BREC

[richyb83]

You really think a large park on Jefferson/Corporate would work?? Independence Park is too close; just on the other side of Old Goodwood. As the crow flies City Park would only be about 2 miles way. Personally I think BR has plenty of parks spaced out fairly evenly.

Edited June 1, 2008 by richyb83

[byrde]

I agree Richy. Indy is already a large park in the middle of the city. No need for something along Jefferson/Corporate. There is also a park on Jefferson just south of Bocage with a tennis court, pool and rec center.

[byrde]

Baton Rouge Beach now Wampold Park

Developer

[nquint1]

The building on the corner of 7th and Convention has been demolished. I guess work on the park will begin soon.

[byrde]

Park to get caf

[richyb83]

Congrats Bryde to your 1000th POST!!!

And what a good post it is! You beat me to it; saw this earlier; very impressive! What a versatile facility it will be! This sure will transform Greenwood Park and compliment the Greater BR Zoo!

This kind of park seems to be more what cajun was hoping for??

[richyb83]

^The new-lookGreenwood Park certainly has the making of a nice regional park.... and so will Perkins Road Park!!!

*Looks like the brown line/arrows meandering along the waterway on the bottom of pic will be the BREC bikepath/walk-way that eventually links the University Lakes with the Medical Mile(2nd phase); to Perkins Rowe/The Grove/ to Siegen

BREC to renovate Perkins Road Park into the first local "Extreme" sports venue.

When completed next year, the park at the intersection of Perkins Road and Kenilworth Parkway will feature a state-of-the-art skate park and a totally revamped off-road bicycle, or BMX, race course. The project will also renovate the existing tennis courts and construct new sand volleyball courts, a new climbing tower and a new playground.

The 52-acre park already features the Velodrome, a cycling stadium that BREC officials intend to improve as part of the proposed makeover. BREC Superintendent Bill Palmer said construction should take a little over a year.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/40521832.html

[byrde]

I like the updates they are making to the local parks. With Greenwood and Perkins being upadated we will have two additional parks to help improve the quality of life in the city/region. Howell Park is currently undergoing a transformation. Hopefully they'll be finish by the summer.

[cajun]

Nice.

Maybe people will stop being afraid of taxes in Baton Rouge and push for better parks (and roads, etc).....but that's not very "cajun" of me. I'd love to see more park improvements and more walking/bike/running trails.

[richyb83]

Don't need the University Lakes returning back to its roots as Swamp land...hopefully new digging technology

won't require as much maintenance??

University, BREC, city seek funding to keep LSU Lakes

The murky waters bordering the edge of the University provides a recreational locale for the Baton Rouge community

[richyb83]

BREC water park approved

The East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission approved a $6.4 million construction contract Thursday to build The Independence Park Family Aquatic Center.

The new park, slated to open on Memorial Day in 2010, is a 3.23-acre facility that will feature a

[richyb83]

Nice Park additions, improvements, renovations , etc...all across EBR Parish! Really too many to name...

Parks project pushes forward; Renovations continue at parishwide locales

* The plan includes three new parks: a sports park in Central, the Zachary Community Park and an unnamed park that will be built in the northeast part of the parish after land is purchased...

* One of the first projects to be completed was the renovation of and additions to City-Brooks Community Park near the Garden District including new tennis courts and a tennis complex, a dog park and a new playground on Picnic Hill;

expansion included a $1 million overhaul to the nearly 80-year-old golf course.

* BREC purchased a building to house the education program at Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center.

* The $3.8 million Asian Tiger Exhibit at the Baton Rouge Zoo is under construction.

* The single most expensive project is the $6.4 million Independence Park Family Aquatic Center, Palmer said.

* Perkins Road E'Xtreme Sports Park

* Forest Park....Howell Park...etc

To track the progress of the

[richyb83]

Baton Rouge parks are considered a national model

With nearly 200 park sites and facilities covering almost 10 square miles, the East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission oversees one of the most highly acclaimed and active local park systems in the nation. Known as BREC, the park authority was created by the state Legislature and a local referendum as a special taxing district more than 50 years ago and has grown into one of the more enviable organizations of its kind, thanks in large part to its public financial support through property taxes.

BREC offers several golf and disc courses, tennis courts, a zoo, a theater, swimming pools, an art gallery, equestrian centers, dog parks, a 22-field soccer complex, historic plantations, a water park, botanic gardens, an astronomy observatory, bike trails, football fields, archery and gun ranges and many neighborhood playgrounds. And that's not counting programs for personal enrichment, such as sports training, summer camps, theater camps, rocket camps, nature tours, dancing classes and bonsai clubs.

BREC has twice won a Gold Medal for top recognition from the National Recreation and Park Association and as has been a finalist 13 times.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/01/post_295.html

[byrde]

Wow. That's awesome.

[richyb83]

Baton Rouge's fishing holes; BREC offers more than a dozen ponds and lakes for some leisurely casting

Fortunately, the parish parks commission has an answer for people who don’t live along a body of water or own a boat. BREC manages more than a dozen ponds and lakes that offer shoreline access to freshwater fishing scattered across the parish, with two more lakes either under construction or in the planning stages.

The biggest and most visible of these bodies of water are City Park and University lakes, which Interstate 10 commuters to and from downtown see twice every weekday. (LSU manages University Lake, but BREC’s Milford Wampold Memorial Park — popularly known as Baton Rouge Beach — provides both a fishing pier and a boat ramp.) These are the only two of the BREC-affiliated lakes with ramps. Fishing is permitted only from the bank elsewhere.

And, while it’s getting late to take advantage this year, BREC annually stocks three lakes with rainbow trout in December, which gives anglers something different to catch during cold weather besides the usual assortment of freshwater fish like largemouth bass, bream and sac-a-lait. BREC changes which lakes get the trout each year. Burbank, North Sherwood Forest and Oak Villa got them four months ago, but you’d better hurry. Rainbow trout die off when the water temperature nears 70 degrees. BREC asks anglers to limit catches to four trout.

In addition to the current lakes, BREC is building one at the Perkins Road Community Park and plans one at the Central Community Sports Park, which will be located on Hooper Road between Lovett Road and Joor Road.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/entertainment/fun/89729082.html

Edited April 8, 2010 by richyb83

[dan326]

I was looking at all the parks on the BREC website and there really are a lot of nice parks and renovations. High-five BREC!

Also, here's the master plan for the Baton Rouge Zoo, I think the red/orange exhibit are new animals they are going to add.

Hehehe, I have to admit, I have a weak spot for the petting zoo.

http://www.brec.org/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&cpid=1195

Edited July 31, 2010 by dan326

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting! Looking forward to seeing the new "big cat" exhibit at the zoo. Not sure what happened to the baboons & monkey's on the last visit??

BREC parks are on the upswing!

[richyb83]

Nice to see this one-of-a-kind park for BR!

Park offers Extreme sports

Going to “extremes” is what Baton Rouge’s new Perkins Road Community Park is all about — where people can get gnarly on a skateboard, or shred the new BMX track, and even test their physical and mental capabilities by scaling a rock wall. After spending $5.1 million and almost two years of construction, BREC has turned Perkins Road Community Park into an “extreme” park that offers something to those with the adventurous spirit, said Brigit Conrad, a BREC spokeswoman.

The 52-acre park features:

•A state-of-the-art skate park.

•BMX track.

•Velodrome cycling stadium.

•Rock climbing facility.

•Two resurfaced tennis courts.

•A sand volleyball court.

•Community playground.

•One-acre lake.

•Four picnic shelters.

•Walking, skating and biking trails.

•A wall with electronic games that one or two players can play.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/105085864.html

[richyb83]

Good to see Forest Park re-open this past weekend...hopefully the weird activity has ceased! WOW! The lake will soon be stocked with rainbow trout!

"Family Oriented" Park Re-opens

Six years after voters approved financing the Imagine Your Park program, BREC, as promised, is continuing to cut ribbons and open up renovated community parks. The Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission spent about $3.9 million on improvements to the 115-acre park located at 13900 S. Harrell’s Ferry Road.

“It’s a family-oriented park where families can go and spend the whole day, have a picnic, play tennis and even bring Fido,” said Lauren Joerg, a BREC spokeswoman.

Forest Park is the sixth community park BREC has opened in the Imagine Your Park program. BREC’s “extreme sports park” opened last weekend at Perkins Road Community Park with such features as a BMX track, a skateboarding park and a climbing wall.

Just a little over 50 years ago on Labor Day weekend in 1960, Forest Park first opened as a neighborhood park, Joerg said.

Now with its new facelift, the park’s improvements include: new children’s playground and restrooms, new splash pad, eight refurbished tennis courts, three new tennis courts, renovated tennis center, three renovated ball fields, new large-dog and small-dog parks, fishing pond and pier, lighted multi-use paths, seven picnic pavilions, two gateway pavilions, upgraded ball field restrooms and concessions, upgraded recreation center and restrooms, and additional environmentally sustainable parking lots.

At the end of the year, the fishing pier will offer anglers a challenge after the park’s lake is stocked with rainbow trout, Joerg said.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/latest/105582003.html

Edited October 27, 2010 by richyb83

[richyb83]

This pic doesn't do any justice for the cool new X-treme Sports Park at Perkins Road/Olympia Stadium

[Antrell Williams]

I've been on many occasions. It's a very nice facility. Something I wouldn't expect to be built in Baton Rouge.

[cajun]

I've been on many occasions. It's a very nice facility. Something I wouldn't expect to be built in Baton Rouge.

That is true.

While I don't think I like the idea of not having a more centralized, massive park in Baton Rouge.....it's hard to argue with the quality of services BREC provides. Their parks are second to none in this region. It's almost too good for this country town.

Edited January 5, 2011 by cajun

[richyb83]

Wide array of interesting comments on 2TheAdvocate's Website....competition with Blue Bayou?? This new place looks nice; hopefully it will stay that way.

Water Park's Opening Nears

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/Water-parks-opening-nears.html

Edited April 13, 2011 by richyb83

[itsjustme3]

This place is very close to Cortana mall. I think we all know how this is going to turn out. God forbid BREC build it in a safe part of town.

[richyb83]

"Affluent" areas such as Old Goodwood/Bocage/Towne Center are as close to the water park at Independence Park as Mall City...and near the Main Library