relates to this project. You have also suggested that the only issues before you this evening should be the new issues that were prompted by our amended application, which essentially was a movement of the pedestrian skybridge. For that reason, there is no reason that all issues should be wide open again for review and examination. And I'm not chiding anyone for the discussion about all of the issues. I believe though that your job now is to measure what was brought to us, why was it brought to you, and what answers have you gotten from the hospital, its experts, your staff, and your consultants? And I believe the resounding answer is that this project can and will work. On behalf of Saint Tamony Health System, I ask you to sustain the decision of the zoning commission with the grant of this conditional use permit and continue to serve as the good business partner that you have through the years and allow our hospital to put its best foot forward to provide the best quality service to all of us. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, sir. [Applause] Throughout this um conversation and discussion, I along with my fellow council members have had countless hours on addressing not only everyone's concerns, but trying to give everyone an opportunity to give their point of view and speak. Uh that includes my um nextdoor neighbor, Mr. Eddie Murphy, who I have a lot of respect for. He's been here a long time. And he told me a little story that might help. And when I heard the story, I I thought to myself, well, that ain't what we're talking about, except for the fact it's exactly what we're talking about. In 1954, when St. Tamony Parish Hospital came here. The local citizenry was so excited and so happy and so pleased and so blessed to have a hospital that they actually took on Wednesdays the opportunity to go eat in the cafeteria so that they would ensure that their local hospital would survive. I want you to think about something. We have a city of 12,000 people. Actually, not quite 12,000 people. And we have a worldclass healthc care facility here at home. That worldclass healthc care facility has studied this project for according to their testimony, their assistance for quite a while. I will take them to task that I think that they should have had a community meeting. But it is not I who is building the project. I do not speak for the hospital and the hospital certainly does not speak for me.

No one have I heard say that a parking garage is not needed. I have not heard one person or expert say that a hospital uh doesn't need a parking garage. And we all know people who go to the hospital and I think they would agree that it needs a parking garage including myself. Let's think about this for a moment. A parking garage for the sick, the elderly, the disabled, the family of the sick. Um, I have to tell you that I've given this a lot of thought and I don't think anyone has breakfast with their spouse or their friend in the morning and says, "You know what? After breakfast, let's go check out the parking garage." They do not do that because it is a destination. It is an accommodation. And so with that, um, I've asked a lot of good friends of mine and people that I do trust Uh, I want I'm not a traffic engineer. I'm an elected official who tries to do the best I can for our community. And I do remember I have to say that I remember somewhat the same argument when they discussed the St. Tam Parish Justice Center parking garage that it was going to be a traffic generator and it was going to ruin um our city. No one goes to the parking garage unless they are already going to the justice center. And I would assume that those people that are going to the parking garage of the hospital are going because they need parking at the hospital. And so with that, I think it is our responsibility to say, was the code followed? Was there perfect or um an ability for people? You know, I've heard the u I've

seen the social media post that it hadn't been transparent. It's five, some would argue six public meetings on it, including a workshop that was uh for the public. So, I'm going to pause here just to ask one more time. You've heard the arguments. We following the code or we not following the code? the code as it's written today, it meets the code for the city's interpretation. I think that's the key. It's a challenge because the code is is difficult to interpret. So, I think that's why we're here, right? It's why we've had six meetings. Um, and so I think y'all have heard today those challenges associated with interpreting the code. Um, and it's for y'all to to act on this, but ultimately based on these interpretations, it meets the code as it's written today. Thank you. And I really did want to hear it because no one has an agenda other than to do what we believe is in the best interest of public safety and welfare. Uh Mr. Sat Banette, who I have a lot of respect for, asked that I read the following. I have such deep respect for Keith Villery and all he has done for Coington, but on this issue, we disagree. The proposed St. Contamin Health System garage isn't just about parking. It's about saving lives with both immediate access to care and a safe elevated helipad. This is personal to me. When my two week old grandbaby needed lifesaving heart surgery, nothing mattered more than speed. A garage and he helipad right next to the emergency room means fewer delays, fewer detours, and more families getting their loved ones the help they need in time. Parking is not a nuisance, it's a necessity. And

the helellipad isn't a luxury. It's a critical safety upgrade. The truth is the existing ground level helipad is dangerous. Pilots have testified that they must navigate around trees, power lines, and other obstacles to land, putting patients, crews, and the community at risk. National data backs this up. Onethird of air crew report accidents or injuries at hospital he helipads, and nearly half say oversight of helellipad safety is unclear. That should alarm all of us. An elevated helellipad provides safer flight paths, faster patient transfer, and compliance with best practices that could literally save lives. Beyond safety, this project strengthens our community. We all enjoy the higher property values that come with top tier health care and private schools, amenities that make Covington desirable. Investing in modern infrastructure shows stability and prosperity, not decline. And rather than worsening traffic, consolidating cars into a structured garage with controlled entry and exit points will improve will improve flow compared to the current patchwork of surface lots and circling vehicles. The doctors, nurses, and staff of St. Tamony Health System have served this community with excellence for decades. Their decision to invest millions in a new garage and he helip shows commitment to Covington, not a desire to lead. Supporting this project means securing worldclass healthc care right here at home. This isn't about building a monstrosity. It's about building security for our families, our property values, and our city's future.

I would point out that some of the false and malicious things that I have seen on social media uh uh have disturbed me because most of you uh have contacted me to say that I've got to move this parking garage because I approved it and my fellow council members approved the parking garage. We did not. Quite frankly, I would not put it there. If you're looking back at 1954 and 1963 and 1978 and 1980 and the 1990s and then the 2000s, I think we have to recognize the fact. It's a fact. There is a traffic problem on Highway 21. There's also a traffic problem throughout St. Tamony Parish. Right. This parking garage is not bringing a new found traffic issue to our parish in my opinion. I referred to a one of these social media posts that was widely spread saying quote many elected officials prioritize personal gain or future opportunities over community needs. They avoid tough decisions and rely on city attorneys or consultants instead of leading. Well, I couldn't disagree more because I think we do need to listen and we do need to not ignore and we do not need to disregard the actual city attorney on the code and our expert consultant and every other opportunity that this has been addressed. It's been addressed with the planning and zoning commission twice. Um, and guess what? They did have the staff report and I have talked to many of you in regards to the staff report and it was my intention to ask this council to

incorporate uh as best we could uh traffic flow and the recommendations of the U city engineers report. Um I do find it somewhat and I hear it all the time that um and I'll quote that same former elected official only a few that I have worked with during my tenure like Lee Alexis did the hard work of researching the issues and I know it is unrelated but I do think that both sides continue to use Lee Alexis um quite frankly because he's um the epitome of quality public service and I do want to say that it is my intention to propose that these council chambers actually so thank you should be named after the Alexis and as an aside I'm going to introduce and ask that that be done um as soon as possible so that that can be approved in regards to other people who have talked about why. Here's another expert that I consulted. City didn't have to pay for it. I did it on my own. And I will quote to let you know that you must support the construction of a parking deck at 11th Avenue for St. Tam Parish Hospital for the health, safety, and welfare of citizens, medical workers, pilots, and patients. That has to take precedence over any aesthetic concerns for this building. I know that you have studied this case on several occasions already. And I understand that the property is property properly properly zoned. It follows building setbacks. It matches the hospital in design. And that hospital has made many additions and improvements to the plans at the request

of community members. I've seen a helicopter try to land in the space behind the hospital. It's too tight, a difficult landing, and poorly located for emergency services. That lengthens times for critical treatment for patient care. The building code priority prioritizes life safety and accessibility. The hospital has a duty to do the same for its workers and patients. I urge you to support this project which will benefit everyone in St. Tam Parish. I did listen intently to each and every one of you including Ben Gid. And Ben um it seems that um the idea that some of these issues have not been raised by DOTD. There's a lot of misinformation out there. I will quote from Penny Law with the Department of Transportation and Development June 25th, 2024. This is from DOTD. We have reviewed the proposed parking garage and medical clinic and determined that a traffic study will not be required due to the following. And there are five points again by DOTD. Two current businesses are being removed, a bank and a former medical supply facility and being replaced with a proposed parking garage and medical clinic. The number of trips between the former two businesses and the proposed medical clinic offset each other and do not increase the existing trips to the site. The additional 291 parking spots from what is already available on the site which is 120 will be used for facility

parking for the existing and in regards to the land uses in the vicinity. Quote on top of a quote it will not generate additional traffic. The two current driveways on 21 are being removed and no direct connection to LA21 is being proposed. Therefore, greatly improving safety along the highway. Let me say it again. And I've heard some some groans. This is not me talking. This is DOD that each of you want DOT to look at the project. therefore greatly improving safety. The site will have access to the existing traffic signal on 11th Avenue. And here's the kicker from DOTD. Each of you who want DOTD to review this says no, nothing further from traffic is required. So, um I would also point out that I find it somewhat didn't hear it as much this time, but let's move the parking garage. This council has zero authority under the law to do that. Zero. Once again, this council did not approve it and this council um is not trying to move it and because it can't. And I've heard people say, "Well, um just not at 11. Let's put it on ETH. I can't tell you the number of people in Old Landing that have called me and said, "Well, hold up a minute. So, the parking garage is okay on ETH, but it's not okay on 11th, and that's the only way out. You want to talk about traffic?" That that's a problem. And that's what people don't see when they try to be traffic engineers. And what I'm trying to

illustrate is the fact that DOD has looked at the project and they have been very very very clear with their executive counsel, the office of the secretary of DOD and a letter head with the governor on. Please be advised that I have had the opportunity to consult with DOTD staff and review materials pertaining to the planned construction of a parking garage at 1 South Tyler Street in Covington, Louisiana. Considering the available information, I can confirm I can confirm that there is no requirement for Saint Tam Health System to submit a traffic impact analysis to dod or to apply for any DOT permits in connection with the project. So, with that being said, I found a um comment from someone who I highly respect and who knows what they're talking about. And they said Tyler Street could certainly use some improvements. However, it is actually a state highway 21 and any approval would first require a study, right? If we want to study the corridor. Well, guess what? This council has already authorized passed a study for the Tyler Street corridor. Nothing to do with this project that is over $160,000 to the taxpayers because we are trying to address the Tyler Street corridor. And guess what? It's also going to look at 11 and 12.

And if it comes back and says that we need to do some things, this council has been doing things as you heard during our agenda tonight. What is really needed is a roundabout at 21st in Tyler. That is the choke point. To that end, administration and council started working with the state two years ago. We submitted for and were allocated $3.2 million for construction. And I want to I want to thank Patrick McMath and and Mark Wright. They're two former city council members, I might add, who were instrumental in getting us that 3.2 million. And we have already added money to the pot to do that. The only reason I'm illustrating this is that there has been so much social media and so many people that says this council don't give a damn. Ain't so. And I get a little aggravated on some of the misinformation out there. There's already been an engineering firm to do a conceptual design which has been submitted to DOTD. Point being that we are already working on it. I do want to thank each and every one of you because I think what's coming out of this is a recognition that we need to address traffic and so this council and it's going to do it. You can talk to your parish president or your parish council. It's a state highway. You can talk to your governor. But we're going to be proactive and we're going to ask that there be a corridor committee that is created dedicated to the primary traffic routes in the city of Coven. All of them. So when somebody says it's fine on ETH, well I think the people on ETH have a right to be involved in this decision.

all decisions and I recommend that the city administration select uh an individual to serve on it. I think the planning and zoning commission should have members. I think the members of local civic organizations including each of you who have said so much because we want you to continue to be involved and that will be with an invite to the parish president or his designated proxy. It will be parish council representatives and our state legislative delegation. And uh with that I will ask if there are additional council comments. I have some comments. Go ahead J.

So I do have some some questions for sure. This concept of a service building versus an accessory building. Alex, we have obviously two two attorneys on opposite side of the have a radically different interpretation of that. So the question becomes all right, who's directing the city in terms of how that is interpreted and and delivered to the city council.

So it all happens when the city planner reviews the site plan initially, right? So, Mr. Ellen is working through and reviewing the site plan and and looking through the full code and basically going through a checklist and saying how is this interpreted, working with the applicant. Um, and all those interpretations happen on the front end and if there are questions at the planning and zoning commission meeting, she's there to to advise. Um, I would I would also note that there were alleged allegations of um incorrect interpretations that were heard at the BOA and none of them related to the height specifically discussed here, the penthouse, the classification of the public service building or the setbacks. They had more to do with elevations. And so I think there's been multiple opportunities for us to discuss this. Um but also it's been difficult because there's been sort of a threat of a lawsuit as well. So explaining all of these interpretations has been challenging um you know for the city because there's there's certain amount of information that you may not may or may not want to share if it's not within the purview of the BOA. And for the BOA they were asked to overturn the decision of the council and the the planning commission which they are unauthorized to do because they're not a legislative body. They could only speak to interpretations. And there was a follow-up meeting specifically about city planner interpretations, but those were focused on signage, landscaping, and the building elevations. And so, you know, in regards to, you know, the specific terminology used for the the public service building versus an accessory, I think this is the first time I've heard it come up was was today. And so, we're looking at it. We're going back to the original site plan and asking, okay, how how Ellen did you think about this? And in reviewing her interpretation, I understand completely where she's coming from and how she understood this to apply to the application and what how those conversations came about with the applicant. And I think there's a sort of

fairness to the applicant when that initial meeting happens and things are explained and requirements are explained that we are consistent, you know, in in how the city reads the code and interprets the code. and it came up today and and I'm supporting in an effort to sort of create transparency about the process, but we do recognize in the code rewrite that we need to make this clear in the code, right?

So, I I have a follow-up question and you you obviously mentioned the height and that's what that's in reference to. Uh, actually, let me let me redirect you and pardon me if my voice goes out. I've been babying this trying to get to this this line of questioning. Uh, this is actually more in line with Mr. Shane and Mr. Bar. When we're looking at a building of this height, as Mr. Walker says, he's going to be able to see it from his front porch, it is going to be a rather large entity. No questions asked about that. My question actually concerns about public safety. Is there a fire suppression system that is embedded in this entity? because if we're going to have a landing zone on top of this building. So, and look, as if if the people who have been here before, then you know my thoughts on where the current landing zone is. I think it's a terrible site. However, I don't want to go from a terrible site to another site that has issues. So please if you could address because this is a concern not only for me but I I mean with our Covington fire department I don't know the extent of our ladder truck.

Yes. I would assume this has to be an independent fire system.

Yes. There's an actual portable fire extinguisher because of the size of the helicopter that's landing. It doesn't require an automatic foam system. It requires just portable. So, there will be a portable foam system that we can connect to a sprinkler stand pipe that can be used up on the roof obviously at 50 ft high, but that was something that was investigated. FAA does have criteria for the size of the helicopter and what type of extinguishing systems are required. And it's an extinguishing system that is foam. It's a push say halon or something of that nature which is a gas derivative that

I think typically used is a is a foam type system like they do when an airplane crashes on an airport. It mixes with water and it becomes a foam. So my next question is is there parking on that level? So there's no parking there at all. That level 50 is strictly for the helellipad. Okay. And the next level down where there is parking is also fire suppression systems there. Yes. I mean, look, we we have EVs that are battery powered. Actually, we've seen them catch on fire. Yes. This is obviously a public safety. Yes. Actually, that's one of the new things in parking garages. It's not a code requirement for this size of the garage,

but it will be in the future. So, we discussed that today. uh because of the EV fire that happened at the Jacksonville airport in May. Burned up 50 cars. It was a hybrid BMW that caught fire, burned 50 cars, collapsed the second and third floor because of damage to the concrete from the intense fire from the EV. So, sprinkler systems in parking garages never used to be an issue. Now, a lot of insurance companies are requiring it just because of that very reason. Is this also a foam implementation system?

No, that would just be a dry pipe system that if a heat detector goes off, it would have a water fire pump that would pump the water into the sprinkler system and then it would go off because it takes 10 times the amount of water to put out a EV fire as a gasoline car fire. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate the answer. Okay.

And and I have another question if you will for Mr. Mr. Lambert. So, Mr. Lambert, you showed a video timestamped. I do appreciate that. I understand that there are issues in terms of the date. Um, my assumption is is that everything is copetic. It is exactly what we saw and it's on the correct date. Yes, sir. I do have one thing that I noted.

Okay. At the very end of the video on the emergency room side, that would be there was a car at the red light going westbound or facing westbound. I assume that that car is making an a left turn. That car and this is something that Mr. Mr. Gry brought up is has to wait and Mr. Hardy as well has to wait for oncoming traffic. So the question becomes um we the city is implementing a study. All right. Down the road, if it comes back and says we need a left turn signal there, then we're in a now what position. So the question becomes, I guess, with the hospital and in your e area of expertise, how do we remedy this after the fact? Because beforehand, I understand it creates a number of issues involving DOTD. Is that correct? That's correct. And um and there were some email exchanges back and forth between DOTD and they came up with the same recommendation that that we did that the right turn westbound right turn was the best solution at that intersection. And the reason for that is if you essentially there's so few cars going across that that lane there is today is a a left turn. So when you add the right turn lane, just about everybody's turning left and they do have to yield. The problem is is once you put in a left turn phase, you're adding another phase. So you're adding another yellow red component to the overall cycle which diminishes the efficiency of the signal. So it is the most efficient timing you can have right now. So if you added a left turn phase, it's going to actually reduce the efficiency of that signal.

Now that's provided that the time frames aren't altered on the sequencing that you would have to take time from Tyler and give it to the side street or would you take time from the opposite side and give it to the other side with as Mr. party says a protected left turn right there, which in that instance, if you have a protected left turn, then you're unccorting traffic, as I like to say. Yeah. And allowing traffic to have more free flow. Now, in my conversation with Mr. Hardy, we were looking at it as an even balanced approach, 18 seconds and 18 seconds, whatever the case may be.

Yeah. But after consulting with some of our other the rest of the council that that really doesn't make sense based on the data that's at play. No, you have twice as much traffic on the west side. Understand reason there should be twice as much time correct on that side. And you there there is such a thing sorry there's echo. There is such a thing called split phasing where one side gets a turn and then the other side gets a turn and and and that's logical. Correct. But but you do add another clearance interval which you know lowers the efficiency but that wouldn't impact north and southbound traffic if the time frame is less than what is currently in play. Correct.

Correct. So you have to like basically you have 33 seconds of green. Let's say 32 four and then one for the red. That is the side street's time. You could chop that up however you want. Understood. I appreciate that. Thank you. Yes sir. And Mr. Shane, I have one last question for you, sir. Excuse me. My apologies.

Yes, sir.

So, Mr. Shane, I understand, like I said, that DOTD, if this stuff is brought to DOTD, my experience with DOTD has not been a positive experience. A lot of stuff gets lost in the ether or the answer is just simply no and repeatedly no. They've already told us no twice based on the the existing traffic study. I have no confidence that they will say yes to anything that is put forth tonight. In other words, if if we decided to make this as a condition, I don't think that they will support that. That's my personal opinion based on my experience in dealing with them. So my question to you sir is given the fact that we do have another traffic study coming through and we do have a corridor study from 8 to 21st and that the hospital most certainly would benefit from a positive traffic flow in that corridor study. Do you have any commitments that you could put forth to the council and to the community from the hospital that would say, you know what, we're going to be part of the co coalition study for the corridor and we're going to try to make this happen and I and again in an attempt to not to have this be a condition to just bring everything to a crawl because that's what it would do in my estimation. The question is is how do we affect positive change for the residents in a unified sense where the hospital and the community and the council all working towards the same goal which is improving traffic?

Good question. I'm not sure it's an easy answer, but I have some ideas because I thought about that and I think it goes back to some of the statements I made earlier. And that is is that the partnership that the hospital has with the city requires us to be at the table and to attempt to find additional solutions in the Tyler Street corridor. What has been disturbing to us is we felt at times that the parking garage project was identified to be a catalyst or a major problem in the existing Tal Street Carter traffic issue. And although we don't uh suggest that we don't contribute cars to and from our hospital into the Talis Street Florida uh there are many many vehicles coming from the north, west, south and east as well to some extent that travel through that corridor. I think where you were going is what role might the hospital play?

Yes sir. And that's my exact question. In attempting to um move forward with what I believe has been referred to as a Covington, Florida co coalition. Yes, sir.

Um we would hope that the hospital would be invited to have a seat at the table to listen to uh the findings of the experts to address problems that the hospital has control over. And I would say that we would consider participating as it relates to support with consulting services from our consultants if asked. Not suggesting that we force our consultant on the body or take over that. I'm trying to be responsive to the question, but I think that if we uh as a large institution on the Talis Street, Carter, why wouldn't we want to help the city? And selfishly, we will be one of the greatest benefactors to the extent that improvements are made in the Talis Street, corridor. So, I don't want to be vague or ambiguous, but I specifically do not want to create an impression that we would come to the table with an open checkbook. That'd be false. We're in the health care business. Our primary duty and quite frankly, our legal and ethical responsibility is to invest our public dollars in health care at our hospital. Along with that though we have to be conscious of the infrastructure that services us and to the extent that we impact that infrastructure. So I hope that I have painted a picture or made a suggestion that Miss Kaufman and I discussed this this afternoon. You can count on St. Tamron Parish Hospital being at the table with attentive ears to try to help all of us improve the Florida conditions. What actual role and

what specific contributions we may make remains to be seen. And I hope that addresses the question. It does. Thank you. And well, I'll tell you what, one last thing, Mr. Shane, I hate I hate to drag you up back. Trust me, my voice is going to give out. I'd rather stand at this point of the night. I do want to point out I'm lasting longer than I thought I would. Um, the time frames that were mentioned, are these totally under at the hospital's discretion with regard with regards to the shift changes at the hospital site?

Yes, they are. I mean it it's obviously a garage owned and controlled. Um we don't I think it I don't think we anticipate having a management company operate the hospital. Uh we will either have or develop the expertise to properly run the hospital. And what I envision and we've had discussions we're going to have to monitor the use of the hospital to find out who wants in at what time of the day they want in what time they leave. So I do think that there will be some trial and error. It doesn't mean that we can't depend on people like uh Mr. Lambert and others that have expertise. This is not the first parking garage in the world. We we recognize that. But I do believe that um we will ultimately um exercise whatever controls are needed to make sure that there's effective efficient use of the garage. such that it does not create further problems in the corridor. And hopefully that's being responsive to the spirit of your question.

It is. Um I bring this up as an educator. Obviously I realize when school is in session, when the peak times are, no offense to Mr. Lambert, but I'm only going off of personal experience here. Quite frankly, the 7 to 7 I find to be problematic. I think it needs to be an earlier time frame for the transition. Not much. a half an hour. Mr. Hardy has pointed out and correctly so there has to be a turnover at that transition. So someone has to come in early and someone has to stay a little bit later. I now this is my opinion and it doesn't carry any more weight than any other any other person's opinion. But it is based on years of experience much like when I mentioned the helicopter landing pad that was based on experience. So in this case, what I would suggest is is that an earlier time frame misses that school traffic because when I arrive at the high school at 6:45 in the morning, the buses are lined up. They're there when I get there. So I I don't I don't want to say it's incorrect data, but I think it's a misnomer to say that school traffic is actually part of, you know, that time frame as as as a whole. Now, doesn't mean they're not there because they drop off students at the the older ages and they move on. And I'm sure that there will be somebody in the tra in that uh traffic zone, if you will, and near that intersection. But I guess where I'm going with this, an early start time, an earlier start time and a um later departure time I personally think would miss a lot of that traffic. So if I I just ask that you take that under advisement.

Sure. Because I believe that what they're saying is correct. So in that regard, so my apologies for calling you back. No, but I understand the I understand the point. I mean it sincerely. It's well it's well noted and I mean again if we're sincere in our presentation to you that we want to do this right we're going to not only listen to what the people have said but also to what you are suggesting and we will take all of those things into consideration in developing a plan that I think works for everybody knowing that if it needs adjustments we'll make those adjustments.

I appreciate that sir. I I yield. Uh council president council comment Peter.

All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank everybody for coming out um sharing your concerns and thoughts. I certainly welcome that along with the rest of the council. I just want to elaborate more on what council president said about um certain classes of people and how this can affect not just the citizens but how it can have a more effect on those class of people. Um, according to recent census bureau, as you said, Coington is about 12,000 population. The parish as a whole is about 265,000. Of those in Louisiana, 16.8% live with a disability, especially mobility impairment. Nationally, the rate is 13.4% 4% with one or more disability with mobility being the the main disability. St. Tammy Parish among those residents ages 17.6% have that disability. And why do I give you that? Because I think as humans when change come about we first think about how it affect us. Then we think about our family and then we may thoroughly think about how it affect the community or people around us. This is my opinion. This is no disregard to anybody feelings or anybody's um concerns toward the hospital. Some advantages that I think the hospital parking garage would bring. Um we've heard a lot of them. I'm going just point out maybe one or two. Um of course it's going to improve accessibility. Um quicker access to health care. um it's going to reduce or I feel it will reduce time and stress for the caregivers and for the patients. So to try and sum up what I wanted to say which was two pages but a lot of people said everything I wanted to say. Um as elected officials and I'm going

speak for myself as an elected official we have a job to take in consideration all options when we are creating changing or approving a policy. In my opinion and what I've read and studied, successful policies not not only address the problem but it also addresses issues for the majority of the population and not just one. Um I feel the hospital has done a um adequate job and informing us, making changes and communicating with the public and with the council. Um, and I and I thank you.

Yeah, I'd like to uh say that with the hospital and building a garage, of course, we all agree that yes, it's a great uh asset to have here in the community and that yes, we need a parking garage. Every location has its own challenges. So whether we put it on Tyler, we put on the southside. I don't believe the southside is the best uh solution for that because there's basically two ways to to exit the garage. One would be go to a and then we all know that's all backed up. The other one is to go out on the Tyler. If you go out on Tyler, there's an island and their only option would be to go right. So if they go right when they come to 11th, they would have to make another right and then transverse through the neighborhoods and make the traffic worse. So I don't think that's a great idea either. I think uh there was some talks about put on the other side of Austin. There's been talks about putting it every not I'm sorry other side of t kind of tired but uh what I'm just saying is there's been suggestions about everywhere where to put the hos the parking garage. I just think that the one location that does have challenges and I think that the residents have a right to be concerned about those challenges. um if I lived next to that uh in that area and I specifically had to deal with that day in day out like Mr. Hardy going in Florida at St. church. Um, it would be a little frustrating, right? As well as we know that we really don't have a lot of say so over DOTDs, what they do. We do have a lot of say so over as what we do with our city streets. And I think that both Councilman Inman that I know of and I know Council Bushnell and myself, we've been over to that site. We've looked at the streets. We've watched the people go through the traffic. We've seen the challenges that are there. And what I'm hoping with this traffic study that we're going to do is that maybe we can come up with some great solutions with our side streets. Make them one way, make them like no way, one way this way, one way that way or timing just like they do in some of the school zones.

It's like you can't go down this street between certain hours. So that's a possibility to keep the people from going down those streets at peak times from the that are transiting out of the hospital parking drives. what I'm trying to say because we don't want them to compete with the the school traffic and you know uh whatever. I think that's an excellent idea about maybe changing the hours at the hospital uh when they come and go, you know, start a little bit earlier. I think that's a great idea. Uh there's lots of great ideas that are that have been put out tonight. There's some other ones that I don't agree with. There's some I do agree with. I just know that Covington is very unique because we're surrounded by state highways. Almost everywhere you look, whether it's Collins, Boston, Tyler, our three rivers. We are kind of like constrained as to where we are at. And it's a challenge. It's a challenge for all of us. It's a challenge, but we all live here because we all love it and we want to preserve and keep our charm to our city. So, how do we do that? And I think that's by working together, compromising on some things, not compromising on others because we have certain standards. But it's really we have to look at the whole community and say what is best for everyone. uh through my research and stuff that I've done, I've heard some opposition to the the hospital, but I've heard a lot of people that are not opposed to it. A lot of people don't understand. They don't live where you live. And I get that because it's just like the uh Boof Fallayia on Collins, the bridge, you know, people that don't have to transverse that area every day, they're like, "What's what's the big deal?" And it's like, "Well, because you don't have to go over it every day." So, there's all these different challenges that we face here in the city. And collectively, I think we all work together to try to come up with the best answer and what's best for everyone. It's not we're not looking at this like just for district B, C, D, E, or you know, other council president. We all look at this together and we try to work together to come up with the best solution. Is it always the the perfect

solution? Probably not. But we're trying to do the best that we can do. And we're trying to do this for all of you. and we'd like we love hearing what you have to say and we're very compassionate about what you have to say and we have no ties to sit there and say well you know the hospital is there are such great people in our community and stuff so are you so are our residents our residents are great people and it's like we have more relationships really with you than we do the hospital by all means because the hospital is a business so it's the people in the community that make Cington great I think the St. Tammy systems also accents our city and makes things great. It's one of the reasons why I live here. It's because we live in a great city. One thing that I think that we can do on the council and stuff is to stay diligent about this traffic study and see what we can do to alleviate traffic around the city because like I said, we're constrained by everybody. I know I agree with Councilman Inman as well. I I've worked with DOTD where they I've been in their headquarters for an engineering of the 10 bypass and the lead engineer was taking notes on a brown paper lunch bag and it's like that explains a lot. So, um I don't have as much faith in them, but I do have faith in us and I have faith in our community and I think by working together I think we can accomplish a lot and solve a lot of problems. It's just a matter of gathering information, making decisions what's best for everybody.

I'd like to address one last misnomer and I'm not going to spend much time. My apologies. Councilman Brell, would you like to speak? My apologies. Go ahead. Go ahead. I'm joking. Go ahead.

So, look, I do want to address one last misnomer, and that's that there hasn't been work on the back end, whether it's council members are working with the administration, uh, talking to residents, uh, talking to hospital representation, but the reality is is there's a lot going on on the Tyler Street corridor that needs to be understood. Okay? Because in terms of peace meal, it doesn't look like things are getting done. But when you look at it as an all-encompassing plan, there there is a pathway forward to where it is going to improve traffic on the corridor. So the question tonight is obviously 11th in Taiwan. One of the one of the proposals is to have a turn lane from 12th to 15th. I mean you take out left turns on Sonic, left turns on 15. That creates a positive flow rate of traffic. That helps the intersection in question tonight. If you go down a little bit further, we have the the sidewalk and Culver um grant that's going to help matters potentially. Then you get down to a potential roundabout at 21st and Tyler. I realize everybody's like, "That's pie in the sky. That's 20 years away." It's not. We are working on these things. And when you actually put those together in unison, that corridor is being addressed. And that needs to be noted because as uh Mr. Shane correctly said, they are the big boy on the corridor in terms of like size, scope, and size. They will benefit more than anyone else. I grant them that. But I did want to correct the misnomer that there's nothing being done behind the scenes. That's incorrect. And I wanted to set that straight because quite frankly, there's been a lot of work and the residents can attest to this. The hospital staff and Mr. Shane can attest to this and I can promise you the administration and this council can attest to this. So just know that the

work is being put in and it is being done in an altruistic fashion and that's I'm going to leave it at that. Good comments, Councilman. Actually have questions for Mr. Lambert again since I believe he's the only traffic engineer in the room. Yes, sir. So the idea of the split phasing of the lights Yeah. Um do you see this often it's done. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And so you said as long as you're using the same amount of time, there's no problem really.

Well, it it's not as efficient as it is time today. So I do want to make that clear. You're adding another clearance interval to 120 seconds. So you're taking out the, you know, the four plus one yellow red. So you're taking that out of the 120 seconds. Okay. So, but but it's done in in what in situations where you have unbalanced traffic, you know, such as this. What about the timing of the the the full 120 seconds? Do you ever see that change based on the time?

It can be. And that's kind of part of what this corridor study could reveal is, you know, increase the overall cycle length, um, you know, the offsets in between intersections and things like that. As far as implementing a split phasing, what is the process for that along with that? That would be uh DOT would have to approve that. So you'd have to approach them with the idea and you know with the data that we have and you would run an analysis and then they would have to approve that. And have you been a part of one of those applications and approval process? Yeah, it would just be it would be a permit application to DOTD.

How long? I know everything takes different amount of time, but just ballpark it in your experience something like this. It I mean it just depends like how big of a priority it is for them. I mean it could I mean I'm just say six months you know three to six months. I mean just depending on their backlog and what their priorities are but that is something in theory that could be done even before the garage is in place. It could be.

Yeah, you could approach DOTD and, you know, and they could contemplate the the split phasing, but like I said, it's it's not as efficient and that's why we didn't recommend it. We recommended the right turn lane, which gives you the ability to turn right on red and things of that nature. I appreciate that. Yes, sir. Um, yeah. Go ahead. Is that simar?

No, it's it's it's basically so if you just imagine Tyler, you have the left turns and so like those movements go for 10 seconds or so, then they shut off and then the main line goes. Then once the main line's finished, then one side of the street would go and then you'd have yellow, red, then the other side would go yellow, red, and then you'd go back to the Sorry, the echo. The the the left turns. So, it's done. It's It's not You don't see it a lot because it usually is in situations where you have unbalanced traffic and things like that and it's not as efficient, but when you do have a street that's got less traffic in the other, then it is way to balance it. Especially if you don't have turn lanes and you can have the full left through right movements and unopposed.

It's similar to the one at 25 even even 8th 8th Avenue. Eth Avenue has the same thing already. It's cycled right there. So, I mean, I think that would benefit traffic flow even splitting the time. Even if you kept the time the same, it would let more cars where they're not bogged up. But I'm not a

Yeah. I mean, I you know, we can you can propose it to DOTD, but you know, as I mentioned, their their assessment of it was the right turn lane, which we recommended as well was the best alternative. But I mean anything can be suggested to dod. I mean there's no pride of ownership on the alternatives. We recommend if somebody wants if the city wants to do something different by all means we can pursue it. Thank you. One more on the same vein. Sorry. Yes sir. Um let's say we we somehow figure out way to split phase and we decide we think it should be 20 seconds one way, 10 seconds the other way. Just make it numbers and it's like a gosh that didn't work as we wanted.

Right. Can we how difficult is it to adjust this thing now? It needs to be 22 and 8 or you know Yeah, it's it's it's fairly simple to do it. You just you open up the controller and it and you need like a technician to program it and it would be a DOTD technician. I mean, they own and operate all of their equipment. It It's not hard to do, but the the hardest part is kind of figuring out what that number is and having everybody kind of sign off on it. Would it be a new application every time? of 2010 didn't work. No. Is it like you have a we're working on this thing? You want to get it right? Work with us.

If you get it in the ballpark, they can go out and kind of tweak it. I mean that you don't have to like do a permit every time you would want to make an adjustment. They they adjust their timings all the time. Um but if you initiate it, you know, then it then it's kind of under a permit uh process. I get it. Or a non DOTD agency, then it's done under permit. But they they they modify their timings all the time, you know, if they think it's uh beneficial. Okay. Thanks, Yes, Mr. Shane. Hate to do it to you, but drag you up one more time. I heard him snoring, but I wasn't sure.

Yes, sir. I know in your uh correspond or dialogue with Mr. Mr. Enman here. Councilman Enman, the hospital's committed to help and be involved and be a partner in the corridor project. Can I get a more firm commitment on this split phasing of the life from y'all that you will be involved the the hospital will be involved in an application to the DOTD to pursue this split phasing of the light to achieve the best results we can with the current configuration at 11.

Yes, sir. So, um, this has been an ongoing discussion. I want the audience and the council to know that certain councilmen, including, of course, you and I, this afternoon, have had discussions about what could the hospital do now to participate to try to initiate some measures that might help at the intersection. So whether it is um split phasing or adjustment of the total time um is the reverberation bad I'll back up a bit thought maybe it was coming back at me uh but whatever remedy you and andor your engineer would like to achieve and seek u I have authority from the hospital uh to participate uh in terms in the following ways. We would certainly provide Mr. Lambert uh his findings, his recommendations, his advices, his study, things of that nature as a supplement. I want to make it clear that we do not wish to be the applicant. It wouldn't be appropriate. We don't wish to take the lead and we don't want the public to think that this is going to be a hospital fix. That's not fair. The perception might be that perhaps it's not done in the best interest of the city. If the city would like us to supply support through our consultant and also to the extent that let us hope I guess if we seek some form of mitigation of some type of split phasing that there's an actual cost in making that adjustment that Mr. Lambert referred to. That's something the hospital certainly would incur in terms of a financial expense and we would also of course absorb all the expenses of our consultant to the extent that he

participates in the process with you. Um we talked um this afternoon the hospital um not only president CEO but chairman and actually the executive board and uh we are committed to providing up to $25,000 of resource through the engagement of our consultant and our adjustments to the the light or the facilities depending on what the city would like to seek and of course depending on what LA dod approves. I think the best way for us to do that uh we would like to do it as a part of the Covington Florida coalition meaning that we do not wish that to be a condition of our conditional use permit or a part of the approval of our project. But we also understand, not that you don't believe us to be responsible and sincere, but we think that we should enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with you where these commitments are spelled out in writing as it relates to what the city might ask us to do and in what ways we would participate and what our financial cap would be. And there may be other matters that need to be addressed in that cooperative endeavor agreement as well as it relates to the development of the parking garage project and maybe other card matters. So hopefully u that's a specific answer and it's our way of saying that we want to partner with you.

Additional council comment.

All right. So, um, once again, I thank everybody for participating. There'll there'll need to be a motion. Um, is there a motion? I don't have comments. What I have is we've had a lot of healthy discussion tonight and I don't want to get caught up on a a a tangent of a microphone happy guy, but I I love our community. I love what you guys come out and do and how you feel and everything you do to try to make sure that Cington's doing what Cington does. We get caught up in a lot of I thanks and I feel and that and all those things are good. My fear is that we met here and spoke about a lot of things that have already been approved. Uh things that we can't change right now that are in place and we voted on and we said yes. and we're sitting here in the process of trying to appeal an approval for the Coington Zoning Commission and what they've committed to and said yes to. And so, uh, I don't want to lose sight because this is what I'm scared of. If we start asking for commitments and and can you do this and can you do this, we end up in the same scenario that we started with in an appeal process and you said you're going to do this and I don't want to end up with that. I want to stay very focused on what this appeal is. It's an appeal of the approval by the city of Covington zoning commission of case 25702 COD conditional use for conditional use permit for the proposed St. Tamony Parish Hospital Park in Garage and Square 1110 1. That's what we met here for tonight. I think all the other discussions are important. I think they'll keep being discussions that are important. I think there's a lot of homework that we can do to say if this doesn't fit what the mold says it's going to fit. We have some work to do as a city council to make sure that we help our citizens in every way possible. I have faith that the hospital will do so with this, but we have to make sure that

the focus is on what this appeal process truly is. And so if there is a motion that has to be made tonight to say what are we actually voting on, I would vote a motion to deny the appeal of the city of Coington zoning commission case 257 of the conditional use permit for conditional use permit for the proposed St. Tamony Parish Hospital Parking Garage and Square 1110. And that would include the previous condition all the previous conditions included uh with where we voted last time. Yes, sir.

All right. So there's a motion on the table. Is there a second? All right. Does everybody understand that a yes vote under that motion would be uh to deny the appeal and continue the conditions of the previous decision of the council? Rod. Correct. All right. Uh roll call. Councilman Bodzford. Yes. Councilman Barrett. Yes. Councilman Lewis. Yes. Councilman Bushnell. Yes. Councilman Roberts. Yes. Councilman Enman. No. Council member Brell. Yes.

Thank everybody for their participation and the continued cooperation and participation in trying to fix our problems. just comments.

That's what I'd say. What? [Music] I know. I want to roll through it. Meeting's not over yet. I want to roll through. So, um the rest. You don't have to have anything. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you.

We're not done yet. I'm trying to meet over. All right, going on to comments and reports. Council district and committee reports. District A.

All right. Um, I just want to announce a few announcements. First one, uh, is the Carolyn Derby's Christmas Wish List. I believe it's sponsored by Coverton PD. It's a golf tournament, charity golf tournament. Um, going to be held November the 14th, 2025. For more information, contact Courtney at 985-7687930. Our next my next event is being hosted at Greater Starlight Baptist Church Educational Building. It is a fundraiser called Hats, Hopes, and Hugs. Um there will be free monograms put on by St. Timothy Parish Bus. Um and I'm I think I said that wrong, but raffles, door prizes, and contests. For more information, contact Greater Starlight Baptist Church. Um, two more announcements that I'm very proud to announce. Um, through when I first ran for office, we wanted to create events and programs that would benefit the youth and children of our community through our Junior Junth fashion show that's put on with um, Nola Fashion Week and the organizer. She's came over. She trained these young girls to be fashion models and built their self-esteem. I mean to top levels. With that, two of our contestants over the years have succeeded, joined her organization and are doing great. The first one I would like to congratulate is Nyla Burkhalter. Um she will be participating in Nola Fashion Week starting on September 12th through the rest of this week. A host of events um to see her and the things that she do go to Nola Fashion Week or um Miss Tracy Dundas who was also her mentor. The

second one is my other niece um Abigail Lewis. She is going on she left on September the 12th. Is it the 12th? No, she'll be leaving on September the 12th. I'm sorry. And she will be at the um Gotham Hall in Brooklyn, New York. for their collection. Um, so I I would like to give them a shout out. I'm very proud of them. Um, I'm a big person on creating events and showing results. This is part of it. And just so you guys know, anybody is welcome to attend or participate. And um, and same thing to the council for helping support and administration.

Thank you. District B.

District B, not 11 will be this Thursday. So, Covenant High Covenant High School to have a 911 memorial service. Uh, starting at 6. Check in will be at 5:30. Come on out. You can do climb the stadiums. You can't climb the stadiums, you can walk the track. Can't walk the track, you can cheer everybody else on. Pretty simple. Just something for everybody to do uh for a 911 memorial this t this Thursday. Uh, I also want to give a shout out to Mr. Ed Cooper cutting high uh led his Green Bay Packers and with 12 tackles this past week in a big victory. Uh enjoyed watching that. We wish him a successful and healthy season in his second year as the linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. Congratulations to you, sir. Uh I'm gonna keep it short. That's about it. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. District C. Um I'm going to keep it short as well, just because we've been here long enough. But I do want to say this. I I'll say the word love. I love and respect every one of you for what we do. It is uh I'd say faceless, but it's not faceless. We are front and center to making decisions that wholeheartedly try to do best for what Covington is. And uh and so thank you all for having to endure that. With that being said, I will tell you that tomorrow is suicide prevention day. And so we carry all this stuff with us constantly and take time for yourself. Make sure that you debrief on everything that we do and everything we focus on. just know that uh we're here together to make the right decisions for Coington because we want Coington to be the best Coington it can be and and I still wholeheartedly believe we're heading that direction.

Thank you, sir. Good comment, Councilman Inman.

Yes, sir. Uh potholes along the avenues, those are uh being filled in as they're reported. Uh public works is doing an excellent job also with drainage. my neighbors in the village. Uh there was a uh really clogged up a drainage line that extended almost uh 50 yards. They got in there by hand. Public works yet again and did so. Uh the road sides along Jefferson Avenue, we're looking to uh get some gravel in those just just so uh people don't go off the side of the road and you know get some free dental work. Um tree trimming, excuse me. Uh there's also been that along the avenues as well. And last but not least, Gallagher Park is a work in progress. I I hope after seeing this meeting tonight that the residents in in the local vicinity will realize that the administration and the council has kind of had our hands full uh with a um well, let's just say a rather large um item on tonight's agenda. Uh that is all that I have other than uh again 911 Coach Kenny Shank will have that event going on at Cington High School as Councilman Bushnell mentioned earlier.

Thank you. Go Lions. Uh I'll be brief. Thank you to Coington's finest for sticking with us until 9:48 so far this evening. Be a couple more minutes, especially in light of the upcoming 911 memorial. So, thank you for all y'all do and thank you to all the city uh employees and staff. I don't think we recognize everyone enough. Um but everybody does a great job. Jo said, um, it's a pleasure and honor to work with with every one of you. Um, take a look at the city's event calendar. There's a ton of stuff coming up over the next couple weeks and into October. Thank you, sir. Councilman.

All right. I just want to give an update on the uh brief update on the uh the food bank. Uh, you know, they're down by 15% on their donations. Uh, so anything you can do to help greatly be supported or appreciated. Applesauce canned spinach or carrots, canned chicken, cereal, cooking oil, and grits were there primarily needs this month. Uh there's still like a 15% people in St. Tammy Parish that have food insecurities. This is food uh insecurity month. So, uh any type anybody that can do any food drives or anything like that would be greatly appreciated, whether it's businesses, churches, uh small uh businesses or local organizations. I just want to bring on December 6 porchest will be happening. We have our bands picked out. We have our houses picked out. South America South New Hampshire 2 free event. Come on out.

Councilman Luke. Yeah, I'm sorry. I I admitted one uh item and I think the mayor mentioned some of it about the Boys and Girls Club. I did talk to the CEO today. They are planning a small groundbreaking event on September the 18th at the location on the corner of 29 in Tyler. So when I get more information, I'll be glad to share with everybody.

Thank you, sir. Um, I just want to echo this fell right here said something that's pretty dogone important and it's us working together. and um I didn't have the uh stomach to u to discuss some of the stuff that people sit at their house in a dark room I I would assume type in a way and it can be false it can be malicious it can be um anti-competent and it shows I think those people how disconnected they are as to what we're trying to do and why we do this and so u thank you councilman I I I think it was spot on. And with that, I would assume that the uh city administration would like to go through item by item of all the budget and the workshops and the events.

Yeah, I I would like to present this infrastructure update at this time.

Um, as you ride around the city, it's it's pretty obvious that we're being quietly productive. Um, just a lot of great projects making uh making progress. really looking good. Um, I know how much time and effort the council put in on this uh this last issue that was addressed this evening. I also know that council members for as long as I've been part of the been around on this have been earning $900 per month and that is just really way below what they should be. The ordinance says that you cannot give yourselves a raise, which you can't, and I think that's a great thing. We've got a couple of councilmen here that are term limited out. We've got a couple of others running for office that would preclude them from being a councilman in the future. I would uh respectfully suggest that this would be a time for this council to consider an increase in pay for the next council that will not even come into place until 2027. But I think that's something you guys should be talking about among yourselves and that this is probably the time to do that. That's it from me.

Thank you, sir. Rod, thank you, sir. All right, we're going to uh convene back on October 14th for our regularly scheduled city council meeting. Good night.