Town hall meetings offer discussion of past, glimpse of future

St. Charles Parish Council members Carolyn Schexnaydre and Terry Authement will each host a town hall meeting that will allow residents to participate in a discussion on current, past and future projects.

Authement will host one for West Bank residents, while Schexnaydre will host one on the East Bank.

The main goal of the meetings is to highlight parish accomplishments since their terms began in 2008 and let resident know what is on the horizon for both the East and the West Banks.

Also on the agenda is a discussion of the state of hurricane protection in the parish, as well as a presentation on upcoming civic projects, including a new Department of Motor Vehicles building, animal shelter and community center.

“Terry and I came up with this idea as a way to make it convenient for residents to ask questions and express their concerns while also showing them what has been accomplished in the last two years,” Schexnaydre said.

During the meetings, residents won’t just hear about infrastructure progress and upcoming projects, but will also learn about what goes on behind the scenes to get them from the drawing board to completion.

“They will receive information on the process of bidding a project and all the steps it takes to complete projects,” Schexnaydre said. “Also, we will show them what projects cost and if there are grants to help us pay for these projects.”

Authement said that he had town hall meetings during his last council term, and that they are more attended than council meetings.

“In my experience, people are more open to coming to town hall meetings and voicing their concerns,” he said. “I want to know what they think about what’s going on in the parish and if they think we are going in the right direction.

“There are a lot of people in the parish that don’t voice their concerns, but we want to hear what those people think and a town hall meeting is a good way to do that.”

Attendees will also be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with their parish council representatives and Parish President V.J. St. Pierre.

East Bank Meeting
When: 6 p.m. March 2
Where: Destrehan High School Auditorium, 1 Wildcat Lane, Destrehan

West Bank Meeting
When: 6 p.m. March 17
Where: Hahnville High School Auditorium, 200 Tiger Drive, Boutte

For more information please contact the St. Charles Parish Council Office at (985) 783-5000.