City Gets Youth Involvement
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
A 12-month commitment aimed at youth involvement in sports is being crafted by the Opelousas Parks And Recreation Department with oversight by city officials.
Programs that encourage fall and winter participation for youths flag football and soccer are scheduled for launching sometime this month with a series of clinics that are combined with the annual youth basketball leagues.
Those concepts were outlined on Thursday night during a monthly business after hours program at the South City Park Teen Center sponsored by the St. Landry Chamber of Commerce.
That informal gathering followed the introduction of Parks And Recreation Committee members at a non-voting meeting held Wednesday night at City Hall.
The Commission will be tasked with investigating every aspect of spending and development of the parks programs and upkeep.
Individuals associated with the city and the Opelousas Downtown Development District pointed to the $8 million Donald Gardner Stadium renovations that have hosted high school football games and a couple of soccer matches since late last October.
Parks and Recreation Director Chris Rideau mentioned that the Opelousas Little League baseball program included over 500 participants in games played this summer at North City Park.
Baseball and softball have been practically dormant in Opelousas as a recreational sport over the last decade or so unless parents choose to spend money to place their children on travel ball teams.
The framework for the Opelousas Community Center building adjacent to the Teen Center is visible on South Market Street Boulevard in South City Park.
Completion for the 17,000-foot building advertised as a multi-purpose facility, is set for sometime before the end of 2026.
Funding for the facility was obtained in 2024 from $4.36 million in grant funding through the state broadband program.
Four pickleball courts located within shouting distance of the Teen Center have become popular destinations for local individuals dedicated to the sport. City officials said the courts have also attracted players from other cities.
Walter Guillory, hired by the city to oversee the municipal youth sports programs, said that he and his parks staff are aiming at a “youth outreach” concept that connects the parks sports programs with the schools in Opelousas.
Guillory pointed to the baseball program this past summer, which he said had to be structured in order to provide success.
“We went to every school and distributed fliers to advertise soccer and flag football that are starting in October after the clinics for the kids,” said Guillory.
Yvonne Normand, who spoke during the Thursday night meeting, reminded Rideau and other parks personnel, that the parks on each side of the city are also designed to meet the needs of the older generations.
South City Park has had a walking trail funded by corporate sources and the city that originally included a paved, 1.1-mile course that wound through the park acreage.
Some of the trail has disappeared now due to the construction of the Community Center, although walkers can now access the paved portions of the Donald Gardner Stadium parking lot and loop back around to the Teen Center for extended walking experiences.
