The Board of Supervisors at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette have voted to allow the University to sell the land on Johnston St., "The Horse Farm," to the city of Lafayette in exchange for a Youth Park. The land the University is willing to sell sits on 100 acres with the "heart" of Lafayette. The plan as of now is develop the land into a park. In the agreement with UL, if the city does not develop the land within ten years, the land would be returned to the University. Luckily for the University, the price tag sits at $6 Million. Sure a park would be nice in the middle of the city, but I would recommend a few more things we could use here in Lafayette. Oh, I have already taken into consideration that Johnston St. and other streets would have to be widened if any of my recommendations came to light.

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    An Amphitheater

    Lafayette seems to miss out on A LOT of concert possibilities. Being nestled between Houston and New Orleans we are in a prime location for "big name acts." However, with only ONE major venue in Lafayette, The Cajun Dome, we need another venue to attract of some the biggest names in the music industry. Houston has a beautiful venue, the Woodlands, and that is something Lafayette could use. Sure the temperatures during the summer time in south Louisiana can exceed the 100-degree mark, but how nice would it be to have an outside venue for concerts during the spring and fall months (not to mention we have mild winters)? An Amphitheater with sufficient amounts of parking could do our market wonders!! Lafayette is rich in culture and music, thus I think we could score big if we had such a venue in Lafayette.

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    A Huge Water Park

    We have seen the success of "Blue Bayou" Water Park in Baton Rouge and I ask...Why hasn't anyone though about bringing that same concept to Lafayette? The land off of Johnston, formerly known as the Horse Farm, would be sufficient in size. I need not preach to any of you about the extreme temperatures in south Louisiana, thus wouldn't a water park make a killing in Lafayette? Not to mention, such a project would also offer several job opportunities for many within our community. A water park in Lafayette would allow families, schools, and churches to come together while offering up some summertime relief from the scorching temperatures in Louisiana.

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    New Shopping Mall

    Sure, we already have one mall in Lafayette, but couldn't we use another one? The Mall of Acadiana offers some great shopping, yet I am a person of variety. I think another shopping mall would offer Lafayette more options and more options in style. Not to mention, we all like new things right, so why not develop the prime location into a shopping center? I think we bring the Mall Of Acadiana and River Ranch together here and enjoy all that it has to offer.

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    Theme Park

    Since Hurricane Katrina, the state of Louisiana has NO theme park other than the few rides at "Blue Bayou" Water Park in Baton Rouge. Rather than having to drive out of state on any given day, how convenient would it be to have our own theme park here in Lafayette? Like the argument I made with a water park, this too would offer many job opportunities for those within Lafayette and for those in the surrounding communities. I have seen first hand how many people enjoy the "Cajun Heartland State Fair" when it comes to Lafayette, now imagine having that on a BIGGER scale permanently in Lafayette. The opportunities would be endless.

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    Cajun Palms II

    If ever you have visited the Cajun Palms Campground in Henerdson, LA you know why I am bringing this up. The campground was done right and has become a MAJOR attraction for those with camper trailers. This could be a GOLD MINE in the city of Lafayette. I'd recommend pools, beaches, and other fun attractions on this site. Could you imagine how busy this place would be during UL athletic events, Mardi Gras, and Festival Internationale? To be able to set up shop in the middle of the city and have all that you need at your fingertips would be a SMASH!! The landscape of this "plot" is ideal for such a campground. I could already see a huge entrance sign off of Johnston, "Welcome To Cajun Palms II."

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