The Downtown Development Authority Annual Review

By Bill Krull






Her black eyes blazing like a true believer’s, GiGi Kaufman declared that the Lake Charles lakefront/downtown development vision is a happening thing that’s fast becoming reality. While things aren’t happening fast enough to suit her or the other members of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the owner of GiGi’s Fitness Centers is pleased with the plan’s progress.

The DDA celebrated its first anniversary in December with a review of the year’s accomplishments. The heavy lifting to date, Kaufman said, has mostly been transparent, involving planning, doing due diligence and figuring how to use OPM (other people’s money) to leverage the $18 million voters gave lakefront/downtown development as part of a broader $90 million bond issue okayed by local voters in 2007.

“While $18 million is a lot of money, especially considering it’s the public’s money, we (the DDA) knew that with some extra effort and a little patience, we could bring in additional funds from outside sources.” Kaufman said.  “So far, we’ve brought in an additional $9-10 million from the federal and state government and other sources.

Kaufman said they basically traded the time it took writing grants and doing all the groundwork needed to get that extra money to build the lakefront/downtown that the people deserve.

“We understand that lakefront/downtown development is just one part of a much greater area-wide effort to spur economic development and enhance our quality of life. But, we also know an attractive, vibrant urban core is absolutely vital to a region’s growth,” she added.

Although much of the DDA’s accomplishments to date include intense research and planning on the much-needed infrastructure action items, which is invisible to the general public, they have made substantial progress. These projects include:

Bord Du Lac Handicap Curb Cuts, Drainage Box and Pavement Repair Project

•    Installation of handicap curb cuts and drainage boxes as well as repair of pavement as needed. The project was completed in mid-November. The date for Notice to Proceed on this project was Oct. 6, 2008, with the project being completed within 20 working days. Norwood Brothers Construction II, LLC, was awarded this project with the bid of $45,465.00.

Lakefront Promenade Palm Project

•    Planting and maintenance of specified palm trees along the Lakefront Promenade, managed by the Moore Planning Group. Landscaped Management Services Inc. was awarded this project with the bid of $99,153.24.

Veterans Park Memorial Landscape Renovation/Revitalization Project

•    Includes the renovation and revitalization of the landscaping at the Veterans Park Memorial. A New Leaf was awarded this project with the bid of $21,000. It was certified complete Nov. 21, with ongoing maintenance to continue through Feb. 20, 2009.

Renovations

•    Improvement of the visual image and upkeep of downtown by renovating and maintaining overgrown lots, substandard and vacant buildings, broken sidewalks and planters, and landscaping. Considerable progress for this $150,000 project has been made and is ongoing.

“We made a lot of progress last year towards the people’s vision,” said DDA director Lori Marinovich. “We spent lot of time and effort planning and coordinating. We are determined to be responsible stewards of the public’s money. To date, we’ve secured almost $30 million from federal and state resources on top of our $18 million budget.”

Marinovich pointed out that this isn’t a short-term renovation project. “We’re truly building for the future to make the quality of life here the standard for the nation for generations to come,” she said.

DDA Chair Rick Richard agrees. “Our state has many areas in desperate need of improvement if we are to realize our potential,” he said. “We have to stop the out-migration of our best and brightest people and bring people back. We have to have a well-trained and motivated workforce ready to start work on Day One as business and industry is attracted to Southwest Louisiana because of the unique competitive advantages we offer.”

“Doing this requires an all-out effort from everybody—not just the government and economic development organizations,” he said. “We have to lift the many, many of our fellow citizens and children from the despair of poverty.”

Behind the dense Power Point exhibits and hard-to-read charts and graphs lies a vibrant, stimulating urban core, reminiscent of the downtown’s glory days. A good example: Where others see Pithon Coulee as a drainage ditch overgrown with weeds, Kaufman envisions a scenic waterway fronted by broad paths filled with active people.

“I envision it as a place where people can run, bike, roller blade or simply stroll along with their families,” Kaufman said. “Best of all, Pithon Coulee runs through a lot of the city and this trail will help connect us as a community.”

That’s what drives Kaufman.

“I was born and raised here and this area has been great to my family and me,” said Kaufman, who started GiGi’s Fitness Center about two decades ago. “The people here helped make my business a success, and I believe we all share a duty to help make this a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

The downtown urban core serves as a crossroads--a common meeting ground for diverse groups of people, Richard said. “Reaching our potential is going to require innovation, creativity from all of us. It’s a time and the place for those who dream big, see what can be, and are unafraid to take risks.”

Richard noted that historian Joseph Tregle wrote that in Louisiana, the past and the present have always lived side by side. “That’s changing,” he explained. “No longer can we let our past dictate our future. We have our destiny in our hands. A thriving urban core is vital to achieving that destiny. It’s a place where business, finance, entertainment, the arts and people from all over meet. It’s where ideas are born and where growth begets more growth.”