Local ministers, pastors, preachers, and priests gathered with city and parish leaders for the fourth annual Ministers’ Breakfast, hosted by the City of Minden at the Community House.
The annual event gives Minden’s faith leaders an opportunity to receive updates about city projects and public safety, share information with their congregations, and provide feedback to city officials.
“This is one of my favorite events of the year because I know that we’re in a room with people of faith,” Mayor Nick Cox said. “Minden is well known to be a community of believers. Not all of us, but almost all of us, and the other ones we’re going to work on.”
Cox said the gathering also provides an opportunity to recognize the role local churches and their leaders play in the community.
“We have good, solid leadership in this community. This morning is about our local ministers, our spiritual leaders in our community,” he said.
Cox introduced several elected officials attending the breakfast, including state Rep. Wayne McMahen, Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker, Webster Parish Assessor Denise Edwards, Minden Police Chief Jared McIver, and Council members Michael Roy, Buddy Myles, and Andy Pendergrass. A number of city employees and law enforcement officers also attended.
After the pastors introduced themselves, Cox thanked the group for its work.
“We do this every year because we sincerely appreciate what y’all do. It matters so much … I want you to know that we are all in this together. We’re all trying to improve the place that we live, to make this place better than we found it, so thank you for all that you do,” Cox said.
Street, infrastructure projects underway
Cox provided an update on several city projects, including road improvements, water and sewer work, and improvements at the Minden Recreation Complex.
Industrial Drive is currently being reconstructed with concrete using state funding. Cox said the project is approximately 30% complete and thanked McMahen and state Senator. Adam Bass for helping secure funding.
“Thanks to Rep. McMahen and Sen. Bass that money came from the state. I can’t thank these guys enough for what they do,” Cox said.
Other streets on the city’s repair list include Joel Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Winford Street, Clerk Street, Country Club Circle from Drake Drive to Germantown Road, and Homer Road from the library to the Claiborne Parish line.
The city also recently received a state grant to pay for additional road striping and anticipates beginning much-needed work on Sheppard Street.
Cox said the city also has several water and sewer projects in progress, but the age and complexity of Minden’s infrastructure can make the work challenging.
“Everything gets quite complicated underground,” he said, noting that the city is dealing with approximately 190 years of infrastructure.
REC project nearing completion
The REC enhancement project is approximately 70% complete, Cox said, but construction has encountered a supply-chain issue involving resin needed to complete portions of the project.
“Everything was going so good, and we have national conflicts, and the resin that we need to finish that project is stuck out in the strait,” Cox said.
The cost of flying the material in is prohibitive, he said, meaning the city will have to wait for the shipment.
“We’re going to be waiting on that resin for a bit,” Cox said.
Pendergrass provided an update on activity already scheduled at the recreation complex.
Eight of the 16 fields have been completed, and 46 events have been booked at the facility between now and next fall, despite construction continuing and only about half of the complex being complete.
“We have booked 46 events between now and next fall out there at the rec center … even with the construction and half of the complex being complete, we already have quite a few events,” Pendergrass said.
Pendergrass compared the REC’s growth to the development of the Minden Airport, noting that both are city assets that have benefited from investment.
“Now it’s producing revenue and will continue to produce more and more revenue,” he said.
City officials also hope the increased traffic generated by tournaments at the REC will encourage additional commercial development along Industrial Drive.
Cox noted the significance of the number of events already booked.
“There’s only 52 weekends in a year, and we’ve booked 46 over the span of a year. That’s exceeding our wildest dreams,” he said.
New fire station planned
Cox also announced plans for a new Minden fire station on property the city purchased along Shreveport Road.
The city does not plan to renovate the former fire station behind Dairy Queen because the building’s ceiling is too low for modern fire trucks, along with other issues with the facility.
The state has allocated nearly $3 million for construction of the new fire station. Cox again credited McMahen for helping secure state funding.
Airport generating revenue
Cox said the Minden Airport is also experiencing significant growth and is now generating revenue for the city.
Cox said he did not always understand the importance of the airport but has come to appreciate the vision of previous mayors and city councils who invested in its development.
“The potential that they saw, and after years of the airport not making any profit, the airport is rocking. We are actually making money out there,” Cox said.
New hangars have contributed to the airport’s growth, but Cox said fuel sales are the primary driver of its profitability. Much of the airport traffic comes from business travelers flying into and out of Minden.
Fibrebond has also generated significant airport traffic, Cox said.
“I can’t tell you how important that is,” he said.
McMahen also spoke about the airport’s role in economic development, saying it can help attract businesses that need a location capable of accommodating business aircraft.
“Minden is in a good spot; Minden is growing,” McMahen said.
He pointed to the airport’s impact on Springhill and said Minden’s airport is serving a similar role as an economic development asset.
“That airport is an attractant,” McMahen said, stating that you need to have somewhere for business jets to land if you’re going to attract more business.
McMahen said several significant projects are expected to come to Minden during the next couple of years. He also praised Bass for being a strong partner in securing state support for local projects.
Police department fully staffed
McIver provided an update on the Minden Police Department, saying the department is now largely fully staffed.
The increased staffing means more officers are available to patrol city streets, he said.
“Presence equals deterrence of crime, so that’s a great thing,” McIver said.
The department has added a new K-9 officer and acquired additional equipment and vehicles. Officers also continue to receive training.
“Officers will react how they’re trained to do,” McIver said.
McIver also discussed the department’s building-check program. Officers regularly check churches and commercial buildings, leaving a note when a building is secure or contacting a designated person if they discover a building has been left unlocked.
He asked church and business leaders to ensure the Police Department has current contact information for someone who can be reached if officers find an unlocked building.
McIver said staffing has improved significantly since he became chief, when the department was short-handed.
“It’s a blessing for Minden,” he said, noting that staffing shortages remain one of the biggest challenges facing police chiefs across Louisiana.
“We’ve been moving in a positive direction,” McIver said.
He invited the ministers to share complaints, concerns, requests, or questions. No concerns were raised, although one attendee thanked McIver for the department’s building checks.
“We don’t stop trying to improve. There’s always room for improvement,” McIver said.
Cox offered a brief reminder of how far the department has come since McIver took over.
“When he took over as police chief, he had five cars, and only three of them had brakes,” Cox said.
Faith and city growth
McMahen said the partnership between the city and its churches is important to Minden’s future.
“The church means so much in our community, so we want to support them as they support us,” he said.
Cox concluded the breakfast by asking the ministers whether there were any questions or concerns he had not addressed. No additional issues were raised.
The breakfast closed with Cox reflecting on the role of faith in leading the city.
He referenced a quote from pastor and author Adrian Rogers: “Life is not a problem to be fixed, it’s a mystery to live.”
Cox said city leaders do not have all the answers about what lies ahead, but continue to move forward with faith.
“The truth is we don’t have all the answers … so we go through life with faith, and we trust that God is going to see us through to the results that we don’t even understand,” Cox said.
“We run this city by faith. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if we’ll even get the resin off the ocean, but we’re going to figure it out, and God has a plan bigger than us. We have to remind ourselves every single day that we live in this city by faith.”