Tailgate partiers, parade attendees and outdoor enthusiasts in the Pearl River area may soon have an easier time preparing for their adventures, if Arthur and Phyllis Reifke have their way.

The owners of Red Baron Services, the couple is hoping to install an automated ice machine in the south parking lot of NAPA Auto Parts at U.S. Highway 11 and Louisiana Highway 41. They presented the plan to the Pearl River Board of Aldermen during its March 11 meeting.

The idea clearly has its appeal. For $1.50, the machine dispenses 16 pounds of bagged or 20 pounds of bulk ice in about eight seconds.

Pearl River could soon have its own automated ice machine, similar to this one in Georgia. (Photo Courtesy of Arthur Reifke)

However, newer zoning restrictions and the proposed location of the machine led the board to table its approval of the project.

"It's a good idea, but I'm not sure that's a good place to put it," said Alderwoman Ruby Gauley. "Access is very important, and we don't want to have a traffic jam right there."

The Reifkes are in the process of negotiating a lease with property owner Arthur Crawford for a 25-foot by 30-foot pad in the southeast corner of the NAPA parking lot. Zoning rules, modified a few years ago, now require all parking lots to be entirely paved before new businesses can be added at the site. Crawford has not yet done so.

The machine will also face the entrance to the Windsong subdivision. A fence that once separated the lot from Windsong Drive was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina and has not been replaced. A new fence may need to be built before the machine can be installed to provide privacy for property owners.

The board agreed a visit to the site was in order to get a better idea of what is needed to make the project work. Board members may also travel to look at a similar machine, the nearest of which are in Bogalusa and Picayune, Miss.

In other business, Alderman Virgil Phillips presented an update on the proposed master plan for Poitevent Park, formerly known as Cavenham Park. Members of Recreation Districts 5 and 7 have together generated $170,000 toward the continued development of the park, which now encompasses 73 acres.

An architect is needed to help lay out the park plan. Parish Councilwoman Becky Crawford-Howell has offered to contact the university systems to see if an engineering class might be willing to take it on as a class project.

In addition, 10 acres are to be designated as wetlands, not to be developed, and the Weyerhauser Co. has one year to clear the area of timber.

It was also proposed that the Hickory Recreation Center be sold to the parish, with the resulting revenue channeled back into park development.

Phillips stressed the need for public input, urging citizens to attend meetings of the park board, held the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Hickory Recreation Center.

"There are plans for an amphitheater, soccer fields and a lot more, and the biggest issue of course is parking," said Phillips. "We want to make sure we don't give up the wrong area for parking lots."

The board also argued during the meeting on the issue of code enforcement against blighted properties. Several residential and business property owners have been issued certified letters, ordering them to clean up their property, but have failed to comply. The board debated on the next step to take and whether they could in fact enforce compliance by issuing a citation.

Tuesday's meeting also saw Alderwoman Marie Crowe take the reins of the Clean City Contest, previously chaired by Gauley, who admitted she is "spread too thin" to continue leading the project.

The contest is set to take place in April, but the board may move not to participate this year and instead take part in a semi-annual citywide cleanup.

In addition, Acadian Ambulance was granted a renewal of its occupational license for 2008, despite pressure from Fire District 11 Chief Robbie Crowe to grant his agency sole provider status. The motion was unanimously passed, with Crowe abstaining.