Muddy politics of urban water
The restoration project has transformed the shorelines. A future phase is being designed. Get your questions answered this evening.
At Sasaki's update of the University Lakes restoration project this evening, you'll hear applause in the room. You'll also hear grumbling.
Why it matters: Not long ago, the lakes were dying. The restoration project—pulling cypress stumps, deepening the lakes, moving dredged soil to create new shorelines—is a necessary intervention. What's emerging is something Baton Rouge hasn't had before: a chain of urban green space that could eventually connect the lakes to City-Brooks Park.
Where things stand:
- City Park Lake has been planted with natives, which are starting to bloom. Landscapers will remove invasive species to get the plant mix right.
- University Lake restoration is scheduled for completion later this year, with plantings similar to the new City Park Lake shorelines.
- May Street will reopen next year, reconfigured for safety with bike and pedestrian paths added. For the first time, City Park and University lakes will be connected for boating.
- Next two projects: a $26 million paths project and a $15 million expansion of Wampold Park. Funding drives are underway for the next phase.
- On tap, a $14.5 million FEMA grant will divert water from Corporation Canal near McKinley High School into the lake along Dalrymple Drive—primarily to reduce flooding around McKinley. It will also enhance the canal that runs next to University Lake from Stanford to Sorority Row.
- A nonprofit conservancy is under consideration to raise money for future projects on the lakes and City-Brooks Park. That connection depends on the BREC Commission, which could weigh two design options for City Park, both of which directly connect the lake to the park.
The complaints: Some neighbors say the expanded bird sanctuary is too large. Lakeside residents say the project is blocking their views. Others think the lakes weren't deepened enough. Tonight's meeting is the place to get answers and ask your own.
The bottom line: The lakes were failing. The rescue is underway, but the project's final shape is still being written. Show up in good faith. Ask hard questions. Then help the planners and partners build an outdoor space Baton Rouge can be proud of.
