Calcasieu Parish officials cut the ceremonial ribbon on Nov. 3, 2017 to commemorate the completion of Phase II B of River Bluff Park, located 543 Theriot Road in Moss Bluff.

The park opened fully to the public on Saturday, November 4.

Phase II B, which sits on almost three-acres of land, includes Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible picnic areas, playgrounds with inclusive and accessible features for children of all capabilities, a splash pad, an exercise area, and a quarter-mile walking path, pergolas with bench seating and a family restroom facility.

The playground area has a section for 2-to-5-year-olds and one for 5-to-12-year-olds. The playground, splash pad and exercise areas are equipped with a soft, rubberized safety flooring.

This phase of the project cost about $3.4 million and took 11 months to build.

“Bringing a park like this to fruition requires many things: imagination, leadership, persistence, technical and architectural expertise, and of course – funding,” said Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Administrator Bryan Beam. “But underlying all of this is the Police Jury’s care for the people of Calcasieu Parish and for their quality of life.”

Martin Vires, Parish Project Manager, said Moss Bluff is a growing community and it wanted a family destination that could accommodate people of all ages and capabilities.

“The park’s pathways, playground and splash area, and the nature-themed butterfly pavilions in the picnic areas, are all ADA-accessible, as well as all water fountains found throughout the park,” he said.

 In fact, early on in the park’s design, the River Bluff Advisory Panel asked Moss Bluff students what features they would like to see in the park. Many of their ideas were incorporated into the design.

Phase I, which was completed in 2015, includes a boat launch, which fits three boats at a time, and a parking lot with space for 50 boat trailers. Phase II A was completed in 2016 and includes a new restroom facility for the River Bluff Park boat launch area and waste treatment plant for the park.

Dean Kelly, Facility Management Director, said Phase III, which is in development, will include an elevated walking path that will go through the wetlands and along the river. It will also feature a large, rentable pavilion that can be used for weddings, family reunions and other large gatherings.

“During this phase, we will also address the drainage lateral that runs through the park on the east side to make sure we have capacity for increased flow through the park in the future,” he said.

The 26-acre area borders the existing parish boat launch on both the east and west side, along the scenic Calcasieu River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

River Bluff Park - from the Beginning

The 26-acre property was the focal point of an extensive master planning process, lead by the River Bluff advisory panel, the citizens of surrounding communities and Calcasieu Parish.

The Police Jury has contracted the services of leading landscape architects and site planners, lead by Patrick Moore, Sr. Partner with Environmental Resources Management (ERM), David Brossett, Architect and Walt Jessen, DW Jessen and Associates.

See the proposed plan for this exciting project by clicking on both images below. (Please allow a few seconds for the Design Plan file to load.)

 

Click on the links below to see the original presentations

Free PDF and Powerpoint viewer downloads are available at the bottom of this page.