Military Road Alliance Press Release

MRA Supports SMH Regional Cancer Center

Slidell – At its September meeting the Military Road Alliance (M.R.A.) heard from Slidell Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer Bob Hawley on the hospital's plans for a regional, state-of-the-art Cancer Treatment Center. The new facility would be funded by a rededication of the current 7 mil property tax. If passed, the tax will remain at 7 mils and its life will be extended by an additional four years. M.R.A. delegates voted unanimously to support the November 17 tax initiative.

M.R.A. president Bob Golding said, “In 2003, faced with mounting debt and voter rejection of a proposed sale of Slidell Memorial, the citizens of Wards 6, 7, 8, and 9 were asked to support a tax to retire the debt. By passing that tax, the voters also freed up operating capital for reinvestment in the publicly-owned hospital. Over the last four years the new Board of Commissioners and the hospital administration have proven to be good stewards of the public's trust. By investing in new technologies such as Image Guided Radiation Treatment, SMH already provides some of the finest cancer treatment in the region. The proposed comprehensive Cancer Center will combine all of the resources for early detection, state-of-the-art treatment, cutting edge laboratories and clinical trials under one roof. All of this will be available to cancer patients right here at home, close to family and friends.”

The Military Road Alliance, formed in 1979, is an umbrella organization of eleven homeowner associations in eastern St. Tammany Parish. The group provides information to the community through its monthly meetings on a wide variety of topics, primarily: activities of local government; issues concerning drainage, flooding, parish roads and infrastructure; the parish public school system; individual subdivision concerns; and other issues of community interest.

All M.R.A. meetings are open to the public. The next meeting is scheduled for 7:30 PM, Wednesday November 14, 2007 at Live Oak Village, 2200 Gause Blvd., Slidell .

Area residents and homeowner associations interested in keeping up on community activities and information, or interested in becoming a member of the M.R.A, should contact current president Bob Golding, 649-4860, or e-mail bdgoldin@bellsouth.net.

The current roster of the Military Road Alliance includes: Breckenridge, Cross Gates, Doubloon Bayou Estates, French Branch, Frenchmen's Estates, Lake Village, Magnolia Forest, Old River Road Association (including Quail Ridge, Quail Valley, Bay Ridge, Paradise Point and The Settlement), Park Condo Association, Stonebridge, and Turtle Creek.