Construction set to begin in February

<p class="p1">JENNINGS — Construction on a new Gator Chateau to house alligators at the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park is expected to begin in February and take a year to complete.</p><p class="p1">After review, the Jeff Davis Parish Tourist Commission agreed this week to award the project to Habertz Construction of Crowley. The company was the lowest of four bids at $669,000.</p><p class="p1">“We are looking forward to being able to serve more visitors than we are seeing right now in our little space that can only hold 15 people,” Tourism Director Marion “Butch” Fox said.</p><p class="p1">A larger Gator Chateau will allow the Tourist Commission to increase its tours and visitors by expanding the capacity to 200 people.</p><p class="p1">“It will be nice to have everyone inside at one time and not out in the cold or weather,” Fox said.</p><p class="p1">The new facility will replace the current older, outdated and smaller building.</p><p class="p1">“I am excited that the board voted to go ahead and build the Gator Chateau like it was designed so that we will have enough room for all the people who come here along with our local citizens who visit us,” she said.</p><p class="p1">The Gator Chateau sees over 30,000 visitors a year with visitors from all over the United States and more than 50 countries.</p><p class="p1">Plans for the project include demolishing the current Gator Chateau building. A temporary building to house baby alligators will be used during the construction.</p><p class="p1">Plans for the new facility include the tourism office in the front with the Gator Chateau to the back of the building. An indoor area to hold baby alligators, a covered pond area for viewing larger alligators and a back deck viewing area are also planned.</p><p class="p1">The project is being funded by revenues from a 4 percent hotel-motel tax dedicated to promoting tourism. It is paid by people who stay in hotels, motels, RV parks and campgrounds in Jeff Davis Parish.</p><p class="p1">“We are not using any city or parish money for this project except for what the Tourist Commission has brought in from the local hotel-motel tax,” she said. “We have been saving the money to build a new building because we know how big of an attraction our gators are.”</p><p class="p1">The tax generates about $150,000 a year, Fox said.</p>