Lafayette Mayor-President defends decision to close four community centers

Lafayette, LA. (KLFY) – After facing public backlash from the community following his decision to close four community centers in the city, the office of Mayor-President Josh Guillory continues to defend his decision saying in a release late Sunday that, “the decisions were difficult, they were not made with any intention to harm any particular group of citizens nor for political reasons.”

In a statement titled “Additional Facts About Parks and Recreation Cuts” the mayor-presidents office said that sixty percent of the parish recreation centers are located on the north side of Lafayette Parish, in a district where less than 20 percent of the population resides.

“The remaining north side facilities are more than adequate to fulfill the needs of our citizens in that area, and still have more convenient geographical access for residents than other centers in the parish,” a release stated.

In what appears to be further justification for the closures, the mayor-president’s office noted that the Bowles Activity Center and J. Carlton James Activity Center only housed offices and meeting rooms.

As for the Heymann Recreation Center and Domingue Recreation Center, the release stated that both centers had very low usage numbers.

LCG will work with non-profit groups to continue to facilitate after school tutoring at both centers.

All parks at each center would remain open, the release stated.

Mayor-President Josh Guillory will continue to work with the Councils and community leaders to find alternative ways to keep these centers available for the citizens of Lafayette Parish. He will also do everything it takes to ensure that the City and Parish of Lafayette are in the best financial position possible to avoid increasing the financial burden on our citizens.