BREC

[richyb83]

Massive overhaul at Baton Rouge Zoo could help it regain coveted accreditation status

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_c0765fc4-61b4-11ec-9990-afa6a5715071.html

[dan326]

Great, I'll be glad when they start finishing something. A renovation is long over due.

[richyb83]

Something positive in BR

BREC named top large park system in the nation

https://www.wafb.com/2022/09/20/brec-named-top-large-park-system-nation/

 

[richyb83]

Old Jefferson Terrace school to become public park, with goal of limiting local flooding

Sixty-four years after it was built, and two years after it was shuttered, Jefferson Terrace Elementary has been torn down and will soon become a public park, creating a new place for rain to drain away from nearby homes and reduce flooding in the area.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has agreed to finalize a deal that would allow BREC to take over the 6.5-acre property, on which the elementary school has long sat. The parish recreation agency plans to connect the property up with the existing 11.1-acre Jefferson Terrace Park, expanding the park all the way to Floynell Drive.

The 6-5 acres will still officially be the property of the school system.

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/demolished-baton-rouge-school-to-become-a-public-park/article_4dbf329c-6791-11ed-808b-fb077420b470.html

[richyb83]

This Blackwater conservation area seems pretty cool; after once being a big gravel pit!

Easy, breezy, Blackwater: BREC's conservation area provides tranquility away from the bustle

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/brecs-blackwater-conservation-area-has-short-easy-trails/article_2c6c5462-c2a4-11ed-ac5a-afbb8a2ffa0e.html

Not much of a hiker, you say? Baton Rouge and surrounding areas are fit for beginner and experienced hikers (or walkers).

What was once a dirt and gravel mine, the Blackwater Conservation Area in Central is now a BREC site with two large fishing lakes, nature trails and a pavilion with restrooms. 

According to the info panel in the pavilion, "in 1968, the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and BREC partnered to restore the 57.5 acres of affected land under the authority of Section 206 of the 1996 Water Resources Development Act." 

[dan326]

Looks relaxing, I'll have to visit one day.

[dan326]

I was trying not to be critical but it appears they changed the plan which makes me wonder what else they changed (cut). I guess the price of construction has gone up a lot but I was suspicous of how nice this would be after they wanted to move it and it was voted against.

 

[richyb83]

Will try to hold on too BR getting it's quality Zoo back in order.

 

City Park revamp w/o 9 hole course.    Webb golf course is less than 2 miles away; so no big loss.

https://www.businessreport.com/opinions/opinion-city-park-petition-will-send-a-message

Create a spectacular City Park for Baton Rouge in place of a mediocre 9-hole golf course

https://www.change.org/p/create-a-spectacular-city-park-for-baton-rouge-in-place-of-a-mediocre-9-hole-golf-course

[richyb83]

Baton Rouge's Memorial Stadium could get major renovations, minor league sports teams

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/baton-rouges-memorial-stadium-could-get-major-renovations-minor-league-sports-teams/article_51d18f22-84c0-11ee-9f65-8714f0f114e3.html

Standing just off Interstate 110 in Baton Rouge, Memorial Stadium has hosted high school football games and other events for going on 75 years.

Now a developer wants to transform the 44-acre site into a center for sports, health and wellness — with renovations designed to lure professional minor-league soccer and baseball teams.

“Baton Rouge is an underserved market for sports facilities,” said Roy Alston, executive director of Five Points Community Capital, a firm based in Austin, Texas, that provides financing for community developments. “Memorial Stadium has a great story, and we want to really bring that strong community asset back to life.”

BREC, which as East Baton Rouge Parish's recreation agency owns the stadium, and Sports Facility Companies, a Florida firm that operates recreational, entertainment and fitness centers across the U.S., are partners in the redevelopment, Alston said. Sports Facilities manages the Hoover (Alabama) Met Complex, which annually hosts the SEC Baseball Tournament, and the 100,000-square-foot West Monroe Sports & Events indoor complex.

Multiple options are being considered, such as entertainment and eventually building a terminal for the proposed Baton Rouge-to-New Orleans passenger rail service. The rail terminal would be in addition to the stops proposed for Government Street and the Health District. The cost of the renovations hasn't been determined, he said. 

Redeveloping the Memorial Stadium complex could be a catalyst for future growth north of downtown, like the Water Campus did for the area south of the central business district, he said. 

“This is an amazing piece of property that is very much underutilized,” Landry said.

The real work on the redevelopment is about 18 months to two years away, he said. BREC would lease the property to the developer and come up with a master plan that would be approved by everyone involved. 

The sports complex includes a 21,500-seat football stadium, which opened in 1949, and two baseball diamonds.

The first phase of the renovations would involve upgrading the football stadium and adapting it to host soccer matches. That could bring a professional soccer team into the facility, backers of the project say.

The United Soccer League, a informal farm team affiliate of Major League Soccer, plans to have a Championship League club in New Orleans starting in 2025. USL League Two, which is two divisions below the Championship League, has a Baton Rouge team that plays at the LSU U-Rec Complex and a squad in Lafayette.

"You could have a lot of inter-city competition,"

[dan326]

I snapped a few picks of the new zoo entrance and it looks really good. They're also working on a beautiful new playground, I kind of wanted to go play on it myself lol!

 

[cajun]

I'm impressed with the Zoo progress.   

It's far from done though.   It's open, but you aren't seeing all of the new stuff yet.

[dan326]

On 4/3/2024 at 11:20 AM, cajun said:

I'm impressed with the Zoo progress.   

It's far from done though.   It's open, but you aren't seeing all of the new stuff yet.

Nope, the master plan said something like 2046 but we know atleast in state government time that could mean 2060.

 

One critique I do have is that in the concept art the top portion of the entrance building was all glass like the middle portion. I think the current design is fine but maybe they should add some banners or murals to break up the grey. 

[cajun]

On 4/5/2024 at 10:46 AM, dan326 said:

Nope, the master plan said something like 2046 but we know atleast in state government time that could mean 2060.

 

One critique I do have is that in the concept art the top portion of the entrance building was all glass like the middle portion. I think the current design is fine but maybe they should add some banners or murals to break up the grey. 

I think they are planning to have banners for new exhibits there.   

I hope they follow through because that did turn out to be a pretty blah wall.

[richyb83]

On 4/5/2024 at 10:46 AM, dan326 said:

Nope, the master plan said something like 2046 but we know atleast in state government time that could mean 2060.

 

One critique I do have is that in the concept art the top portion of the entrance building was all glass like the middle portion. I think the current design is fine but maybe they should add some banners or murals to break up the grey. 

Dan326 is gonna need more butter ....he is on a Roll! 

[dan326]

^Well, lol! 

I skimmed through the master plan and saw they won't be having elephants anymore. Honestly that's probably a good idea as I read elephants go half crazy being locked up in captivity but I also think it's kind of lame as elephants are zoo headliners of sorts.