BREC given May deadline for Central plans

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Apr 25, 2008 - Page: 6A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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BREC has until May 23 to set a timeline for developing recreational facilities in Central.

A House committee Thursday set the deadline. If BREC fails to meet the target, the panel would move forward with legislation creating a new parks district for the city.

The committee delayed action on House Bill 792, which would create a park district in Central, the new, fast-growing East Baton Rouge Parish city.

State Rep. Bodi White, R-Central, who sponsored HB792, and others complained that Central has gotten short shrift from the Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission when it comes to park facilities and meeting recreational needs.

Local and Municipal Affairs Committee chairman Rep. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, said BREC’s treatment of Central has been shabby.

“Your area is growing so quickly and providing so much tax revenue. You have an issue, a grievance that needs to be addressed,” Morrell said.

After conferring with White, Morrell stopped the hearing and announced that White had agreed to voluntarily delay  action on HB792 to see if BREC and Central could agree on a concrete timeline for projects.

“If at that time agreement is not met this (Central bill) will come up again,” Morrell told BREC officials.

White said he filed the legislation for a Central pullout from the parish recreational district because of lack of progress in getting projects underway in his area.

“We still pay our (recreation) taxes,” said White. But, he said, “We have had no significant capital improvement for recreation for our children since 1975. There’s 30,000 people out there.”

Bill Benedetto, vice chairman of the BREC board, opposed the legislation because of the revenues that would be diverted from the parish system to that of Central.

Under the legislation, the 14-mill property tax that funds parish parks collected from Central residents would stay in Central for operations of its parks commission. That totals about $1.1 million annually, according to Central officials.

“It will have a detrimental effect on our operations,” said Benedetto.