Friends of Bayou Lafourche Breaks Ground on Nicholls Bayou-Side Park

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Friends of Bayou Lafourche, Inc. (FOBL) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday January 27th, 2021 at the construction site where work begins on Phase #1 of their Nicholls Bayou-Side redevelopment project. The improvements will take place on the Nicholls batture property near the intersection on La Highway 1 and Bowie Road. The park, which will be open to the public, will include an off-street parking lot, areas for loading/unloading paddle powered boats, a custom boat slide for kayaks, a pavilion, boardwalk, floating dock, connectivity to the existing walking trail, seating, bike racks, and more.


 

The concept of revitalizing the university’s batture property began in 2017 when FOBL representatives met with the Nicholls State University administration to discuss the feasibility of developing a comprehensive plan for the property. Shortly after, Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou committed Tourism Investment Program dollars to the development of a master plan for the 7.5-acre tract, and a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between FOBL and Nicholls was executed. FOBL procured the services of Duplantis Design Group in 2018 to develop a phased master plan through a series of planning meetings with Nicholls administration, faculty, staff, student leaders, and community key stakeholders. Once the master plan was completed, Friends of Bayou Lafourche wasted no time in seeking funding sources that would pay for the construction of the bayou-side park. The Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District played a crucial role in assisting with acquisition of construction dollars for the project. By mid-2019, FOBL had secured enough funding to proceed with the design and construction of the first phase. Funding for phase #1 was committed by the Louisiana Recreational Trails Program, the Lorio Foundation, Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou, and Friends of Bayou Lafourche. In 2020 FOBL hired T. Baker Smith for the design work, which included topographic surveys, a geotechnical study, and engineering. Permitting and construction bidding was completed in late 2020.

 

Foret Contracting Group has been selected as the construction contractor for the project, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 1st and be ready for public use in May of 2021. Friends of Bayou Lafourche will host a public ribbon cutting upon the completion of the project.

 

Ryan M. Perque, Executive Director for Friends of Bayou Lafourche, said “It is exciting to be turning dirt on this project. It required the trust of many individuals and organizations to bring this new facility to fruition, and I am incredibly grateful to those that had faith in Friends of Bayou Lafourche to get this project done. While this is a milestone for our organization, our work to revitalize Bayou Lafourche into a scenic waterway with recreational attractions is just beginning with several other brick & mortar projects slated for construction in the next 2-3 years.”


 

Nicholls State University President, Dr. Jay Clune said “”Friends of Bayou Lafourche is a wonderful partner of Nicholls State University, restoring the bayou that defines this institution. The Bayou-Side Redevelopment will create a beautiful front yard for Nicholls and provide access for our campus community. I can certainly see this being a strong selling point when we tour students and their families around campus.”

 

Ground Breaking Picture: Pictured Left to Right: Matthew Thornton, TBS; Benton Foret, Foret Group; Dr. Jay Clune, Nicholls; Chris Terracina, Lorio Foundation; Ryan Perque, Friends of Bayou Lafourche

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Friends of Bayou Lafourche Inc. was formed by several concerned community members and the Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District in 2016 and is recognized as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The mission of FOBL is to raise the awareness of the importance of Bayou Lafourche and its revitalization, through education and informational outreach, and by the creation of recreation and beautification opportunities along the bayou.

 

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Ryan M. Perque at 985.665.8474 or email at ryan.perque@bayoulafourche.org