[StBernard] A park costing more than $20 million ..

[Westley Annis]

 "St. Bernard Parish officials showcased plans Friday morning for a park
costing more than $20 million that will include eight ball fields,
concession stands, a huge multipurpose building, a walking-jogging path --
even a water park with a lazy river and artificial surfing area. ' -TP St.
Bernard Bureau."

 

Jer Responds:

 

So, 20 million Dollars "earmarked" for this park (which was MY park a block
away and I walked daily is becoming a reality. I question seriously that
such a fund would be lay at the "Mason Dixon" of the water's edge to Lake
Borne-a point of arrival of a devastation where the deadliest of wind and
water crushed the area with huge storm surge and 10-15 feet of flowing water
in the area.

 

Is this planning?

 

Perhaps there are some who believe a $20, 000, 000 recreation place is
immune to any destruction at water's edge, the scene and historically, the
site where history books have written, TV programs were filming, lives and
properties decimated and because the grass has re-grown, some are confident,
an expensive park location there is a key to emotional and confident
longevity for the next 100 years.

 

Yes, the Corps of Engineers has put a "new face" on the levee. I've seen the
tractors, watched the remnants of homes removed with large machinery and
bins.  It was as if "Mr. Clean" had been hired to tackle the most outrageous
disastrous mess I've seen to date in 60 years.

 

It was my park, I had my 30 wedding anniversary held there. My kids have
played ball for years at Val Riess.

 

Still, the adage, once burned twice shy appears to burst into my string of
unhappy memories and foreboding insight that is telling as a psychic. There
is high ground left in St. Bernard Parish, but to some, the nostalgia of
facing death and spitting into its eyes is favorable than realizing why
Murphy's Law is more than just limerick or folktale.

 

As we approach whether the proverbial glass is half empty or half full (and
insurance companies bet their fortunes determining whether Chance, the roll
of dice, the drawing of straws, the flip of a coin or a simple game of rock
& scissors will be played on any future or near future reoccurrence. All
that is needed are circumstances, conditions, man's failure to guarantee and
provide perfection and we have a situation that Murphy would call a sure
thing.

 

Like in the children's game: Hot potato-"one potato, two potato, three
potato, four..

 

--there are 4 phases. Mother nature dictates one thing--and the new FEMA
maps assure another: That new homes are rising by 8 feet  higher beyond
where many homes exist now (and may find insurance prohibitive to afford).
Elevation, which is fine as I've witnessed my neighbor across the street
from my demolished, devastated home (to now lot) looking like Shell Beach or
the "end of the world".

 

There's something ominous in this new vision of St. Bernard parish and to
me, it's so frightening, it's not very encouraging to me (and perhaps
others).  My concern for many of my family exhibits the bleakness as that of
a community of mudslides, tornados, earthquakes and now climate change
flooding so every-so-much increasing.

 

Today, I was watching old movies taped by family-weddings, holidays,
recreation, the good times.

 

I wonder how I'll make it. I wonder daily and the anxiety of a repeat
performance will continue to plague my fractured mind where my family still
resides as I decrease and they increase through the years.

 

Blueprints. Those of an enormous undertaking near the water's edge. For some
who believe the end of disasters have now arrived. There are still "chance",
the flipping of coinage only draws doubt and reasoning.  On my part, there
was Betsy who was a 100 year storm. I've lived 40 years past it and still
was alive awaiting the final 60 years yet to come. Never arrived.   

 

New playgrounds and parks. Oh, how I loved the kids, the ducks, the games,
the outdoor activities. For me, the time for self-preservation is tantamount
to risk-taking. Others believe $20,000,000 parks near areas of risk are
exciting. Doesn't anyone take decimation seriously anymore? So brave we are.
I pray for safety and peace daily. I, however, cannot control God's will.
And most people of the Lord believe-His will be done.

 

The Val Riess Park I recall is so permanently fixed in my consciousness.

 

--jer-


PLAY DOMAIN - Four-step blueprint also recasts Chalmette park as economic
pillar

Saturday, February 14, 2009  - By Bob Warren - St. Bernard bureau

 

St. Bernard Parish officials showcased plans Friday morning for a park
costing more than $20 million that will include eight ballfields, concession
stands, a huge multipurpose building, a walking-jogging path -- even a water
park with a lazy river and artificial surfing area. 

 

During a gathering with reporters at Val Riess Park in Chalmette, St.
Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro said the park will not only be a
centerpiece for the Recreation Department, but will also spark economic
development by bringing tournaments to the parish. 

 

The 33-acre park, like most of the parish, was covered by floodwaters and
destroyed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

 

Taffaro said the work, which is being done in four phases, will be financed
with $13 million in FEMA money and more than $10 million in Community
Development Block Grants. 

 

The first phase -- four baseball diamonds, a concession stand, covered
seating, pavilion and 9-foot-wide trail -- should be finished by April,
Recreation Director Donnie Bourgeois. "It's pretty ambitious," Bourgeois
said of the timeline. "But all of our kids are looking forward to playing
out here." 

 

The paved trail, which will be nine-tenths of a mile long, will include a
dedicated lane for bicycles. 

 

The second phase will include four more baseball fields, including two that
will be big enough to host high school or college games, as well as a second
concession stand, this one three stories with a lounge area for eating and
viewing games. 

 

The third phase includes a 47,000-square-foot building that could host
basketball tournaments, boxing matches, even conventions and Carnival balls.


The fourth phase will include a water park with a FlowRider, which mimics
wave action for surfing. 

 

The entire project is slated for completion in September 2011. 

 

"This is an engine for St. Bernard's future," Taffaro said, explaining the
plan as equal parts quality of life and economic development. The park, he
said, will help the parish attract state and regional tournaments, but also
provide quality recreation for parish residents.