The local golf rumor mill has been abuzz about the city of Lake Charles closing Mallard Cove to allow expansion of the Chennault airpark. Is that true?

No, but the rumor holds a grain of truth.

The city has no immediate plans to close the course, said John Cardone, Lake Charles city administrator. But, he said, Chennault International Airport officials have said that acquiring the golf course would aid their expansion.

Mallard Cove — with its errant golf balls and bird-friendly setting — will present a greater hazard to people and planes in the future as the airport expands, said Randy Robb, Chennault executive director.

The course lies just south of Taxiway G, which is used for small planes, he said. The taxiway has in the past been little used, so problems associated with the golf course were manageable, Robb said.

But Chennault plans to build a cargo center along Taxiway G, and the increased traffic associated with it will mean a greater exposure to hazards for people and airplanes, he said.

Cardone said the city has asked Chennault to look at other development alternatives, and Robb said airport officials are doing just that.

“We have to look at options to limit exposure,” Robb said. “We’re looking at all the different things that can be done.”

The land Mallard Cove occupies was given to the city by the U.S. Department of the Interior several decades ago for recreational use “on into perpetuity,” Robb said. To put the land to commercial use, officials would need approval from Congress.

“We’re a long way off, if we decided to do it,” Robb said.

Online: www.cityoflakecharles.com; www.chennault.org.

15 states occupy land gained in purchase

How many states were carved out of the Louisiana Purchase?

The Louisiana Purchase — which, incidentally, didn’t include the Calcasieu-Cameron area — doubled the size of the United States in 1803, adding more than 820,000 square miles of land.

The area included all or parts of the following 15 states:

Arkansas

Colorado

Iowa

Kansas

Louisiana

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

New Mexico

North Dakota

Oklahoma

South Dakota

Texas

Wyoming

Online: http://history.state.gov/milestones.

The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com

(American Press Archives)