Some 34 years ago, in 1992, the abandoned railroad track from Covington to Slidell was acquired by St. Tammany Parish for a bike trail project under the new "Rails to Trails" federal program.
That decision led to the development of Tammany Trace, a premiere biking trail that has since been expanded, improved, and linked to key parish locations in Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe, and Slidell. There is even a connection to Pelican Park recreational facilities in Mandeville and the Camp Salmen Nature Park in Slidell.
The following video showcases the tremendous effort made by local officials as they contacted and coordinated with dozens of federal, state and parish agencies as well as a number of private organizations and citizens groups to make it all possible. The document signing took place at the northern end of the Covington train depot.
A key event in the acquisition process was the sale of the former railroad right-of-way, then owned by Railroad Land Co., with the cooperation of Richard "Dick" Blossman and the Blossman family.
Assistant District Attorney Donald Kearns, center, guides the process of document signings by Steve Stefancik, left, and Richard "Dick" Blossman, right. Standing from left in the background are Adelaide Boettner, Denis Bechac, Bart Pepperman, Floyd Glass, Bernie Willie and Keith Villere.
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The video tells about the contributions made by Kevin Davis and a large number of other parish and municipal officials, as well as the efforts by several state and federal agencies and citizen groups, among them the New Orleans bicycling clubs, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and the area chambers of commerce. Bill Keller with the New Orleans biking group shared his thoughts on how important this Rails To Trails project would become.
Also spotlighted were the elected officials at the federal and state level who helped coordinate the approval of the many agencies involved.
Part of the crowd at the event
Kevin Davis and Richard Blossman
Eddie Deano thanked by Kevin Davis
Attorney Donald Kearns shakes hands with Richard Blossman
Kevin Davis thanks the Blossman family for its participation
Kevin Davis was credited with a tremendously successful effort to bring all the parties together for the proposed project.
The signing took place on the train platform at the northern end of the Covington Train Depot, before it became a restaurant seating area.
Steve Stefancik telling the crowd how historic and important securing the railroad corridor was.
Stefancik shaking hands with Blossman after signing.
Stefancik tells the audience about the possible future plans for the railroad corridor
Bill Keller, one of the last people to be recognized in the video, was a volunteer with the New Orleans Bicycle Awareness Committee, and he said his group helped bring the railroad corridor availability to the attention of parish officials three years earlier.
"For the last year we have been standing by and cheering," he said regarding the tremendous community and political interest in securing the abandoned railroad track for public purposes. He commended Kevin Davis and state officials with doing a "remarkable" job in bringing it all together. "This is the first Rails to Trails conversion in the state," he went on to say. He also noted it was one of the first times for a project to be linked to the new Transportation Enhancement Activity program of the federal government.
Keller commented that he didn't know if Kevin and all the others realized how important this action was in acquiring the corridor. "I think it will be the most important thing that Davis and Bill Oiler will ever do. You're going to see the real results of this in a few years. We appreciate seeing what St. Tammany is doing for the whole bicycling community and for anybody who likes the great outdoors."
Bill Keller
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News Clippings From the early 1990's
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