Sludge to sward
A 4-acre lawn for Lod Cook Alumni Center
It looks like a muddy mess now. In front of LSU’s Lod Cook Alumni Center, the University Lakes restoration project has piled up dredged material on the shoreline. But that mess is meant to become something far more appealing: a new park on the lakes.
What’s happening: When the project is finished and the mud dries out, the area in front of Lod Cook will become a 4.2-acre lawn, says Mark Goodson, project manager for CSRS Inc. The space is intended to remain a passive lawn. Think frisbees, picnics, children kicking a soccer ball, and wedding and other event rentals.
The big picture: New parks and promenades were part of the original lakes master plan, which got an important thing right: if Baton Rouge was going to save its silting lakes, it should also make the shoreline more useful and welcoming.
Bottom line: A few people don’t like the lakes restoration project. But dredging was necessary to save the lakes, and turning that material into parks and promenades is a sensible trade—one that gives more people reason to enjoy Baton Rouge’s best outdoor space.
