Lake Charles City Councilman Ronnie Harvey said the LC REBOUND meetings are “monumental” for residents and allows for questions, confusion or “uneasiness” to be addressed directly by the city and project engineers.

“The reason why is because we have to stop relying on propaganda and information that’s not correct,” said Harvey, who represents District A. “What better way than to get it from the horse’s mouth?”

LC REBOUND is a tax-neutral bond proposal that would lead to more than $190 million in infrastructure and quality-of-life projects in Lake Charles. During the recent District A community meeting, Mayor Nic Hunter reviewed all of the projects included in LC REBOUND, but focused on those that would directly affect the district.

He said 27 percent of LC REBOUND’s projects are focused in District A, not including downtown Lake Charles projects.

The first of these is the Nellie Lutcher Parkway Streetscapes project, which includes drainage upgrades, greenspace additions and landscaping for Enterprise Boulevard from Broad Street to Pryce Street at an estimated cost of $10 million. It is one of the catalytic projects that was proposed by Just Imagine SWLA in their long-term community recovery plan.

The project is modeled after downtown Ryan Street’s development. The area now has brick pavers, lighting, landscaping and banners. The aesthetic upgrades were a result of the $90 million bond proposal that was approved after Hurricane Rita. The project was “transformative” and led to economic development and general aesthetic enhancement, Hunter said.

“They made an investment into an area of the city that needed it, and it’s been a resounding success. We can see economic development in this area in the same way.”

He believes the Nellie Lutcher Parkway Streetscapes projects will greatly benefit District A.

“We would like to see that  same opportunity for another area of the city that has seen some disinvestment in recent years.”

The streetscapes project would complement Nellie Lutcher Memorial Park, which will be opening within the coming months. This park, located in the Nellie Lutcher Cultural District, will commemorate the life of the local music icon. The Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu will also be relocated to the district next year.

He noted there are additional private, retail investments coming to the area, as well.

“The message here is we are seeing traction and activity in this area to the level that we haven’t seen in many years, and we think that this streetscapes project will just continue that progress forward.”

The project that interests most of District A is the completion of the Enterprise Boulevard extension.

This was included in the city’s last bond proposal with a price tag of $13.5 million. To complete the extension, the city has allocated $26 million; $3.5 million in capital outlay will be added to the funding for the extension, Hunter said.

“This project is something that we have discussed ad nauseam for decades now.”

He said according to project engineers, it could break ground within 18 months, and be completed in three to four years.

Robbie Spears, an engineer working on the extension project, said the extension will mostly be three-lane, which is aligned with local destination-based highways. The project will be designed to be scalable, allowing for improvements in the future.

Drainage improvements will be included.

One resident expressed concern over the diversion of traffic from U.S. 171. The design of the extension would connect Enterprise Boulevard to Fitzenreiter Road onto U.S.. 171, bypassing a stretch of the highway.

He said the engineering firms working on the extension estimate that 50 percent of traffic will be diverted from the highway to Enterprise Boulevard, and that 35 businesses along U.S. 171 would be “crushed” by the extension and are against the project.

The goal is to connect north Lake Charles with the rest of the city and bring new people into the area, Hunter said. He expressed his full support for the Enterprise extension, and believes the design will support business and economic growth in north Lake Charles.

“The intent here is not to cannibalize traffic. The intent here is if this project is developed correctly, it will bring new people into this area; new vehicular traffic, new economic development, not just recycling what’s already out there.”

The “One Lake Charles” bike trail will aid in this connection. The eight-mile trail will span from Riverside Park to Prien Lake Park, following the levee. It will run alongside Calcasieu Heights, the $19.1 million residential development near Riverside Park.

This development is one of a few development projects in the works in the area, he said.

On the Southside of Combre-Fondel, Project Build-a-Future plans to build multiple single-family homes to promote home-ownership in the area. He also said the city is working on an incentive plan with someone planning to build a neighborhood supermarket “just around the corner.”

Both of these developers support the Enterprise Boulevard extension and bike trail.

“That alone is already some good, positive traction that we have had, and we believe that that will continue with this project.”

The second community meeting will take place 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in the cafeteria at Hamilton Christian Academy, 1415 8th St. This meeting is in District B and will be hosted by Hunter and Luvertha August, District B councilwoman.

The LC REBOUND bond proposal will be on the ballot Nov. 18.

Questions, concerns or suggestions can be submitted at the Mayor’s actions hotline 337-491-1220 or through email at mal@cityoflc.us