Mayor of Jean Lafitte, Tim Kerner, has received this year’s Golden Can Award, one of the Every Day Hero Awards given by the Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) organization at its annual Every Day Heroes Awards Banquet. This award recognizes a public servant who displays a deep commitment to KLB’s mission in their daily work by going above and beyond the call of duty.
Mayor Kerner, has served as mayor of Jean Lafitte for the past 28 years, where he has committed himself to protecting and enhancing the quality of life of residents who live in the communities along Bayou Barataria. Just a few of the projects noted at the ceremony, include vital infrastructure projects: tidal flood protection levees, new bridges, drainage projects and pump stations, as well as projects that promote the area’s culture, educating the public and interaction with nature, such as Lafitte's Barataria Museum and Wetland Trace, the town’s new Seafood Pavilion and Market and the planned Wetland Educational Center.
Other notable efforts that tie in with the KLB’s mission include litter pick-up, signage, beautification projects and work with local groups such as the Swamp and Garden Club that maintain and plant native plants at the visitor center and museum and upkeep of the two miles of trails at the Wetland Trace behind the town’s museum and future Wetland Educational Center. The town has also just completed a Town Center Sidewalk and Beautification Project that includes two miles of walkways that were landscaped with mature trees, shrubs and plants.
Founded in 2000, Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s focus on education, enforcement, awareness, litter removal and beautification. Their 39 affiliates and 35,000 volunteers improve communities and transform public spaces.
Each year, Keep Louisiana Beautiful recognizes those individuals who commit to delivering cleaner, greener and more beautiful communities at the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Annual Everyday Heroes Awards Banquet held in Baton Rouge.