NEW ORLEANS — Councilman Oliver Thomas is calling for security on Lincoln Beach. The Councilman says with the re-development set to happen out there plus with kids about to be on summer break, the city needs to prioritize the safety of residents in his district.
Councilman Thomas told WWL Louisiana, the beach is, "Extremely dangerous to cross the tracks out there, you have alligators you have snakes, you have standing water."
On a 15-acre site, basically surrounded by Lake Pontchartrain and closed in by Southern Railroad, is Lincoln Beach. Thomas said, "There are a lot of assets out there, that we need to protect."
The councilman is calling for security to patrol the beach, he says after millions of dollars worth of funding was secured for its re-development, security should've been out there yesterday.
"If the beach isn't closed and protected, how can we really do a timely redevelopment, and what happens in terms of liability if someone gets hurt," he said.
At a City Council economic development meeting this week, council learned a security company applied for the bid, but they filled out the form incorrectly so now it has to go back out for bid again. Councilman Thomas is asking why the city is making it so hard for local businesses to be successful in our city.
"I've been sending letters about securing the site, protecting the site, we're not going to let off, until a couple of things happen, we get a local minority firm to participate and the site is secured and protected," he said.
Audry Hill has lived opposite the beach since Hurricane Katrina and his lived in the East since 1979, she said, "I think they need to get security that's just for New Orleans East, that's just for Lincoln Beach."
Hill says the beach needs oversight, saying, "We're going to have a lot more people coming to the east, so yes we are going to need to have security."
Meanwhile others disagree, a resident says until construction starts the city should be focusing elsewhere. That resident said, "Security is not the top issue right now, I understand once it comes under construction, I do agree with that, but not for right now."
Councilman Thomas says interim security will be available until a permanent security company is hired.
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