Will The Stadium Be Ready?
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
Heavy equipment is moving dirt and some underground infrastructure is in place, but whether Donald Gardner Stadium will be ready for the start of the 2025 football season now depends on climatic factors, says Parks and Recreation Director Chris Rideau.
“The contractors are moving at a good speed. Now we are getting into the rainy season,” Rideau told the Opelousas Board of Aldermen during a meeting Tuesday night.
The annual St. Landry Parish Football Jamboree held at the stadium is scheduled Aug. 29 and Rideau told the Board that at this point he thinks the football field should be ready for the 6 pm kickoff.
Rideau has also told the Opelousas Downtown Development District during the past several months that progress on the Phase 1 stadium project appeared to be proceeding on schedule.
Project work began Feb. 24.
If the stadium is unprepared to host a Jamboree , Rideau said contingency plans for moving the event to a different site will be discussed.
Intermittent rain is predicted for the parish each day over the next week, while on Thursday, forecasters pointed to a large tropical system developing off the coast of Central America.
What’s The Cost?
The ODD has committed $5 million in bonds to provide major project funding. The bond payments cover a 10-year payment period beginning in 2025 carrying an 4.5 percent annual interest rate.
According to the payment schedule, the ODD owes $375,000 plus interest for this year and $425,000 with interest in 2026.
The ODD is financing its share of the project costs with an extra 1-cent sales tax collected in several “big box” stores in Opelousas.
State funding used for Phase 1 is $1 million while the parish government is paying $500,000 from COVID revenues.
Attempts at securing corporate sponsorships will be pursued to offset operational and maintenance costs which are the responsibility of the city
What Has Been Done
Since February several trees have been removed from the perimeter of the stadium, mountains of dirt have been removed and redistributed, lights and poles from the visitors side have disappeared, a retention pond has been dug and the outline for the eight-lane track has emerged.
Rideau told the Board that a field events area that includes shot put and jumping pits have been installed.
The concession stand areas for the home and visitors sides are in place and a corporate investor has agreed to finance a new scoreboard which Rideau said will feature spectator-friendly images.
Meetings Next Week
Meetings Scheduled
Rideau said that project managers and architect Michael Cullen are scheduled to meet with him again next week in order to perform another on-site inspection for the Phase 1 project, which includes an artificial turf, an eight-lane outdoor track and improvements to the stadium, which was originally completed in 1958.
