Horse Farm presentation heard by Rotarians

If only half of the ambitious undertaking of Lafayette Central Park, the nonprofit organization in charge of the Horse Farm, comes to fruition with the project, the city of Lafayette and surrounding areas will have a gem for years to come.

But, Lafayette Central Park is shooting for it all — a splash pad for children as well as a discovery center; a small amphitheater and a great lawn; 2.5K walking trails, a welcome center, a veterans memorial and more — and thanks to the unanimous approval of the master plan, it is one step closer to fruition.

Presenting the plans for the Horse Farm Tuesday to the Rotary Club of Crowley and its members, Elizabeth “EB” Brooks spoke with enthusiasm over the endless possibilities the park possesses. And with 100 acres of green space in the middle of Lafayette’s urban jungle, the possibilities are definitely large in number.

Brooks explained that park officials listened to those who live around the park, the people of Lafayette and anyone who came to one of the six open forums or the six online surveys to gather ideas of what they wanted and didn’t want in the park.

After coming up with the plan, Brooks explained that the final presentation to the residents drew an over 80 percent approval rating from those people: “robust” community support, according to Brooks.

Echoing its existing layout, Brooks explained that the plan is for the front side of the park to be the active side, that lies along busy Johnston Street, the entrance for the park. Meanwhile, the back half, which borders neighborhoods will be quiet, a respite from urban life.

And as the neighborhoods have requested that they not be entrances into the park, that will fall to Johnston Street, which is presenting Lafayette Central Park a new set of circumstances to deal with.

But as a nonprofit in charge of the park, it is falling to Lafayette Central Park to raise its own funds for each phase of development, so Brooks and those in charge have turned to the community for support in any way they can, whether that’s financially or vocally; then there are private donors as well as its current “Buy A Board” (which can be named after someone and will be used to build the boardwalk in the park. Brooks said there will be more fundraising/naming projects to come as well.

The main thing for Brooks, as well as all Horse Farm project proponents, is building something that can be enjoyed for generations to come. It is the message that all have echoed and all seem dead set on creating.

For more information on the park, visit https://www.lafayettecentralpark.org/.

Also during the meeting, Raymond J. Hébert, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Acadiana, invited Rotarians to participate in the Acadiana Mega Raffle at AcadianaMegaRaffle.com, explaining what the raffle is all about.

The club also started its new club year with a new banner, presented by now Past-District 6200 Gov. Tom Acosta as the club now is the home of the District 6200 governor, Dr. Ezora Proctor, and a new member, Keith Latiola.