Board tables Ponchatoula Athletic Park lease after mayor outlines $2.09M investment

The board invited Ponchatoula Mayor Daniels to describe renovation work at Athletic Park and the city’s financial investment since Hurricane Ida. Mayor Daniels said the city had poured $2,094,131.46 into the park’s reconstruction and noted insurance proceeds were limited (he said insurance payments were below $200,000). He told the board the city wanted to broaden use beyond exclusive high‑school tenancy to share benefits with the community following the capital investment.

Board members asked about the proposed lease’s language on utilities, maintenance and who would pay for recurring costs. Administration and counsel discussed whether the board was authorizing negotiated authority or final execution; multiple members said they preferred to give administration authority to negotiate and then return a final lease for board approval rather than have administration sign unilaterally.

One board speaker summarized the district perspective with a yardstick: the proposed $10,000 annual rental fee compared with the city’s stated investment led a board member to note, "it would take 200 years for them to get their investment back." After back‑and‑forth, the board voted to table the item to allow negotiation and attorney review (motion to table by Mister Toler, second by Mister Piazza); the motion carried without recorded opposition.

Why it matters: The lease would govern facility access and recurring costs for school athletics and maintenance obligations. Board members flagged the need to clarify maintenance reimbursement, utilities and equitable terms so that similar requests elsewhere in the parish would be handled consistently.

Next steps: Administration was asked to engage the city and counsel in negotiations and return the proposed lease to the board for final approval.