The St. Charles Parish Parks and Recreation Department began construction on an over $3.5 million revitalization project for East Bank Bridge Park on Monday, Nov. 4.
During the renovations, most of the park will remain closed, according to Grayson Touchard, a spokesperson for the Parks and Recreation Department. She said the gravel lot and playground are currently open but will close when the gravel lot is paved.
Civil and Environmental Consulting Engineers of Luling designed the project, which is expected to be completed in April 2025.
The renovations will include two new tennis courts, two pickleball courts, a batting cage and a basketball court. Jones Construction Solutions, LLC, the contractor for the project, will also add turf infields on both fields at the park, fresh grass outfields with an irrigation system, and updates to fencing, backstops and dugouts. The company will install new light poles and LED fixtures at the tennis courts, Field 1 and Field 2, according to Touchard.
Touchard said Valero St. Charles donated $500,000 for the new turf fields, and the Louisiana Department of the Treasury allocated $750,000 to the project. The parish will contribute nearly $2.5 million from parish funds.
The renovations at the East Bank Bridge Park follow updates to the West Bank Bridge Park, which the parish completed in April. That project received funding from Dow and included similar updates as the ones planed for the East Bank Bridge Park: new turf infields; fresh grass outfields with an irrigation system; updates to fencing, backstops and dugouts; four new pickleball courts; updates to two tennis courts; and enhanced lighting with LED fixtures.
Touchard said the Parks and Recreation Department is excited to create equal opportunities on both sides of the river with the renovation projects.
“The community has responded great to the renovations at West Bank Bridge Park, with the turf fields quickly becoming a favorite feature,” she said. “The upgraded baseball fields and the addition of two new pickleball courts will be great enhancements for East Bank residents.”
In a press release, Parish President Matthew Jewell said the East and West Bank Bridge Park are flagship parks in the parish.
“It’s really exciting that by the middle of 2025, we’ll have world-class facilities on both sides of the river for residents to enjoy,” Jewell said.
St. Charles Parish Parks and Recreation Director Duane Foret said in a statement that the capital investment in the renovation project demonstrates the parish’s dedication to continually pursuing improvements that enhance the quality of life for residents.
“I am thrilled for our residents to enjoy another significant enhancement to one of our parks and eagerly anticipate the new state-of-the-art upgrades,” he said.
