The parish council unanimously approved the first step toward a new gymnasium at East Bank Bridge Park in Destrehan on Monday, May 5.
The approved ordinance allows the parks and recreation department to execute an agreement with Murray Architects, Inc. to design the gym in the amount of $356,901.
In presenting the ordinance to the council, Duane Foret, director of the parks and recreation department, said the department’s 2012 master plan named gym space and a boat launch on the East Bank as the two greatest needs. The 2023 updated master plan said the same.
“If you play basketball and volleyball, you know the constraints we have,” he said. “The school system has been great with user-facility agreements that we have, but this facility gives us the ability to enhance our youth program, adult program, special athletes program, and our senior program that has really taken off.”
He said the park’s gym will include programing for all facets of the community.
Holly Fonseca, councilwoman-at-large, said COVID and Hurricane Ida interrupted plans for the gym in 2020 and 2021.
“It’s no secret that we are in dire need of gymnasium space, so we welcome that for sure,” she said. “I’m definitely looking forward to this project.”
Councilman Walter Pilié said he received a negative comment from a resident about the gym and the parish’s budget, but Pilié said he confirmed the gym is in the parish’s budget.
“I’m very big on having money in drainage projects and getting those done,” he said. “But, thinking that we can move money from here to drainage is a little bit too much. There are people older than me who find that recreation in this parish is a very important aspect of life. So, I consequentially feel like, despite a negative comment, this is a very necessary thing, and I am in support of it.”
He said that, although he is not the type of person to frequent recreation spaces, he asked his daughter how many of her friends would use the gym.
“They are overwhelmingly in support of the gym and the facilities,” he said.
Councilwoman Michelle O’Daniels asked Foret if East Bank residents could use the gym in cases of extreme weather.
“It’s multiuse in that facet,” Foret responded. “That adds a lot of value to us on the East Bank and West Bank. We currently run shelters year-round, warming shelters, snow shelters, shelters of last resort currently at the community center.”
Councilman Bob Fisher said the parish has talked about a multiuse building on the East Bank for over 10 years.
“We have to be charged to balance the needs of St. Charles Parish,” he said. “We all know drainage is important, but we must maintain quality of life. This is a quality-of-life issue. We are focused on drainage, and I think everybody out there knows we are focused on drainage. I definitely want to see us using our recreation money wisely and using our drainage money wisely.”
In November, the parks and recreation department began construction on an over $3.5 million revitalization project for East Bank Bridge Park. The renovations include two new tennis courts, two pickleball courts, a batting cage, a basketball court, and other improvements, including turf fields, updated fencing and LED light fixtures.
