FIELD TURF…? MAYBE SO

Matthew Bennett
February 24, 2017
Chopper crashes in Terrebonne
February 27, 2017
Matthew Bennett
February 24, 2017
Chopper crashes in Terrebonne
February 27, 2017

The local economy may have stumbled a bit in 2016, but a few big-time recreational projects still made great strides toward becoming reality, which is good news for folks in Lafourche Parish.

Recreational facilities projects took giant leaps forward in the past 12 months, which has paved the way for what many expect could be a big-time year – regardless of what happens with the price of oil.


GOLDEN MEADOW SKATEPARK

Work is done on the Golden Meadow Skatepark, and the facility opened on Thursday afternoon for skaters.

Construction on the park started in mid-June, and the six-figure project, which was designed by Spohn Ranch Skateparks, will give an outlet to a segment of the community that “was forgotten,” according to former Golden Meadow councilwoman Priscilla Mounic, who took the project under her wing and saw it to fruition during her time in town government.


“A community should be a place that everyone can enjoy,” Mounic said during a planning meeting for the park. “And right now, there’s a clear segment of our population that’s left out. There’s no place for children and adults who enjoy skating and skateboarding to go. Actually, they have it worse than anyone else. For them, there’s usually even giant signs warning them to stay away.”

The park was expected to be completed in the past fall, but construction delays pushed the project into 2017, creating a lot of nervous energy for a lot of the local skaters who can’t wait to test the park out.

For the past several weeks, the structure has been in place, and the only thing missing have been “touch-ups,” according to Golden Meadow officials.


“We can’t wait to skate it,” said Galliano native Bret Duet. “It’s going to be a great thing for our community. I think this is something that the people here deserve.”

The facility was paid for by money given to Golden Meadow by the Lafourche Parish Council.

According to Vincent Onel, a designer and developer with Spohn Ranch Skateparks, the park was created with everyone’s interests in mind. He added that it will be a facility that can be skated comfortably by both beginners and experts.


“Everyone will be able to enjoy it. We didn’t seek to leave anyone out at all when we made our design,” Onel said. “We think it’s going to be something that everyone is proud of and can really enjoy.”

Golden Meadow mayor Joey Bouziga said the town will have signs posted across the facility, informing skaters that they are on their own when testing the facility.

“Skate at your own risk,” Bouziga said. “You’re on your own.”


LAFOURCHE FIELD TURF MAKES PROGRESS

The Golden Meadow Skatepark is in the final stages of completion and should open very soon.

As that wraps up, another long-anticipated project is moving to the forefront and has a very good shot at becoming real in the coming year.


The Lafourche Parish School Board got creative in the past year and has seemingly found a way to fund field turf to the parish’s high schools – assuming area voters opt to renew a millage that’s already in place.

School board officials said they can use a millage designed for school-related facilities to generate the money necessary to lay turf at all three schools.

The obstacle will be getting the millage renewed this spring at the polls.


The millage has been in place since the ’70s, and has helped fund countless facility upgrades or building construction projects throughout Lafourche.

“We need the fields badly,” Central Lafourche football coach Keith Menard said. “Our facilities are overworked, and it’s going to be a problem that’s not going to go away until we get this done. … It’s a safety issue, and our kids shouldn’t be at risk.”

The quest for turf has been an ongoing battle for more than a decade in both Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.


When it’s a wet summer, the fields take a beating, which is part of the problem.

Also part of the problem is that the grass never gets a chance to breathe, because of middle school games, P.E. classes, band practices and other functions that take place in our area’s stadiums.

“They do these studies and tell you how many contests your field can host in a year before the grass is worn down,” Menard said. “For our field, we are over that suggested number in the first month of football season most of the time. It’s just too much. We can’t keep up. We’ll never be able to.”


The school board met on Feb. 1, and passed a measure by a 13-0-2 vote, which will send the millage renewal to voters on April 29.

The fact that the project has made it this far is seen as progress, according to Menard and other head coaches in the area, who said they’re glad their voices are being heard.

TERREBONNE SCRATCHING FOR CASH TO ADVANCE PARK


In Terrebonne Parish, some progress was made on the Bayou Country Sports Park in the past 12 months, but things currently sit at a standstill because of the tough economic climate in Louisiana.

Officials with Terrebonne Parish Government said crews have been working diligently on the park in an effort to complete baseball and softball fields to get them ready for competition.

Fields have been laid, fencing has been built and finishing touches are currently being added to 10 fields total – five for baseball and five for softball – at the sports complex, that is expected to completely change parish recreation in the future.


But now, things are slowed down.

The current work being done is part of phase two of the baseball/softball field project. A third phase will complete competition-necessary logistics like press boxes, parking and seating, among other things.

Work on those aspects is not yet feasible, because more than $5 million was cut from the money Terrebonne Parish was set to receive for the project after the state slashed its Capital Outlay Projects budget.


Alternative plans are currently being made to try and squeeze money out of the state to continue to piece construction along. Other funding sources are local motel taxes and income from parish recreation.

When completed fully, the park will cover 100 acres of land and will be a local hub for soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, basketball and several other sports.

The park will feature a pond for kayaking, and will also feature Frisbee golf and a bike trail, among other activities.


“It will be great for us,” Parish President Gordon Dove said this past winter. “But right now, it’s hard, because money is at a premium, and when money is at a premium, it’s hard to get recreational parks like this built.”

When it rains over the summer, our area’s football fields take a beating, much like the South Terrebonne High School field did this past football season. Lafourche Parish is asking voters to renew a millage in April, which if extended, would fund field turf for the parish’s three high schools.

KARL GOMMEL | THE TIMES


The Bayou Country Sports Park, when completed, will look like this – a gorgeous facility that will offer recreational opportunities for everyone in the parish. But with the current economic downturn in the state, money for the project is at a premium, according to local leaders, who said they are trying to find different sources of income for the project.

COURTESY | THE TIMES