LAFAYETTE, La. (KADN) — Plans for a mega sports complex at Brown Park in north Lafayette are being scaled down significantly.
The original plans called for a $36 million, two-phase expansion at the facility off of East Pont des Mouton Road.
I talked with Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet on Friday, Feb. 23, and she told me why she decided to reduce the size of this park project.
Dirt is currently being turned at Brown Park but the mega park that former Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory envisioned back during a groundbreaking in December 2022 won't look exactly how he envisioned.
"Can you imagine national tournaments coming to our parish, regional tournaments coming to our parish?" he posed during his speech at the time.
New Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet has decided to scale back the project to just one phase instead of two.
"It was a lot of money but it would take access away from residents who live around the park," said the mayor-president. "It was a highly-used park. Lots of people used the walking trails."
According to the mayor-president, phase one should cost around $14 million compared to $36 million for both phases.
There will still be some ball parks built but not as many as the Guillory administration had envisioned.
"I don't want to build another competitive park. With so many parks, we could develop different niches," added Mayor-President Blanco Boulet.
The mayor president also told me they will reassess the park down the road and may consider building a second phase.
