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No problem! Good luck with the potential move. It'd be a great addition to the area.

City Park does not have extensive jogging and walking in place. There is a small playground area adjacent to the dog park but that's more of a destination with benches and playground equipment. One can run on the side of the road around the park, just as in other areas, but to say one is running in the park or that there are trails in the park to walk (with a stroller, in my case), is not true. So, currently, I walk the perimeter with my wife and baby, which is on the side of the road. And no, I would not vote for something that I haven't seen a plan for yet, either. But I would ask BREC to create a master plan for City Park to be a Central Park, of sorts, for the city. Given the success they have had in the last 9 years since the Imagine Your Parks campaign was launched, I'd be very interested to see what they would propose. The fact is that the course is a nice back-drop to the neighborhood with the majority of the park very under-utilized and the remainder bursting with activity. So that's a large portion of land for an under-utilized golf course. Check their numbers, play has been declining across the board on all 7 of the public courses in our parish.

Buckett's right in needing a Type I hood, however the size will be determined by the exact piece of equipment below. Let Greenheck or Captive Aire design the hood for you (they'll do it at no cost in hopes of you purchasing theirs). Also, as Buckett alludes to, the general rule is all kitchen exhaust hoods need to have 80% of exhausted air made up either from the general A/C or a designated make-up air plenum as part of the hood system. Most often, not always, it is best to have Type I hoods include the make-up air as part of the hood for the best capture of the grease laden air and energy efficiencies by not using conditioned A/C air. I've done many dining renovations/new construction, mostly at Universities, so feel free to ask if you have any questions.

I found a very interesting article regarding the re-thinking of under-utilized public golf courses which could help spur discussion of the golf course at City Park. You can read the full article here: http://cityparksblog.org/2012/07/23/fairways-under-fire-are-little-used-public-golf-courses-worth-the-space/ Here are some interesting passages: “Continuing to invest in golf courses that are not financially self-sustaining at the cost of other urban recreation is completely unjustifiable.... parks are expected to serve multiple demands in small spaces. Golf courses, in contrast," says Thomas, are “pretty much the definition of sprawl as far as parkland goes,” especially since “other forms of recreation like field sports and off-leash dog areas are bursting at the seams.” - quote from Meredith Thomas, the director of San Francisco’s Neighborhood Parks Council. And something a little closer to home: City Park in New Orleans formerly held an astonishing four 18-hole golf courses covering 520 acres. But there came a time when “the economics did not justify that many” says Bob Becker, the chief executive officer of the park, “and there was considerable demand for other kinds of recreation.” Today only a few vestiges of the land’s past remain, although “we still find golf balls from time to time,” says Larry Schmidt, the director of the TPL’s local office. Once the regrading of greens and bunkers was complete, the Big Lake area was packed full of amenities. There is a boardwalk, a dock, a meadow for concerts, and an interpretive nature trail that passes through five regions of Louisiana landscape, from upland hardwoods to coastal grasslands and marshes. The next phase of the project will include the construction of a boathouse that is expected to generate revenue from both rentals and events. Itsjustme3, I agree with you in that there is nothing wrong with the current layout, look, maintenance, character or style of City Park. It's very pretty to look at and walk around (and even drive around). And when I was a student at LSU, I even played once or twice with friends. It's just that it is underutilized in an over-saturated public golf course "market" and serves a very small portion of the population. What with the success of the dog park, tennis courts, BR Gallery, Movies on the Lawn and future Knock Knock museum, I think the neighborhood and the city have shown that they would use more if given the opportunity. And I also think that BREC has shown that they are up to the challenge of creating a premier city park for everyone.

Professional athletes team up to buy Mid City building Baton Rouge native and former NFL player Anthony Kimble, now a business consultant, has acquired the building at 4242 Government St., along with former LSU athlete Tyrus Thomas, and plans to turn the property into shared space for artists, architects and other creative professionals. "This has been a dream of mine since moving back to Baton Rouge last year," says Kimble, who played for the New York Jets and went to high school at LSU Lab. "We want to really focus on developing shared creative space for artists in the community, and this is the perfect neighborhood for the type of tenant we want to attract." Joining Kimble and Thomas—who is currently with the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats—in the venture is Glen "Big Baby" Davis, also a former LSU basketball star, now with the Orlando Magic. Though Davis will not have an ownership stake in the building, he will be involved in its redevelopment with his two high-school buddies. Already, the three have several shared business and charitable ventures together. The renovation of 4242 Government St., which Kimble and Thomas acquired Monday for $400,000 from the owners of the soon-to-be-shuttered Bible and Book Center, is their latest endeavor. Kimble says the renovation should take about six months and says the space should be ready by the end of the year. In addition to several creative suites, the building will house Kimble's consulting business, Aoot Branding & Management, as well as foundations that both Thomas and Davis have created to help inner-city youth. Says Kimble: "We want to be part of moving Baton Rouge forward." —Stephanie Riegel Read more from Business Report here: http://businessreport.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=daily-reportAM&date=20130430&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyReportAM#Professional_athletes_team#ixzz2RxhSgqGN

False. Having moved to Capital Heights in 2011, I have found that my neighbors (and I) do use the Cortana shopping area and would go to Target there. We do drive to Siegen or Millerville to Target, but would much rather go to one at Airline/Florida. And yes, we currently go there for Sam's, Old Navy, Lowes, etc. We do not, however, use the mall all that much except for the department stores. I would also add that you are over-valuing the average Target shopper... my experiences, especially at Siegen, are completely comparable to Wal-mart, not some "upscale" shopping experience. Millerville, in my experience, is much better but that is more from lack of the overcrowding that happens at Siegen.

Plan of Better Block. See y'all this weekend out there! BBBR_Plan_labels11x17.pdf

LSU is like a smart growth incubator for Baton Rouge. Maybe we'll see bike lanes in BR soon? LSU to install dedicated bike lanes LSU to install dedicated bike lanes BATON ROUGE - LSU plans to improve safety for cyclist by installing bike lanes on Dalrymple Drive east of Highland. The plan is part of the "Easy Streets" project that aims to make campus easier to travel on foot and by bike. Students say traveling on two wheels is a difficult venture on campus. "It's really difficult because so many people walk and there are so many cars that sometimes it's tough to get from one place to another, because you're constantly dodging out from people and cars, but it just seems more efficient for me to get to my classes," said Mikayda Mills, who rides her bike regularly on campus. That's one reason why so many students risk the road, and why LSU wants to make it safer. LSU hopes to add dedicated lanes on Skip Bertman drive, but needs approval from the state first. The University will also create "sharrow" lanes (shared lanes for cars and bikes) in the interior of campus. LSU will create a bike and pedestrian only promenade on Tower Drive between S. Campus and Stadium drives. Students can expect to start seeing the changes by the Summer. The entire project totals about $1.4 million.

While I am a supporter of the sculpture/stage, I would like to know the final cost of it. Was the $900,000 the sculpture piece only? Earlier this year, an additional $50,000 was allocated by our Metro Council for the lighting. And then there was also intense foundation work done to support the stage...

Cajun, here are the images from the presentation of St Phillips Promenade: http://www.downtownb...FinalDesign.asp

It's nice that there are references sited...

This is an example of what should be built adjacent to the Perkins overpass so people don't have to risk their life walking on the 2'-0" curb.

When I attended the "Re-envisioning of Government Street", there was talk of staging a mock-up (for a number of blocks) for how a new road design would work on Government street. This would include a roundabout. I think this is a great idea and costs nothing and let the public see how this would affect traffic, vehicle speeds, pedestrian traffic, etc.

Just bumping this post to remind everyone about the Government Street Re-envisioning presentation by Dan Burden and team tonight at LASM. You can find more information about Dan's organization: http://www.walklive.org/ You just have to look at their schedule to see that they really do travel the globe talking about walkable/bikeable communities. I also found this PDF that illustrates a lot of what we discuss here on the board, as well as what FutureBR advocates: http://walklive.org/...uide-Poster.pdf

See y'all there? Join national pedestrian and bicycling advocate Dan Burden for this free public event as he presents a vision of an economically thriving, walkable, bikable Government Street. This event will be held on Thursday, April 5th, 2012 at the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum (100 South River Road). The reception is from 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm and the presentation is from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm. http://connect.cpex.org/

Circa 1857 developers take on another Government St. project BY CHAD CALDER Advocate business writer March 29, 2012 0 COMMENTS Circa 1857’s Danny McGlynn and Dennis Hargroder have an agreement to acquire the title to and redevelop the Darensbourg building, a white, two-story building on Government street across from the Westmoreland Shopping Center. The goal is to have the bottom floor ready for a retail tenant and the second floor home to Ritter Maher Architects, which will oversee the design of the project. McGlynn, who has spearheaded a number of redevelopment projects in downtown and Midcity, said the goal is to try to transform the block. He also owns the adjacent buildings now home to Denicola’s, The Atomic Pop Shop and the former bicycle shop and has named the venture Model Block LLC. McGlynn said he would work with the Mid-City Redevelopment Alliance within its Government Street Master Action Plan and with the Center for Planning Excellence to bring the block to life in a way that is consistent with the findings of the various public design workshops that have been held for the busy traffic corridor. Government is often cited as a street with potential as a pedestrian-friendly, retail destination of local shops and boutiques, akin to New Orleans’ Magazine Street. McGlynn said it remains to be seen whether the redevelopment will include just landscaping or outdoor seating or any other option. “We’re prepared to do whatever they think needs to be done,” he said. “We’ll ask them how far and to what degree they want us to do something different.” McGlynn said the plans call for about $1 million in redevelopment costs, though he said he would apply for façade improvement grants from the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority. He said bringing in Scott Ritter and Steve Maher puts a team of talented architects in charge of redeveloping an important building overlooking their alma mater. Also, he noted, owner-occupied projects are the only ones that can get funding in the current economic climate. He said he hopes to have the redevelopment of the 9,000-square-foot building complete and occupied by the fall of 2013. McGlynn said the idea started about five or six years ago, when he, Hargroder and friend and business partner Jon McArthur thought it would be a good idea to approach redevelopment on a block-by-block, not building-by-building, basis, when possible. It’s what they managed to accomplish around Circa 1857 about a decade ago, turning a quiet, abandoned corner of Government and South 19th streets into an artisan’s market with a café and the occasional jazz brunch. McArthur passed away about a year ago, and they don’t have the entire block, but McGlynn said he and Hargroder are hoping Model Block can help continue the slow transformation of Government Street. http://theadvocate.com/news/2437055-123/team-looks-to-redevelop-building

Funny you mention that. The LSU Master Plan does call for a "Student Hangout - Dining/Cafe" at that location too....

A parking garage on LSU campus is a very big deal. This has been something in planning for a long time now... much longer ago than the 2003 Master Plan (which proposed at least 7 to be built: http://masterplan.lsu.edu/). On the other hand, cheap student housing development springs up every year, all over the place.

Awesome! Really happy to hear that! I worked on that project and I'm amazed at how little press it has received. Maybe once the weather has warmed up more people will have a chance to visit. I highly encourage everyone to go out there, if you can. The park really does have something for everyone.

I agree, BREC has really stepped it up and I'm eager to see them continue building up our parks program. Maybe the next step would be starting to connect the different parts of the city via some sort of network of greenbelts, bicycle lanes, or something of this nature. I know what you mean regarding the skyline. I've noticed this too on a few occasions. Although, a few weeks ago I was across the river in Port Allen on the levee looking back at Baton Rouge at sunset. That was pretty amazing seeing the city lit up by the last rays of the evening. I'll try to get that picture if I'm there again.

Here are some photos during construction showing the lakeside with the docks, a view from the multi-purpose room out over the lake, and a view of the pro-shop and cafe.

This Saturday, October 29th at 10am is the Grand (Re)opening of Greenwood Community Park. The address is 13350 Hwy 19, Baker LA 70714. http://theadvocate.com/news/1150449-123/park-reopens-saturday.html The pictures here do it no justice at all. It really is an amazing renovation/expansion of the existing park with too many amenities to list. This park is guaranteed to get lots of press once it is opened. I encourage all of you to check it out, if not this Saturday, sometime in the near future!

The Carver Branch Library at Terrace Ave and Napoleon St is not downtown. While it is close to downtown, this does not serve downtown patrons. The library is intended for and mainly serves Old South Baton Rouge.

Was that the old Koto's?

Was that the old Koto's?