The IND has obtained the names of the board members of the nonprofit Lafayette Central Park Inc., the entity that will help drive the process for turning the Johnston Street Horse Farm property into a passive park.
[Update: The Community Foundation of Acadiana released the board members' names Wednesday afternoon, along with additional info on the project. This story has been updated.]
At his State of the Parish address Wednesday at the Cajundome Convention Center, City-Parish President Joey Durel announced the formation of the nonprofit Lafayette Central Park Inc., the entity that will help drive the process for turning the Johnston Street Horse Farm property into a passive park.
The IND has since obtained the names of the board members of the nonprofit, a diverse group of community-minded heavy hitters:
Elaine Abell (attorney)
John Arceneaux (LPTFA)
Don Briggs (LOGA)
Dr. James Caillier (Taylor Foundation)
Reggie Dupre (Dupre Logistics)
Randy Haynie (Haynie & Associates)
Gregg Gothreaux (LEDA)
Bill Fenstermaker (Fenstermaker)
Mazie Movassaghi (civic and charitable volunteer)
David Welch (Stone Energy)
Lenny Lemoine (The Lemoine Company)
Rodney Savoy (River Ranch)
Allyson Pharr (attorney, Acadian Ambulance)
Richard Spoon (ArchPoint Consulting)
Though he did not disclose the names of the members of Lafayette Central Park Inc. at the luncheon (in typical Joey fashion he did "describe" some of them), Durel had the following to say:
As you know we have spent a few years in getting the horse farm to another level. We have gone through stages that were very important to its evolution. The property was initially "saved" by the Save the Horse Farm group, made up of citizens from all walks of life. They helped prevent it from becoming a shopping center.
Then, we took it from there and the city purchased it, preserving it forever, as public green space. I approached the Community Foundation of Acadiana several years ago about the possibility of turning the park over to them, taking it out from the restrictions of government. This may be the best public/private partnership in the history of lafayette. Over the years, that idea has evolved, due in large part to the amazing amount of research effort on the part of the CFA.
Today, I have been given permission to announce that a new non-profit has been formed to bring our park to a whole new level. The name is appropriately, Lafayette Central Park Inc. That does not mean that this will be the name of the park; they tell me there is a master gardener on the board, [and] one that is a previous equestrian that actually rode at the horse farm. There are life-long residents of Lafayette and community philanthropists on this new board. They also assure me that the board will have the wide, diverse variety of expertise, integrity, and will bring a wide variety of perspectives, opinions and experiences to the board, ensuring that we get a product we will all be proud of. Very important to the process, they are looking forward to a lot of community input, and volunteers to serve on various committees. I cannot say enough about how lucky Lafayette is to have an organization like the CFA that has served as the kind of honest broker we needed for putting this kind of complex deal together. I now have more confidence than ever that this will truly be a world-class park for our community. I look forward to the announcement of the new board members, so I can thank them for their interest in raising the bar for Lafayette.
I also want to acknowledge another great community organization, the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Agency. They have been asked to front the roughly $2.5 million for the "soft costs." This group of people serves for no other reason than to help build up lafayette.
To both of these organizations, the people of Lafayette owe you a debt of gratitude. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.
In a press release Wednesday afternoon, CFA announced that Lafayette Central Park will oversee the committees and processes responsible for programming, planning, design, construction, budget and finance, fundraising, public relations, and, ultimately, operations and management prior to a permanent transfer.
The board was selected by an ad hoc steering committee of CFA:
It includes a member who is a former equestrian who had the opportunity to ride on the farm; another who is a master gardener; another who is longtime resident of Lafayette, attended UL Lafayette and has spent significant time and resources through philanthropic community service. ... These individuals all share a passionate commitment to creating a serene green space that will benefit the entire community and are volunteering their time and effort to that end.
LCP will provide ample opportunity for public input so that it can develop the park based on the community's overall interests, according to the release, which stipulates that LPC is an independent, nonprofit entity, not a subsidiary of CFA.