St. Bernard Parish Government hosted a tour on September 17th for attendees at the Walk Bike Places 2018 Conference being held in New Orleans.
The tour entitled “The Trail to Recovery” featured Parish President Guy McInnis and Superintendent Doris Voitier speaking at the Maumus Center on Hurricane Katrina and its impact. The tour proceeded next to Docville Farm where the Meraux Foundation generously hosted a session on the Parish’s new bikeway and pedestrian plan. Along the way, tour participants learned about St. Bernard’s many bikeway and pedestrian projects along the way including the Mississippi River Trail beginning construction. Lastly, the tour group visited the Los Islenos Museum Complex where the tourism staff spoke on the history and culture of St. Bernard and the unique community that we represent. A reception was generously provided by the St. Bernard Tourist Commission and Los Islenos Heritage and Cultural Society.
Walk Bike Places is the premier conference in North America for walking, bicycling and placemaking professionals. Over 1500 attendees from the U.S. and around the world represent professionals in this field including city planners, transportation engineers, public health specialists, elected officials, community leaders, place makers, and advocates. The Local Host Committee, coordinated by Bike Easy regional advocacy group for New Orleans, included St. Bernard representative Susan Klees of Meraux. Planning for the conference has been underway for over a year and provides an opportunity to showcase the region’s efforts innovative and unique contributions to bicycle, walking and placemaking initiatives. New Orleans is especially suitable for this event because the region has one of the highest percentages of people who bicycle and walk to work in the United States.
