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Cleco and Northshore Community Foundation add six EV charging stations in Slidell

A total of 17 charging stations installed in St. Tammany Parish through the Adopt a Charger initiative

Through their partnership with the non-profit, Adopt a Charger, Cleco and the Northshore Community Foundation installed six new EV charging stations in Slidell, bringing the total to 17 Level 2 EV charging stations in St. Tammany Parish.

The charging stations are located at three city parks – John Slidell Park, Fritchie Park and Heritage Park.  Each park is equipped with two Level 2 charging stations.  The stations use 240 volts of electricity, similar to household appliances like ovens, and provide approximately 25 miles of range per hour of charging.

“This is another investment in the communities we serve and aligns with our vision to support cleaner, all-electric technologies,” said Richard Biedenharn, Electric Vehicle Program Manager. “Our commitment to install up to 30 charging stations in high-traffic areas across St. Tammany Parish will expand Louisiana’s EV infrastructure and make it easier for EV owners to charge their vehicles.”

Adopt a Charger, established in 2011, works to accelerate the purchase of EVs by facilitating the installation of free public charging stations at popular locations, from parks to museums. Program representatives secure sponsors, like Cleco and the Northshore Community Foundation to cover installation costs; then they identify sites and recruit site owners to host charging stations.  Charging is free for the first three years.

“This project would not be possible without grant funds from Cleco Power and its partnership with the Northshore Community Foundation. Thanks to their support, we will be investing a total of $250,000 in the Northshore region,” said Kitty Adams, executive director for Adopt a Charger. “When people see an EV, they don’t automatically know it runs on electricity. The ‘aha’ moment happens when they see it plugged into a charging station. From there, they can talk to EV owners about their experience, which will help increase EV adoption.”

“These charging stations are part of our ongoing commitment to work side-by-side with people, companies and partners who share our mission to build healthy, safe and thriving communities,” said Leslie Landry, president and CEO of the Northshore Community Foundation.

In addition to the new Slidell locations, six charging stations have been installed at Pelican Park in Mandeville, two at the Maritime Museum in Madisonville and three across from the historic pavilion in Abita Springs.

“Through initiatives like Adopt a Charger, we hope to raise awareness about the benefits of electrification and encourage more residents and visitors to consider sustainable transportation options,” said Slidell Mayor Bill Borchert. “Investing in EV charging not only supports economic growth but also contributes to a cleaner, greener community for generations to come.”

“Adding these charging stations at popular local spots near three major interstates, I-10, I-12 and I-59, will attract more visitors and boost tourism,” said Donna O’Daniels, president and CEO of Visit The Northshore.

Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC is a regional energy holding company that conducts its business operations through Cleco Power LLC, a regulated electric utility company that owns eight generating units with a rated capacity of 2,676 MWs and serves approximately 295,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.

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City of Slidell and Keep Slidell Beautiful Launch Glass Recycling Program for Residents

The City of Slidell is excited to announce the launch of a glass recycling program for residents, which will start on April 12, 2025. 

“For more than five years, the citizens of Slidell have been asking for a glass recycling program,” said Slidell Mayor Bill Borchert. “City administration, city council members, and Keep Slidell Beautiful have worked together to create a plan to bring glass recycling back to Slidell. This exciting initiative reflects our commitment to sustainability and environmental preservation.”

The City of Slidell and Keep Slidell Beautiful have partnered with Coastal Environmental Services, Glass Half Full, and Lemon Tree Recycling to deliver this voluntary glass recycling drop-off service at no cost to our citizens. Starting April 12, and continuing every second Saturday of each month, Slidell residents can drop off their recyclable glass at the designated recycling site, located in the Heritage Park parking lot at the corner of Bayou Lane and Pennsylvania Avenue, between 9:00 a.m. and noon.

Recyclable glass collected will be transported to a new recycling facility in St. Bernard Parish, operated by Glass Half Full. This $6.5 million dollar state-of-the-art facility processes glass for coastal restoration projects, and produces glass cullet that can be remelted into new glass products. 

Glass Half Full and Lemon Tree Recycling will also provide subscription-based pickup services. More details about these services will be available soon on their websites.

“We’ve heard our citizens loud and clear! They want glass recycling. Now that this new facility has opened in our area, we’re proud to offer this service to our citizens,” said Mayor Borchert. “Our efforts are not only about reducing waste, but also about contributing to important initiatives like coastal restoration. This is a win for Slidell and for the environment.”

For more information about the program, please contact Keep Slidell Beautiful at (985) 646-4371 or info@keepslidellbeautiful.org.

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How to Separate Storm Debris at the Curb

Now that Hurricane Francine has passed and citizens are cleaning their properties, it’s important to know how to separate your debris for curbside pickup.

Separate debris into different piles:

  • Household trash
  • Vegetative debris – DO NOT BAG!
  • Construction and demolition debris
  • Appliances and white goods
  • Electronics
  • Household hazardous wastes

Things to remember:

  • Keep debris out of the roadway and out of the line of sight for motorists.
  • Do not bag your vegetative debris. Put all leaves and branches in a pile at the curb.
  • Do not place debris in ditches because this could lead to flooding during rain, nor should it be placed on street corners because this could cause line-of-sight issues.
  • Do not mix non-storm-related yard waste or bulk trash with storm debris.

Please refer to the flyer for more information. If you have questions, call the City of Slidell’s Department of Engineering at (985) 646-4270 or email engineering@cityofslidell.org.

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Slidell Public Art in Full Bloom: New Camellia Tree Sculpture Spruces Up Roundabout

Slidell’s newest piece of public art is now on display at the roundabout at Robert Blvd. and Brownswitch Road.

“Slidell’s Community Camellia Tree” is an eight foot tall iron and glass sculpture depicting a camellia tree in full bloom. It’s an artistic collaboration between welder Jamie Gomez, owner of JG Land and Marine, and artist Solange Ledwith of Swamp Girl Glass. Gomez constructed and welded the base, trunk and branches and Ledwith created the beautiful glass camellias that adorn the tree.

In addition to the sculpture, new landscaping will be added to spruce up the roundabout.

“I would like to thank the artists and everyone who worked so diligently on this project, said Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer. “We are so fortunate to have a thriving art community in our city. This piece of art is a great addition to all the murals around our city. We are honored to support our art community and are looking forward to more public art in Slidell.”

In 2020, the City of Slidell commissioned several local artists to paint murals around the city as part of the “Celebrate Slidell Public Art Project.” The murals not only celebrated Slidell’s culture and community, but also recognized the bravery of first responders and health care heroes in the midst of a pandemic. The new camellia tree is the first sculpture in the public art series and is hopefully the first of many that will be installed around the city.

“Helping to beautify our city and encouraging public art in our community is important to me,” said Solange Ledwith, artist and owner of Swamp Girl Glass. “It was great collaborating with Jamie and I would like to thank the City of Slidell for allowing us to be a part of this project.”

Glass camellias are still being added to the tree and members of the community have a chance to be a part of this unique public art project. Individuals can sponsor a camellia for $100 and it will be added to the camellia tree. Proceeds from sponsorship will help fund future public art projects. Checks made out to the City of Slidell can be delivered to Swamp Girl Glass located at 1060 Front Street or mailed to the City of Slidell’s Department of Cultural & Public Affairs, PO Box 828, Slidell, LA, 70459.

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Keep Slidell Beautiful Hosts Annual Tree Giveaway on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Fritchie Park

Keep Slidell Beautiful and the Slidell Tree Board will host their annual Tree Giveaway on Saturday, February 5, starting at 8 a.m. at Fritchie Park.
Like the last several years, this will be a drive-through giveaway. The public should remain in their vehicles at all times. Trees will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one tree is allowed per vehicle. 
For more information, please contact the Department of Parks and Recreation at 985-646-4371. For information about City of Slidell news and upcoming events, you can sign up for our email news list on our website at www.myslidell.com or visit the  “City of Slidell, Louisiana” on Facebook. You can also follow Keep Slidell Beautiful on Facebook.
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Keep Slidell Beautiful and Director bring Slidell top honors from Keep Louisiana Beautiful

Keep Slidell Beautiful and Director Trey Brownfield were both recently recognized by the State of Louisiana at the 2021 Keep Louisiana Beautiful Conference.

Keep Slidell Beautiful received the Circle of Excellence Award and Brownfield was recognized as the Outstanding Affiliate Director for 2021.

Brownfield was hired as the Director of Keep Slidell Beautiful for the City of Slidell in 2019. In that short time, he has grown the affiliation and motivated the community to get more involved in Keep Slidell Beautiful through awareness campaigns and community committees. He has raised over $200,000 through fundraisers, sponsorships, and grant funding.

Keep Slidell Beautiful picks up over 50 tons of waste each year and facilitates over 4,000 hours of community service. Since becoming Director, Brownfield not only continued the Golf Tournament, Annual Tree Giveaway and two City-wide cleanups, he also successfully added new programs such as Community Recycling Days, Earth Week Awareness Events and the popular Christmas on Front light display which replaced holiday lights and decorations that were lost in Hurricane Katrina.

Brownfield was also recently awarded the Pearl Williams Superior Leadership Award from the Slidell Republicans Women’s Club in recognition of his leadership and involvement in the community.

For more information about Keep Slidell Beautiful, please call (985) 646-9564 and follow Keep Slidell Beautiful on Facebook.

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Keep Slidell Beautiful receives Cleanup Supply Grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful

Keep Slidell Beautiful (KSB) was recently awarded a Cleanup Supplies Grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful. The supplies – including work gloves, litter grabbers, trash bags and safety vests – will be used at the Keep Slidell Beautiful Fall City-Wide Cleanup on Saturday, November 6.
The purpose of the Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) Cleanup Supplies Grant is to build KSB’s litter supply inventory by providing the tools needed to conduct community cleanups and coordinate waste reduction events. Local cleanups of litter and debris removal from roadways and waterways is a way to bring the community together to bring awareness to the litter problem, recruit volunteers and remove a considerable amount of litter.

“We are grateful to Keep Louisiana Beautiful for providing this grant opportunity and for their continued support of Keep Slidell Beautiful,” said Trey Brownfield, Director of Keep Slidell Beautiful. “Our volunteers will be able to use these supplies at the City-wide Cleanup to help keep our community clean.”

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Keep Slidell Beautiful receives Trash Receptacle Grant

Keep Slidell Beautiful was recently awarded a Trash Receptacle Grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful. The trash cans will be placed around Olde Towne Slidell.

The purpose of the Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) Trash Receptacle Mini-Grant Program is to encourage community action in the specific areas of litter abatement and environmental stewardship. This program has been developed to assist Keep America Beautiful affiliates in Louisiana in their efforts to provide attractive, durable and high-quality trash receptacles in public spaces by streamlining the grant application process. KLB will support programs that demonstrate a commitment to community behavioral change and environmental stewardship through strong partnerships with local municipalities and a clear plan for monitoring the program’s impact over time through the litter assessments described within this program.

“We are grateful to Keep America Beautiful and Keep Louisiana Beautiful for providing this grant opportunity and for their continued support of Keep Slidell Beautiful,” said Trey Brownfield, Director of Keep Slidell Beautiful.
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Celebrate Christmas in July and help support Keep Slidell Beautiful and Christmas on Front

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

Join Keep Slidell Beautiful on Friday, July 9 for their Christmas in July Holiday Light Fundraiser from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. All proceeds benefit the Christmas on Front Holiday Light Displays.

Tickets are $80 each or two for $150 and include admission, food, open bar and entertainment by WITNESS. Tickets can be purchased online via EventBrite, but to avoid online service fees, tickets can be purchased directly from Trey Brownfield, Keep Slidell Beautiful Director, by emailing tbrownfield@cityofslidell.org or calling (985) 646-9564.

“Last Christmas, I was overwhelmed by the support that we received from our community coming together to support Keep Slidell Beautiful’s Christmas on Front Street initiative and bringing back holiday light displays that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina,” said Brownfield. “We have plans to go bigger and better this year by extending the lights further down Front Street and maybe into other parts of Slidell. But to do this, we need your continued support.”

Table Sponsorships are also available for $1,000 which includes a table for eight people, acknowledgment in event publicity, recognition during and after the event, and one full-scene light display sponsorship during Christmas on Front in November and December 2021.

In 2020, Keep Slidell Beautiful was able to raise over $20,000 in sponsorships and in-kind support from local businesses and organizations for Christmas on Front.

For more information, please contact Brownfield at tbrownfield@cityofslidell.org or (985) 646-9564.

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