Tangipahoa Parish Government

Let's start by busting a myth: It does not protect your windows. 

At best, it's an inconvenience. 

At worst, some people have the illusion that they're safe ... and people can get severely hurt.  

We're referring to placing tape on your windows in advance of a hurricane.  Somewhere, sometime, many years ago, this practice became a staple across the Gulf States region during hurricane season.  Studies have been conducted throughout the years that disprove this practice which does nothing to protect your home.  

The shards can become bigger because they're being held together. You're wasting your time. You're wasting your money and you're potentially increasing the danger in your home.  

Tangipahoa Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Dawson Primes explains, "What we in Emergency Preparedness are on a mission to do is to harvest that same passion and habits for preparedness, but for useful practices such as creating an emergency kit, developing an evacuation plan for your family, and buying and maintaining a generator."

Primes, a military veteran and head of Tangipahoa's emergency preparation efforts since Katrina, says getting a game plan together is an everyday project, not just a seasonal event.

"Let's make doing some or all of these things common place," Primes said, adding that his office often hears from residents who want to know what role OHSEP plays outside hurricane season.

"Rest assured that Parish Government prepares 365 days a year and stands ready to respond to any event that should arise. One of the most important things that we do is Public Education about Self Preparedness," Primes said.  

Burgess adds, "The question we would like to hear everyone ask is 'What else can I do to protect me and my family?' and 'Is there some way I could volunteer to help my community in a disaster?'"  

The answer to the first question is that preparedness is an ongoing process.  

Primes said, "You are never 100% prepared.  Citizens should be diligent in reassessing their preparedness level on a continuous basis and doing whatever it takes to fill in the gaps. As Mr. Burgess always says, 'If you think you're going to need it, GET IT!'"  

Burgess adds, "The absolute best thing citizens can do is stay informed." To that end, parish officials post updates on approaching weather events and road closures on their website, www.tangipahoa.org, and they continue to make news releases available through the local newspapers, TV, and radio stations.

Don't Be A Victim, Get Prepared and Stay Prepared!

For information on the CERT program, creating an Emergency Kit or advice on being  better prepared for not only Hurricane season, but for any event, please visit our website at www.tangisafe.com

Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess says March was a record-breaking month in an area of parish government where success can be measured in terms of lives saved at Tangipahoa Parish Animal Control.

TPAC reported 103 adoptions for the month of March, the highest number the department has ever experienced.

"These are numbers which we hope will continue," Burgess said, crediting both the public for their support of the local animal shelter and the TPAC staff for their efforts to pair pets with residents.

Burgess said Animal Control Director Chip Fitz has "thought outside the box"

to find new ways to bring awareness to the public for the parish's four-legged residents.

In addition to their regular office hours at their facility on Club Deluxe Road in Hammond, TPAC also utilizes a mobile adoption program whereby animal control officers bring a number of available pets to high-traffic public locations so people can meet and physically touch the pets that are ready for forever homes.

TPAC also participates in a number of public outreach events, such as our local fairs and festivals, health fairs, and other community gatherings to bring the pets to the people.

The parish's newest resource is a cat adoption program being fostered through the new Petsense retailer in Hammond. There residents who are "shopping" for a cat can meet many of the felines who are available for adoption through the parish shelter program.

The combination of creative adoption outreach programs has been a win-win for the parish, Burgess said.

Fitz said he is proud of his staff at Animal Control for their "hard work in keeping a clean and healthy environment for the animals." He also offered thanks to the local volunteer program, which has "helped tremendously by keeping the pets socialized, thus making them more adoption-friendly."

"Tangipahoa Parish Animal Control firmly believes every animal needs a person," Fitz said, urging residents who are in the "market" for a new four-legged friend to first visit the shelter before considering other alternatives.

Animal Control has two upcoming mobile adoption days: Saturday, April 14 at a location still-to-be announced in Independence, and two weeks later, on Saturday, April 28, at Walgreens in Ponchatoula.

For more information about TPAC or to see the pets that are currently available for adoption at the parish animal shelter, call (985) 543-0215 or visit them on the web at www.tangianimalcontrol.org.

HAMMOND---State, Parish, and local officials were on hand this morning (Tuesday, April 3) for the reopening of JW Davis Drive in Hammond.

Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess said, "The project was paid through the Federal Highway Bridge Replacement Funds through the Louisiana Department of Transportation at no cost to the parish or local municipalities.  In order to be eligible for Federal Highway Bridge Replacement Funds, parishes must be in compliance with National Bridge Inspection Standards.  To be in compliance a parish must have an ongoing Bridge Inspection Program.  All parish bridges must be load rated and the parish will have no bridges that are closed to traffic."

Burgess stated that the bridge, which was replaced at a cost of $488,475, represents the second phase of bridge work completed on this "major traffic artery" connecting downtown Hammond to the Hammond Square retail corridor.

Burgess said the completion of the JW Davis project represents the final job under the parish's 2009-2012 Federal Highway Bridge Replacement program.

Since 2009, the parish has completed more than $4.3 million in bridge replacements ranging from the Kentwood area all the way south to Ponchatoula Creek.

Burgess said the parish will now begin work on four new projects for the new cycle of federal bridge replacement funding. The parish has been awarded more than $1.6 million to complete those projects which include:

*N. River Road, an estimated $300,000 replacement for the bridge that was constructed in 1975 in District 1 of Tangipahoa Parish;

*Durbin Road, replacing the circa-1960 bridge in the District 6 area near Hammond at an estimated cost of $431,000;

*Weinberger Road, where engineers plan to improve the bridge, built in 1975, at a cost of approximately $300,000. The project is located in the Ponchatoula-east area in Parish Council District 9.

*Jerusalem Church Road in Pumpkin Center, where engineers plan to complete

$578,000 in improvements to the bridge, which was constructed in 1979. That project is in Tangipahoa Parish Council District 10.

Tangipahoa Parish President, state recognizes Local Workforce Investment Area No. 20 for its hard work

HAMMOND – Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess congratulates the Local Workforce Investment Area No. 20 for being the only local workforce area in the state to exceed its 2010 goals for workforce development and to be recognized by the Louisiana Workforce Commission for this achievement.

​“The work that the staff of the Local Workforce Investment Area No. 20 does to help the residents of our parish and the other parishes it serves to gain employment is invaluable,” said Parish President Gordon Burgess, who also is on the chief executive officer for the Workforce Investment Act Program’s board and administers the grant funding. “I congratulate them in their accomplishments and for being recognized for their excellent work.”

Last month, the Louisiana Workforce Commission recently presented the Local Workforce Investment Area No. 20 with a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Performance for exceeding its 2010 performance goals. It was the only area in the state that exceeded all its performance goals.

“Our staff has really done a great job and work hard to help our clients achieve employment,” said Gloria Abels, board director of the Local Workforce Investment Area No. 20. “They are very conscientious and dedicated to the work."

Local Workforce Investment areas are funded through grants by the U.S. Department of Labor to train and help people gain employment. A requirement for this funding, each local area must meet goals for entered employment rate, employment retention and average earnings for adults and dislocated workers, and goals for employment or educational placement, attainment of a degree or certificate and literacy and numeracy gains in youth.

In the measured categories, the follow lists the achievements made by Area 20 and then the minimum performance level required by the federal government:

The Local Workforce Investment Area 20 is based in Hammond and serves Ascension, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes. Its grant is administered by the Tangipahoa Parish Government, and the program is run by the Tangipahoa Parish School Board.

On Wednesday March 14, 2012, the executive committee of the Tangipahoa Economic Development Foundation met with Tangipahoa Parish President, Gordon
Burgess, to discuss the resignation of TEDF Director, Bob Basford.  As a result of this meeting, the TEDF Executive Committee and the Parish President will work together over the next week to review the job description for that position.  Once the job description is approved, the position will be advertised and applications will be taken at that time.  The TEDF office will continue to operate during this transition

Parish President Gordon Burgess announced Monday that Tangipahoa Parish sales tax collections have increased 12.7% for the month, which totals almost $1.4 million from the 1-cent sales tax.  Tangipahoa Parish has now had 18 months of consecutive sales tax increases.

Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess said Christmas came a few days early to the area, as joblessness in Tangipahoa Parish is on the decline this holiday season.  According to figures released this week, Tangipahoa unemployment numbers dropped by almost a full percentage point between October and November of this year, and it's down more than a full percentage point compared to November, 2010.  The number of Tangipahoa employees looking for work dropped to 4,024 for the November reporting period, compared to 4,403 in October and 4,736 a year ago, according to figures released by the Tangipahoa Economic Development Foundation.  Burgess said that means unemployment now stands at 7.6 percent, down from 8.4 percent last month and 8.7 percent a year ago.  "I am very pleased to see that more of our citizens are able to get back to work, especially as we head into the new year," Burgess said.  Burgess said this news, coupled with the area's strongest building permit report released last week before the Tangipahoa Parish Council, and yet another month of rising sales tax receipts, points to further growth in the local economy.  "We have now had 15 consecutive months of retail growth in Tangipahoa,"  Burgess said, adding that the parish is aggressively pursuing new business opportunities daily to "constantly attract quality jobs to Tangipahoa Parish."  Burgess said that with the recent increase in new home permits, "It looks like 2012 holds a lot of promise for Tangipahoa Parish."

Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess and Ponchatoula Mayor Bob Zabbia announced today that they have secured $59,809 in grant funding for Phase 1 of the E. Ash Street/Esterbrook Road drainage improvement project.

Funded by FEMA, the grant will allow the Parish to enter into a design and planning contract with the project engineer, Spangler and Associates, who will complete the design, surveying, and final construction estimates for the project.  

The project is expected to improve drainage in this southeast section of Ponchatoula while adding culverts in most of the deeper ditches along a section of Ash Street.  

Burgess acknowledged the assistance of Governor Bobby Jindal and the local State representatives and senators for their help in securing the requested funding.

"We are pleased to announce the receipt of this grant, but we are more excited to begin this much-needed work for the citizens who live in this section of Ponchatoula," Burgess said.

Burgess said he expects the design and preliminary engineering work on this project to begin immediately.