Karl D. Jeter
karl.jeter@techetoday.com
Breaux Bridge – The city council here has accepted architect Glenn Angelle’s preliminary plan for a $975,000 redesign of Breaux Bridge’s flagship park.
As described by the architect at the Sept. 12 city council meeting, this round of upgrades to Parc Hardy will focus entirely on the front and middle sections of the park, rather than the sports field area. The design will target improvements compatible with the Crawfish Festival, but that will also render the park more useful year-round.
Notable elements of the initial design include:
•Improving flow of traffic through the park by changing the food-vending area. The current design essentially cuts the park in half and directs foot traffic through a central walk-through. In the proposed redesign, food vendors will be located in two courts running east-west along both sides of the central area.
This “central axis,” Angelle said, will create a more inclusive year-round access to the park and help with crowd flow during the festival.
•Green space will be added. A large raised lawn area will be added at the center of the park. During events like the Crawfish Festival, the lawn will provide sitting space in front of the main stage. At other times it will make the park more inviting for picnics, sunning and lounging.
•A large 40’ by 100’ pavilion will be built in the area used by craft vendors during the festival. It will be the largest pavilion at the park and will provide rain shelter and event space.
Smaller multi-use pavilions will be included as well.
•A dog park will be added. A private donor will provide $50,000 in funding. There will be separate areas for small and large dogs. The preliminary drawings show the dog park in the area nearest Rees Street, but that may change, as some council members voiced concern about that location.
•Basketball courts will be added in the area occupied by the rear stage during the festival. Provisions will be included to add tennis courts and a splash pad at a later time.
•Walking path improvements will include lighting and the addition of benches.
•The existing playground area will be upgraded.
The council approved engaging Angelle to produce a final plan. The architect said he should have the design work complete around the end of the year. Mayor Ricky Calais said a $250,000 upgrade of Carl Williams Park is nearly ready to begin. He said the work there is expected to start in the coming weeks.
In other business, Breaux Bridge High principal Louis Blanchard gave a presentation on construction work at the school during the summer and ongoing academic improvements.
Just short of $5 million was spent on improvements that included the construction of eight new classrooms, interior painting, restroom renovations, parking lot and drainage upgrades and a new field house for the football team.
Academically, Blanchard said BBHS showed the most improvement in Louisiana last year on advanced placement tests. He added that the current graduation rate above 80 percent represents a marked improvement over past years, when rates have dipped below the 70 percent level at times.