At its Oct. 20 meeting, the parish council approved a $4,989,859 contract with Cycle Construction Company, LLC to build a boat launch in Des Allemands, bringing a long-awaited project to fruition.
The boat launch will sit on nearly 110-acres south of US Highway 90 between Bayou Des Allemands and WPA Road. The new recreational area will include two launch bays, nearly 100 parking spaces, two pavilions with fish cleaning stations, two pavilions with bench swings, restrooms, and 200 feet of dock. Construction of the boat launch is expected to begin in early 2026 and last about one year.
The project is finally moving forward after years of fits and starts. In spring of 2021 the St. Charles Parish Council unanimously voted to approve a donation of 109.8 acres of land by Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit to the parish for the purpose of a boat launch and recreational area along Bayou Des Allemands. Talks between the parish and Chevron over the gift began in 2018; former councilman Paul Hogan said he approached Chevron to discuss a donation that year. Three years later, the parish council approved an agreement with Duplantis Design Group for the design of the Des Allemands Boat Launch.
But then the project experienced several setbacks. Hurricane Ida’s impact required the department to shift focus to recovery efforts. The parish also had to wait for the completion of an access road, which was worked into the Lafourche Basin Levee District’s Sunset Levee Lift Project in 2023 as a cost saving measure for both the LBLD and the parish.
In a press release, Parish President Matthew Jewell said fishermen and sportsmen in the parish have long awaited the boat launch.
“I’d like to thank the St. Charles Parish Council and our parish staff for their hard work and commitment in bringing this project to this point,” Jewell said in the release.
The parish announced July 31 that it would accept bids for the construction of the boat launch.
The department of parks and recreation will contribute most of the funds for the project from its budget. But the parish did receive two grants to help cover the cost, including close to $2 million from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds from the BP Oil Spill. That grant is awarded by the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. A total of $514,008.95 for the project comes from RESTORE Act funds, which is distributed by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Congress passed the RESTORE Act after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to make sure communities, economies and environments damaged by the spill benefited from the fines paid by the companies responsible for the disaster.
Francesca Blanchard, a spokesperson for the parish, said the boat launch is a collaborative effort between the departments of parks and recreation and public works.
“While funding is provided through the recreation department’s budget and this will be a recreation facility, public works has taken the lead on design and will oversee construction,” Blanchard said. “This joint effort is another testament to St. Charles Parish Government’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life for our residents.”
