Kevin Davis: Protecting, Preserving and Promoting St. Tammany’s Future
by Stacey Paretti Rase
St. Tammany Parish has come a long way in the past eight years, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Kevin Davis. Under his leadership as parish president, the northshore has seen the formation of many “firsts.”
Among the parish’s accomplishments realized during Davis’ first two terms are the building of the first Justice Center; the organization of the first Arts Commission; the first Emergency Operations Center, coupled with the first comprehensive parish emergency operations plan; the formation of the first social services and business development departments; the construction of the Tammany Trace and the Kids Konnection playground; the development of the first all-access public information channel; the first master plans to address transportation, drainage and public utilities and the first clean audit in parish history. Elected in 2000, Davis was a first himself—the first to serve as parish president under St. Tammany’s new Home Rule Charter, which allowed him executive and administrative authority and a more streamlined form of government in which to assert his leadership.
In October, Davis was overwhelmingly reelected to a third term in office. It will be his last, however; voters did not overturn the term limit qualification placed on the seat. Shortly after his reelection, IN had the chance to talk with Davis about the parish’s past successes under his direction, as well as the northshore’s optimistic future. At the time of the interview, it was still uncertain as to whether Davis would seek the (U.S. House of Representatives) 1st Congressional District seat soon to be vacated by governor-elect Bobby Jindal. But whether Davis opts to vie for that office, one thing remains clear: The future of St. Tammany Parish looks extremely bright thanks to the industrious plans laid by Kevin Davis.
Leaving a Legacy
Looking back on all the parish has accomplished over the course of the past eight years, it’s hard to single out one project that will define Davis’ legacy. But leaving a legacy, Davis says, has never truly been his goal. “It’s interesting, because when you get elected, you never know if you’re going to get reelected, so you never see a closure. And you’re always busy with the work at hand. So I never thought about myself in terms of leaving a legacy. My goal is simple—to try to improve the quality of life for our citizens. If there is any sort of legacy to be left, my goal is to help that happen.”
That goal has been met time and again through a multitude of projects spearheaded during Davis’ administration. Some of the ventures, such as the 31-mile recreational corridor known as the Tammany Trace or the newly opened Kids Konnection playground, are quite noticeable. Others are not as “glamorous,” albeit just as important in maintaining the quality of life in the parish, such as the award-winning litter abatement program and the organization of a consolidated wastewater treatment plan. The latter involves the development of regional wastewater treatment facilities in an effort to preserve our area’s unique ecology. Davis says regional wastewater treatment plants will help our environment and eventually make Lake Pontchartrain a place where we take our children to swim.
And while every hour may seem like rush hour on many area roads, parish government is doing everything it can, as quickly as it can, to resolve the traffic problems. Construction on major new and expanded roadways abounds and a computer-based traffic-modeling program is now in place to help identify and alleviate congestion. (An updated list of planned and ongoing capital improvements, with their estimated completion dates, can be found at www.stpgov.org.) “Roads are a priority, but they are one part of a bigger picture,” Davis says. “I think it all goes back to our main objective—trying to benefit the quality of life here.”
Nothing challenged that quality of life quite like the massive growth seen after Hurricane Katrina. But Davis and his staff met the challenge head on, accelerating a previously adopted comprehensive 10-year plan for managing the area’s growth. That rapid response and proactive planning did not go unnoticed. The Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association recently honored Davis with its President’s Award, which acknowledges an individual or organization that has contributed to the elevation of planning principles. Davis was recognized for using sound planning principles and elevating the understanding of the importance of planning within all departments of St. Tammany Parish Government and among its citizens.
Enriching our Community
Davis gets a certain gleam in his eye when talking about the most recent developments for upcoming projects in the parish. One such venture is Camp Salmen, a 107-acre site of pristine property with one mile fronting Bayou Liberty that is to be used as a public park. “It was purchased on behalf of the parish about five or six years ago, and it’s just beautiful,” Davis says. “We just don’t have the needed funding right now for recreation, but I’ve been trying to get it open to the public. This is the type of thing I would like for my administration to help accomplish.”
Another adventurous project, which has been in the works for over six years, is at last becoming a reality. It involves the cooperation of three area post-secondary institutions—Delgado Community College, Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of New Orleans—in coming together to provide educational services in one general location for parish residents. “This shared educational facility is so exciting; it’ll be the first of its kind in the state,” notes Davis. “This is very important to the northshore, because the educational experience is what drives everything else.”
Dubbed “University Square,” the campus will be built on 25 acres of land (just north of I-12 and east of LA Hwy. 434) that was donated to the parish by Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Development Co. The St. Tammany Parish School Board plans to build a campus there and partner with university professors to provide high school students advanced courses in science, technology and the arts, thus allowing students to obtain high school and college credits concurrently. Also planned for the site are a vocational/technical school, a library, athletic fields, a student union and a performing arts center. “It’s going to look like a true university. I’m always too optimistic,” offers Davis with a smile, “but I’d like see us in construction within a year.”
For the Younger Set
There is yet another project in the works that should excite every parent and child in the parish. It’s the planned Children’s Museum, which will be erected just beyond the Kids Konnection playground on Koop Drive in Covington. “When I first took office, I realized the importance of bringing opportunities for cultural growth to our parish. I asked myself, ‘Why do we have to go to other communities to enjoy certain things? Why can’t we have these things on the northshore?’ I’ve always wanted a children’s museum here in St. Tammany, but we didn’t have the funding or the land. Well, we got creative, and now we have the land,” Davis reports excitedly.
There is no funding for the museum; all monies raised will be through fundraising efforts. But Davis says that he’s optimistic that it will get done quickly, as the parish has partnered with the Junior League of Greater Covington on the project. “We have hundreds of ladies whose hearts are really in this. I feel very confident that this is something people will want in this parish.”
One exciting component will be a simulated Kids Village. This one-acre mini-city will feature buildings found on an everyday street—a bank, fast-food store, library, firehouse—scaled down to child-size proportions. Children will be able to learn about everyday safety issues as they travel through intersections, on sidewalks and across railroad tracks.
Davis says he also believes it’s important to provide a cultural center for parents, too. “That will be the next generation of this project—building an amphitheater on the site. We’ve been working with the Arts Commission to investigate other communities that offer great things that we can bring here. We’re not done dreaming.”
On the Horizon
Brainstorming how to further promote and develop St. Tammany Parish is a fulltime job for Davis. He admits that some of his ideas for future development might sound improbable, but he insists they are possible. In an effort to diversify the area’s economy, for example, he is actively enticing businesses, such as auto manufacturers, never before seen on the northshore.
Davis also believes that the northshore is in a prime position to set the standard for the next generation in transportation. “I don’t want a rail system that’s on the ground, with huge parking lots. You have to go to a terminal where there are 500 other people trying to get on the same train, and then you take 50 stops just to get to Baton Rouge,” he remarks. He thinks St. Tammany is ready for something like Sky Tran, a system of magnetic levitation technology that operates computerized chauffeur-driven vehicles on an overhead freeway and carries as many commuters per hour as three lanes of surface freeway automobile traffic, with no accidents or traffic jams. “These are individual ‘cars’ that come to your own neighborhood and take you to the main line and it never stops until your computer chip tells it that you’re at your destination. It gets to speeds of up to 150 miles an hour. Traditional transit costs $25 million per mile, but a system like Sky Tran costs just $5 million per mile. It eliminates all the fears that we have about transit.” Davis says he would like to do a pilot, or demonstration program, of Sky Tran in St. Tammany.
“Some of it sounds kind of crazy, I guess. But there are so many possibilities. Even when I travel, I’m always looking for that next innovative idea. I’m always searching for what’s possible.”
