From its conception, the city’s planned Southside Park has been intended to provide recreational and social opportunities to special needs and limited mobility residents. For more than two years, a group of residents with a particular interest in that large, but neglected local population, has been involved in the park’s design.
The South Main Park Planning Committee was organized by Dist. A councilwoman Brenda Castille Hobbs. It is composed of family members of special needs children, mobility-challenged adults, elderly residents and other supporters of more inclusive public facilities.
Committee members stress that nothing like the proposed park exists in the Acadiana area. Mauricia Ledet Walters said she has often driven to Lafayette with her son Reese to visit a far less ambitious facility there, because there is nothing else. By the same token, she said, it will bring people from all over the area to take advantage of this welcoming facility.
“Our children need to have fun activities like everybody else,” said member Colt Patin. “But it’s more than that, they need to be able to make contact with other kids, develop relationship networks and generally be a part of community life.”
Wheelchair-bound committee member Barbara Gary added, “A park like this will allow me to go outdoors and play with my grandchildren. You can’t imagine how much that will mean to me and others like me.”
User-friendly features of the design, reflecting the committee’s recommendations and architectural input from A&E Consulting, include the following:
•A drop off/pick-up area designed for easy access for wheelchairs and mobility-limited users;
•A soft-surface walking track;
•Handicap-usable playground equipment over a soft surfaced pad;
•Specially designed workout stations appropriate for all residents, but usable by the mobility-limited;
•Fencing and grab bars located to help less-steady users;
•Security barriers so caretakers can allow use of the facilities with less supervision;
•Shaded benches.
“This will say so much about the Breaux Bridge community.” said Hobbs.