Heavy machinery on the Juban Crossing site has sat idle for a while, but things might change soon now that the Louisiana Bond Commission has approved a $200 million bond sale for public infrastructure work. Developers see this as a key to obtaining overall financing for the project and signing up tenants for stores that could be opening by April of next year.
DENHAM SPRINGS — City officials last year renamed Rodeo Drive in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King as a step in bringing back what used to be a good neighborhood. A year later, they remain hopeful.
“We were not expecting a sudden transformation,” said community organizer and educator Daniel Landry. “We were taking that first step toward a new mindset, a change in attitudes.”
Others say it’s too early to judge the results.
“While I supported the name change because I thought it was good for our community, I think it is too early to tell what the real impact will be,” said Denham Springs Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Fred Banks, who is also a realtor and a retired School Board supervisor.
Banks said many people feel good about the name change, as a matter of pride, but much still needs to be done.
Residents now have a Community Coalition, which gives them a voice and leadership, Landry said.
“If we follow Dr. King’s advice and example, we can revive this neighborhood where so many of us grew up,” he said.
Participation in the Community Coalition is growing, with 70 showing up at one of the recent meetings.
“We started with about 20,” Landry said, “so I think the neighborhood is moving in the right direction. People were waiting for somebody to ask their opinion. Now it’s time for more people to get more involved, and show King’s level of commitment. We have the dream; now it’s time to make it happen.”
When something is clearly needed, like parenting sessions, people can get together and make it happen, Landry said.
Landry said that while the community has problems, it also has a lot going for it.
Churches are the neighborhood bedrock, focal points for wholesome activities that keep kids away from destructive behavior, Landry said.
They also have the support of Denham Springs government and Councilman Arthur Perkins, who Landry said knows how to bring people together to produce positive results.
Denham Springs Councilman John Wascom said that when people from the Rodeo Drive neighborhood requested the name change, he saw no reason not to go along with them.
“I hoped that changing the name of the street would mean something to the children who live there. Now they can say the name of their street and feel pride,” Wascom said. “It means something positive now.”
Banks said he and his fellow West Livingston Kiwanis Club members “adopted” the street to help keep it clean and set an example. The Kiwanis group is also supporting efforts to deal with some teen problems, drugs, and other social issues, Banks said.
Leadership is important to young and old, Landry said, remembering Tasmin Mitchell’s basketball camp at the C.M. Lockhart Community Center this past summer as an example.
Mitchell, a sports icon in Denham Springs and record-setter while part of the LSU basketball program, said some day he would come back, be the Denham Springs High School basketball coach and run for mayor.
Mitchell is not the only local role model, and when people with success stories come home, their message is that positive behavior promotes positive results, Landry said.
“People have some choices they didn’t have before,” Landry said. “We’ve taken the first steps, and now we need to go from steps to strides.”
