BREC expands, improves diverse park system
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The East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission is expanding the already diverse parks and recreation offerings available locally.
BREC is creating or upgrading 12 community parks using funds from a 20-year property tax approved by voters in 2004 to enhance East Baton Rouge parks. In November 2007, Anna T. Jordan Park at 1715 Stilt St. was the first renovated community park to reopen as part of the $22.5 million plan.
Another major project in the improvement scheme — called the Imagine Your Parks Plan — was the upgrade of historic City Park.
After the City Park renovations were completed, it was reopened on May 31, 2008.
City Park had undergone an extensive makeover. Part of the makeover included a $1 million overhaul to its nearly 80-year-old golf course.
A highlight is a lighted tennis complex featuring courts with world-class cushioned surfaces, as well as locker rooms, showers and a pro shop.
BREC is working on improvements on Howell Community Park and is set to break ground on Forest Community Park June 1, BREC spokeswoman Kristi Barnett Williams said.
BREC has also set aside some of the tax money to help construct pathways and trails linking the parish parks. The program is called the Capital Area Pathways Program.
The first of those trails is a planned walking trail from the Mall of Louisiana to the Siegen Lane Marketplace.
One of the most popular existing BREC initiatives is the Baton Rouge Zoo, which features more than 1,800 animals, including two Golden Lion Tamarin babies, elephants and alligators. The latest arrival is a newborn zebra.
In addition to the zoo and its dozens of parks, BREC also offers fitness centers, sports leagues and cultural programs. Offerings include the Bluebonnet Swamp and Nature Center, Cohn Arboretum, Magnolia Mound Plantation and more.
On the Net: http://www.brec.org
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