- Upgrades to the sports complex's fields, lighting, concession stands, and more have been underway since summer of 2022.
- After grappling with weather conditions, the PepperPlex's director says as of now, "New Iberia's in a good position."
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“The hope is that we’ll continue to grow as we get better and as the facility gets better, as we continue to make the improvements.”
They say the grass is always greener….
"You know if we all stay local and put our money local, then it can only get better.”
….when you put more money into it.
That’s exactly what’s happening at the PepperPlex sports complex in New Iberia, where a $3 million project is underway. "Well, it’s been good, there've been some challenges the weather got us in the beginning; it was the rain," explained Richard Romero, director of New Iberia's PepperPlex.
Romero began at the local recreation complex a little over two years ago, in the spring of 2022; around the same time that upgrades began. Now, he says, Phase One of the revamp is just finishing up.
"It’s taken a year and a half, to a little bit more, to finish this phase of the project,” said Romero, who said Phase One focused on the following:
- Creating 9 fully turfed fields: 3 for tee ball, 3 for smaller baseball fields (200 ft.), 3 for larger baseball fields (300 ft.)
- Installing one, brand new concession stand with bathrooms
- Upgrading stadium lighting with LED lighting (underway)
- Paving a new, additional back road in order to redirect traffic (underway)
“We ended up having to take some of the money and not do some of the projects,” Romero explained. "We were not able to renovate the batting cage, and/or the office...we still had to conserve a little bit. We found some additional money, the mayor’s got some additional capital outlay money that will take care of what we weren’t able to finish, within the next year.”
Evangeline Little League Rec. Sports parent, Jen Douet, says her two boys Liam (9) and Bentley (12) can’t wait to take a crack at the new batting cage. "They’re super pumped; they like that we can go locally and play, the fields are nice, and they’re really excited that they get to play with their friends.”
As someone who does the scheduling for her sons' team, and interacts with parents from away teams, Douet said the newly renovated PepperPlex has been receiving some high praise. “The last tournament they had locally, I had some friends that played there, and they all sent me messages about how the bathrooms were so clean, the concession stand was great, it was a very nice park and they can’t wait to play there more often.”
Romero says the PepperPlex positive impact on visiting families…could also have a positive impact on the local economy."There’s plenty of people vying for these leagues, and the competition, and the dollars of these travel teams and these organizations. New Iberia's in a good spot, we hope to be able to attract people from all the surrounding areas, and we think that it’s gonna be a positive thing.”
