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The Rotary of Houma Club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021 and a part of the celebration includes the Rotary Centennial Plaza that will be built in Downtown Houma with construction beginning very soon.
Chris Pulaski, Director of the Houma-Terrebonne Regional Planning Commission and Director of Zoning and Land Use, explained that Terrebonne Parish completed a comprehensive master plan titled, “Vision 2030.” One chapter in the master plan was dedicated to the downtown area and one of the objectives to meet the goals of economic development was to close the short block of Belanger to transform it into a pedestrian plaza. That’s when the Rotary Club of Houma made that vision a reality.
The Rotary Club of Houma has been serving the community since its inception on November 1, 1921. Years before the club celebrated its 100th anniversary, the club came together to determine what can be done to mark the club’s milestone. Jerry Ledet, Rotary Club of Houma’s 2020-2021 President said they wanted to make a lasting footprint and contribute to the community. “To do that, we reached out to 45 non-profits, committees, and organizations in the area seeking their input on what was needed. While the responses were varied, the underlying message was that we lacked a gathering place – an area where citizens can come together, without a fee, to socialize and meet,” Ledet explained.
From there, a committee was formed within the club to determine how to achieve the mission. They agreed on a project that was on the drawing board with the Houma Downtown Development Corporation (HDDC). The club worked with HDDC and Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government (TPCG) to create a pedestrian plaza that will be the Rotary Centennial Plaza, “[It’s] our gift to the citizens of Terrebonne Parish in commemoration of turning 100,” Ledet said, “It is a celebration of Rotary being a part of our community for a lifetime and more.”
Ledet is excited about the construction of the plaza, “Our club began this journey in 2017 towards our centennial year of 2021. We spent years researching a project and then subsequently raising money to bring it to reality,“ he said. “To date, our club has raised nearly $300,000 for the plaza. The process, including design and development, was quite time-consuming and tedious. So, to see construction begin is both exciting and rewarding for our members.”
The plaza will be located on Belanger Street in Downtown Houma, on the short block off Main Street, behind Mahony’s/The Balcony. The project, which is contracted by Thibodaux-based Norris & Boudreaux Contractors, LLC, is expected to take 150 days to complete. The official clock started on October 13, which means the tentative completion date is mid-March 2023. Landscaping will be done by Duplantis Design Group (DDG).
The plaza will create a lit arched walkway with pavers and will have tables and chairs for patrons to enjoy. Want a coffee and beignet while soaking in the sun? How about evening beverages with a friend? The area will create a gathering space in the historic downtown area. Not only will patrons enjoy the walkway, but the parking lot across Downtown Jeaux’s Coffee Café will be used for community events and parking during the week. Pulaski explained that the lot will be used as flex space for the park for outdoor events such as outdoor movies, or could be used as space for a band to entertain plaza events. Patrons will be welcomed with “Rotary Centennial Plaza” inscribed in metal above the archways upon entrance.
So what are the specific plans? Pulaski explained that the concrete, curbs, and street panels will be removed and replaced with concrete pavers. That means the roadway will be level across which eliminates the large step you now have to take from street to curb. This will allow for a more seamless area and local businesses can utilize the sidewalk space more than they currently can.
The first step that will be done is the work on the parking lot across from Downtown Jeaux’s Coffee Café; the opening will be moved to Church Street, and there will be fencing added around the lot which is scheduled to be delivered this Thursday, October 27. The phases will be done in small increments so that Belanger Street can remain open. Also, no worries if you start seeing some material being stored in the gravel portion of the parking lot on the corner of School and Grinage Streets, the lot will still be able to be utilized, “We’re trying to inconvenience everybody as little as possible, “Pulaski explained.
Pulaski said the businesses that line the street are the number one priority and have been working with the business owners from the beginning to ensure the businesses have the least amount of inconvenience possible. First, the pavers will be complete on the areas between the business entrances, and then the spaces in front of the doors will be the very last thing done. Please make note that vehicular traffic will be prohibited during the construction, but the area will still be open to patrons visiting local businesses!
It is a $1.2 million project with a quarter million dollars raised by the Rotary Club, and the remaining funds came from a combination of the HDDC, Explore Houma, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, and local legislative delegation who was able to find funding with a little over $900,000, “It’s a lot of people partnering up, but that’s how these things happen,” Pulaski said. President Gordon Dove has also been excited to move forward with the project, “We knew this would be a major message to the public that things are happening,” Pulaski said.
The bandstand and the upcoming plaza are tangible ways to see the momentum of the revitalization of Downtown Houma which reflects what the Rotary Club of Houma stands for, “For the past 100 plus years, Rotary has been a leader in improving the quality of life in our community. Our club sponsored the formation of the Boy and Girl Scouts in Terrebonne Parish, aided in locating a spot for our US Post Office on Lafayette, helped with our public libraries, completed playgrounds like Harmon Park, aided in gathering support for the Sugar Cane Experimental Station to be located in Houma and sponsored a program to promote the construction of our tunnel under the Intracoastal Canal,” Ledet explained, “ In addition, our club was instrumental in bringing the YMCA and United Way to this region along with the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence. That list is a small portion of the work of Rotary for 100-plus years here locally. Therefore, it is only fitting that the next project be a plaza that can serve as a catalyst or launching pad for the revitalization of our downtown.”
Here are the latest renderings of the Rotary Centennial Plaza:
