[StBernard] Grand Opening held for new Gazebos and a Bait Shop/Boat House in Torres Park in Chalmette

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Wed May 11 08:11:47 EDT 2011


Grand Opening for new Gazebos and a Bait Shop/Boat House in Torres Park in
Chalmette

Ongoing work to include pedal boats, stocking the pond with fish & water
feature on park's hill



St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr. and local and federal
officials celebrated the completion of the first part of nearly $1,668,000
in improvements to Torres Park in Chalmette.



"These great improvements to Torres Park should bring more visitors, and the
work couldn't have been done without the cooperation of the all the
partners," President Taffaro said. He thanked FEMA, GOHSEP, his Chief
Administrative Officer Dave Dysart, Recovery Director Mike Dorris Jr., Diana
Goin of the Public Works Department as well as all of the departments'
staff, the Council, the contractor and architects.



Eddie Williams, FEMA Public Assistance Officer, said he has watched St.
Bernard's growth since right after Katrina, and he is impressed to see the
amount of residents who regularly use the park for recreational, family use
as well as for the walking path.




"To see St. Bernard be a trail blazer in the recovery is inspirational to
me," Williams said.



District A Councilman Ray Lauga said the construction of such
family-friendly features at Torres Park in addition to the new Aycock Barn
Seafood and Farmers Market and pop-up fountains "are the types of amenities
that will make us attractive to visitors and make us stand out as a
community."



Torres Park is undergoing major FEMA-funded renovations and repairs to
address Katrina storm damage. The initial completed work cost about $421,000
and includes two Gazebos at Torres Park, one that is over the water. The
initial construction also included a small bait shop and pedal boat rental
house. There is $1,247,000 in Torres Park renovation that is underway and
should be completed by mid-July that involves widening the park's lagoon and
removing storm debris. It includes installing new children's playground
equipment, swing sets, tables and benches to address storm damage. The large
hill will include a water feature similar to Monkey Hill in Audubon Zoo. The
ponds will have two aerated lighted fountains with water shooting from them,
and the pond will be stocked with fish. The work also includes a pier in
front of the bait shop and boat rental building for the use of the pedal
boats.



B&K Contractors completed the work on the Boat Rental/Bait Shop and the
30-foot gazebo, and B&K also is the contractor for the second phase of work.
Lanco Construction Inc. completed the 24-foot gazebo that extends over the
pond. Principal Engineers is in charge of the design and engineering for the
entire project. CDM is the project manager over all FEMA funded projects in
St. Bernard.

###





More information about the StBernard mailing list