By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

EDGARD – With shovels in hand, St. John Parish representatives and residents kicked off Superbowl Sunday with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new recreational complex in Edgard.

The first phase of the Westbank Recreational Complex, slated to be completed in late May and to cost the parish $1.3 million, includes a baseball park, concession stand, a small parking lot, infrastructure for water and electricity and basic playground equipment such as slides, swings and park benches.

Construction of the initial phase used the entirety of the budgeted $1.3 million, part of which covered the property purchase of $200,000. St. John Parish representatives plan to eventually construct a gymnasium at the site, between Amp Circle and Chauvin Street, but will need additional funding to cover the cost of the project.

Parish representatives plan to finance construction on a gymnasium at Regala Park on the East Bank before pursuing a similar facility on the West Bank, but some parish council members would prefer to see the two constructed simultaneously.

&#8220The recreation board has tabbed Regala Park as a priority and the council has stepped in and wants to look at all of it,” Councilman Lester Rainey, Jr. said. &#8220Regala Park has been up for 30 years and the West Bank is finally getting a park of that magnitude.”

&#8220Let’s not piecemeal it,” he added. &#8220If we’re going to do the gymnasium, let’s do the gymnasium and get that out of the way. We don’t want this to be another 30-year gap if we want these things to be equal.”

Besides the basic recreational opportunities the two gymnasiums would provide, the facilities would also benefit Biddy Basketball, according to Rainey. School gyms are currently being used for Biddy Basketball practices, but those facilities are often being used for other purposes and teams are often forced to relocate without advance notice.

The issue will be discussed at the next recreation subcommittee meeting, Rainey said.

St. John Parish officials contracted J. Caldarera and Co., Inc. to build the first phase of the facility. The company has built several notable Louisiana facilities as Zephyr Field, the Alario Center, the Ogden Museum and the Baton Rouge Airport.

The short program began with an invocation by Father Joe Cantones and was followed by words of welcome by Nickie Monica. Councilmen Cleveland Farlough and Lester Rainey, Jr. both spoke, with Rainey’s son Lester Rainey III leading the pledge of allegiance. Natalie Robottom added words and Father Cantones finished the ceremony with a closing prayer. Refreshments were available for residents at the nearby West Bank Community Center.