Residents are going to see some changes at Lambert Park over the next few weeks as projects to replace damaged items and upgrades are completed.
Jay LaFargue, president of the recreation board over Lambert Park, said workers began on Wednesday, September 1, tearing down the front fence, which was damaged during Hurricane Laura. Citizens should see the new fence construction begin as early as Friday.
During the hurricane a tree fell on the fence and hurricane winds pushed tin from the nearby church onto the fence causing more damage. LaFargue said the front fence is going to be replaced along with a section of fence at the big girls’ softball field located on the northeast or east side of the park.
“The whole side will be replaced.” Also, the east side fence that separates the new addition will be taken down, but not replaced. “We will be working on getting that section developed in the near future,” he said. “We have numerous, yet exciting projects, taking place so please bare with us in the upcoming weeks.”
At the entrance, a new sign is going to be erected with the name Lambert Park on it, and the gates will come down. He said the new sign is being constructed from metal.
Inside the park, citizens will see a rebuild of some of the bathrooms and additional new bathrooms will be erected at the baseball fields. LaFargue said the old bathrooms will be renovated to feature commercial grade equipment inside instead of the residential stuff that now exists. “They are going to be better,” he said. The new bathroom addition will feature three stalls for boys and three stalls for girls – a total of six in one building.
The press box behind the home plate is going to be removed, and the area re-cemented.
The present concession stand is coming down. In its place will be a new pavilion. First the electricity will be cut off to the concession stand, and then it will be demolished. He said the structure planned will measure 40×80 and provide relief from the heat during hot summer days. The pavilion will be equipped with two large ceiling fans.
Concessions will be taken care of by a food truck which has been contracted by the board to sell concessions. LaFargue said it was becoming difficult to get teens to work the concession stand, so when plans for improvements were put forth, the board decided to utilize a food truck for concessions.
A new batting cage will be going up. “It should take about six weeks to complete these projects,” LaFargue said. “It’s outdated. The park needed a new face lift. Some of the stuff at the park was falling apart and needed to be updated or replaced.”
The renovations are being made through bond money approved by voters approximately three years ago. LaFargue said when board members begin looking at bid costs, it was decided to use the money in a wiser way to update the park and get the most for the dollars the board had on hand.
The board’s future plans are to add another field to its present ballfield configuration. He said the board’s goal is to create six fields. He said it will probably take a year or two to complete that phase of the project.
The future also included updating playground equipment which LaFargue said should be a lot sooner than later. The new parking lot put into place about three years ago needs some work done.
The project was given through the state’s bid process. LaFargue said local contractors were used when possible. He said Michael Duplechain is in charge of fencing. Jason Lovejoy is remodeling the old bathroom.
Persons interested in attending meetings can attend on the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Board members include LaFargue, Kenneth Kingrey, vice president; Meagan Johnson Mills, secretary/treasurer; David LaFargue and Ronald January.
