The Oak Grove Spray Park in Prairieville is finally opening to the public on Saturday October 16th at 9:30am. The park had originally been due to open in the early summer months - but as with all construction projects, there were delays. Add to that a last minute donation of concrete for our lovely new paved parking lot and the already late grand opening was pushed back, again.
Don't be let down when you walk in and notice that the park doesn't look exactly like the plan pictured here. What you will see on the 16th is just "phase one" of the new Spray Park's construction. Eventually, the parish will raise funds for the remaining landscaping and a much needed remodeling of the community center is also in the works.
There is only one problem with this wonderful park. Don't try to walk or ride your bike there - unless you are into extreme sports or have a death-wish. Deep ditches along Highway 73 and 42 with no shoulder make both walking and biking treacherous at best.
Will we ever have a safe way to get to bike or walk to the park? Not in the foreseeable future. In order to fill in these ditches (to get a shoulder or have sidewalks installed), we first need to have a regional or parish-wide sewer system. Before that can happen, the parish needs to project where future growth may occur over the next 20 years – in order to properly design said sewer system. Hmm... didn't we just try to do that? Oh yeah - The Comprehensive Plan. So much for that idea.
Maybe one day we can create a park with a bike path (that we will all have to DRIVE to) so we can get out and safely exercise outdoors. Didn’t most of us move here because we love the pastures and rural “feel”? Too bad we only get to enjoy it from our windows on our long commutes to and from work.
JMHO,
Ann
P.S. So, when you take your big honking truck or SUV (yeah - I have one too) to the park, please don't take up two spots. Be kind and stay inside the lines since parking is bound to be an issue. Better yet, try carpooling.
Don't be let down when you walk in and notice that the park doesn't look exactly like the plan pictured here. What you will see on the 16th is just "phase one" of the new Spray Park's construction. Eventually, the parish will raise funds for the remaining landscaping and a much needed remodeling of the community center is also in the works.
There is only one problem with this wonderful park. Don't try to walk or ride your bike there - unless you are into extreme sports or have a death-wish. Deep ditches along Highway 73 and 42 with no shoulder make both walking and biking treacherous at best.
Will we ever have a safe way to get to bike or walk to the park? Not in the foreseeable future. In order to fill in these ditches (to get a shoulder or have sidewalks installed), we first need to have a regional or parish-wide sewer system. Before that can happen, the parish needs to project where future growth may occur over the next 20 years – in order to properly design said sewer system. Hmm... didn't we just try to do that? Oh yeah - The Comprehensive Plan. So much for that idea.
Maybe one day we can create a park with a bike path (that we will all have to DRIVE to) so we can get out and safely exercise outdoors. Didn’t most of us move here because we love the pastures and rural “feel”? Too bad we only get to enjoy it from our windows on our long commutes to and from work.
JMHO,
Ann
P.S. So, when you take your big honking truck or SUV (yeah - I have one too) to the park, please don't take up two spots. Be kind and stay inside the lines since parking is bound to be an issue. Better yet, try carpooling.
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