Crews have spent the last three weeks clearing land along Theriot Road in Moss Bluff to work on another phase of River Bluff Park that includes restrooms, parking and an area complete with amenities like a playground, a splash pad and fitness equipment.
Dean Kelly, director of facility management for the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, said the next phase will include picnic gazebos and walking paths.
“I think this is the big piece the majority of folks are waiting on,” he said. “You have all the amenities that people have come to expect in our other parks.”
The work is being done by Miller and Associates, a company based in Iowa, La., that submitted the winning bid of $3.05 million. Kelly said it is expected to take 10 months to one year to finish.
Project cost
Kelly said this phase was forced to go through a second bidding process after the first attempt came back with bids that were way over the initial $3.5 million budget estimated by David Brossett of Brossett Architects. Two bids were received, with one bidder backing out, leaving the other bid at just over $5 million, an amount that was rejected.
Kelly attributes the rising cost of the bids to “the big industrial boom” going on in the area.
“We saw the price of concrete, other materials and labor go up,” he said. “It was timing that drove the cost up, and there’s nothing you can do about that.”
Officials had to take a second look at the scope of work and find ways to lower the estimated cost. The modified phase removed the 4,789-square-foot rentable pavilion, cutting the cost by $1.5 million to $2 million. Kelly said the rentable pavilion will be built in another phase.
Earlier work
The Police Jury in 2009 purchased nearly 27 acres of property surrounding the Old U.S. 171 boat launch for $1.5 million and completed a master plan on the park in 2011. Kelly said the master plan showed officials that the boat launch and parking lot were the biggest needs. Officials marked the start of that work with a groundbreaking in February 2014.
Work on the boat launch and parking lot was done in early 2015. The next phase, which included restrooms, was finished earlier this year.
Park amenities
While residents considered the boat launch the most important aspect, Kelly said building a play area for children was the second-highest priority.
“We went through a real public planning process, and we included children,” he said. “All of the kids talked about a safe place to play in Moss Bluff.”
Kelly said the walking area is designed to keep parents close to their children. The exercise equipment will be in a condensed location near an open grass area for children.
“We feel it’s a little bit safer,” he said. “Parents can have a little separation, but they are within earshot of their children at all times.”
The playground areas allow for different age groups of children, including ages 2-5 and ages 5-12. He described the play area as “inclusive play” and said it provides equipment for children with physical and mental disabilities. Swings with a full body harness will be available for children with autism.
The park will include a seating wall where the property slopes down into the wetlands.
Kelly said the phase is designed to “save every tree that we can.” While gathering public feedback, he said residents stressed their dislike of “developers coming and just bulldozing everything and building.”
“We were happy to hear that because that’s not necessarily what we wanted to do either,” Kelly said. “The reality is when you build parking lots and drives, you have to bulldoze a lot of that stuff. We wanted to safeguard as much of that natural canopy as we could.”
Kelly said the last part of the plan calls for planting more trees.
“Part of the theme is to get into nature and enjoy this park for what it is,” he said. “We want folks to not only enjoy the built environment, but experience the natural environment that’s there. That’s the real beauty of this park.”
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