Putt-Putt Golf, Carousel And Coulee Re-Naturalization All Possibilities At Lafayette Central Park

With the latest round of public workshops dedicated to the development of Lafayette Central Park at the Horse Farm nearly complete, the details surrounding the park are beginning to take shape. Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel joined “Nathan and Bernie in the Morning” to discuss the progress of Lafayette Central Park and to reveal some of the exciting attractions under consideration.

We keep using the term “World Class Park” and that’s what we’re striving for

"It’s really getting interesting," said Durel, "because as the consultant put it, you start off by painting with great big wide strokes, now we’re painting with strokes from the elbow to the wrist. Next we’ll just be using the wrist, so you’ll start seeing more details."

One of the main points of interest for the future of Lafayette Central Park is the planned attractions and the means by which those attractions will be funded. Many of the top parks in the world feature revenue generating attractions like putt-putt golf, carousels and ice rinks to fund the park's upkeep. Durel says these revenue generating attractions are vital to any park's success.

When you see the pictures of very natural botanical gardens, that also generate several hundred thousand dollars, the fact of the matter is, you’re either going to pay for it with taxes, donations or self generating money. - Joey Durel

During these early stages of development all options are still on the table, including one project Durel describes as ambitious but beneficial.

"I would say the one that’s the most complicated, but yet could have the biggest impact on the park, is re-naturalizing the coulee," explained Durel. "It’s commonly being done all over the place, and it actually helps filter the water into the bayou."

The last public workshop for this stage of park development will take place today at 11pm at the South Regional Library.