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St. Charles Parish breaks ground on Bethune Park; Shell Norco donates $500,000
Summary
Parish leaders marked the start of phase 1 of Bethune Park improvements in Norco, a $1.1 million project that includes playing fields, lighting, a pavilion and a historical marker; Shell Norco contributed $500,000 toward added amenities.
St. Charles Parish officials and community members on Aug. 4 celebrated the groundbreaking for phase 1 improvements at Bethune Park in Norco, a $1,100,000 site renovation that parish leaders said will add new athletic and community amenities.
Parish President Jewell said the project will reduce the size of the existing large field, install a new small (about 200-foot) softball field, add new fencing and two backstops for youth baseball and T-ball, renovate a multiuse field near the track, replace lights damaged in storms, install a basketball court and build a pavilion and a historical marker noting the park’s history as the site of the former Bethune High School.
“This is a $1,100,000 improvement to the site,” Parish President Jewell said. He credited Shell Norco for a $500,000 grant that will allow the parish to add amenities outside the original scope.
A Shell Norco representative attending the event described corporate participation as a priority. “It’s one of the coolest parts of my job and my leadership team’s job is being able to contribute to the communities that we operate in,” the representative said.
Public works staff said the project will include new turf in some areas, repaired and repainted courts, drainage work and final parking improvements. Officials also announced an increase of 84 days to the contractor’s timeline related to production delays and back-ordered backstop poles; a related change order that reduces the contract amount by $500 and extends the completion time by 84 days passed unanimously at the council meeting.
Council members praised the project as a community benefit for Norco residents and for preserving local history through the planned marker honoring the site as the first African American high school in the parish.
The parish said a ribbon-cutting will be scheduled once work is complete.
Votes and formal actions connected to the Bethune Park work were handled during the council meeting. Change order number 1 (final) for the Bethune Park renovations — a decrease of $500 and an 84-day time extension — was approved by the council without recorded opposition.
