A&E

Anonymous (so far) donor secures naming rights to Horse Farm park

Before you get your panties in a wad, remember that “Horse Farm” park will work just fine if the donor chooses a lame name.

Local nonprofit Lafayette Central Park announced Monday (although The Daily Advertiser had the story last week) that an unnamed donor has made a considerable contribution for naming rights to what most of us simply still call the Horse Farm. Securing these types of donations, likely in the multiple millions, is critical to the success of the park’s development, estimated to cost $20 million.

LCP, which is charged with overseeing the effort to convert the 100-acre tract on Johnston Street into a passive park, said in a press release that “advances during the silent phase of the campaign will help finance the infrastructure of this world-class development. The park’s name is expected to be revealed when the public phase of the campaign is announced at a later date.”

It’s also expected that the anonymous donor and the amount of the gift will be revealed at that time. Other tiers of naming opportunities are also in the works.

In announcing the anonymous gift, Sheldon Roy, who spearheads the park’s capital campaign, said, “We are thrilled that a handful of lead gifts have kick-started our fundraising efforts, and that these donors have selected Lafayette Central Park as a worthy legacy for this community. ... While larger gifts are essential, we want the community to know that each person’s donation will be crucial for bringing the project to completion. This is a broad-based community effort.”

The park will offer walking trails, ponds, wetland and ravine gardens, an amphitheater, a splash pad, dog park, pavilions and more.

Fundraising efforts also will establish a substantial reserve for ongoing maintenance and operation of the park. That reserve fund will be supplemented by revenue-generating components of the park itself.

LCP is working with landscape architects Design Workshop, and the architectural firm of Lake|Flato will design concepts for the first set of park buildings. LCP anticipates breaking ground mid- to late-2016. Construction is estimated to take up to 18 months.

Click here for more info on Lafayette Central Park and like it on Facebook here.

To find out how you can donate this terrific community asset, contact Roy at [email protected] or (337) 852-5209.