- Concerned community members in Jeanerette are asking for updates to be made to the outdoor bathrooms, splashpad, and rec center at the King Joseph Park & Recreation Center.
- "There's really nothing for the kids to do out here, and it hurts my heart."
Iberia Parish has 16 parks for people to enjoy; but according to residents, one park in particular is causing people to stay away. Several community members are speaking out, calling for 'upgrades and improvement, to the King Joseph Park & Recreation Center, in Jeanerette.
“I’m worried about the other children, cause this still our community," said Minerva Rener, who lives just two blocks away from the park. She says the istance from the park is "why [she and her family] have so much exposure to see what be taking place in the park."
Rener says the main complaint people have about the park is about the outdoor bathroom facility (baseball field side). “The bathrooms be locked; so…how can they bring they children to use the restroom if the restroom’s locked?”
Iberia Parish President M. Larry Richard says that "a couple of weeks ago," these bathrooms were closed for a reason.
"The reason the bathroom was closed was because someone actually took...bowel movements, 'BM,' and smeared it on the ceiling and smeared it on the flooring." Richard explained that the bathrooms then had to be closed for a couple of days, and that special gear and equipment is required for cleaning up "that sort of mess."
However, another community member claims issues with the restrooms started well before that.
“'Bout six, seven months ago, the doors was being locked,” said Jeanerette "taxpayer" Regina Ceasar. Ceasar claims that several different people got stuck in the bathroom, due to the door getting jammed. “It was uh…worker for the park that was doing some work in the park, he got locked in the restroom. It was a lady, one of the community members, she got locked in the bathroom, and it was also a small child.”
One of those people was Jeanerette resident Evelyn Butts. When asked to recall the experience, she said the following:
“It was Easter weekend last year. I banged on the door for nearly 10 minutes. I was scared nobody would hear me, and that I would be stuck in there. I knew I couldn’t call the Parks and Rec. Department because it was a holiday. I was terrified that I’d never get out. I’m never using that bathroom again.”
Aside from the bathrooms, complaints ensue about the park's splashpad, lack of supplies and activities available, the outdoor basketball court, and the condition of the rec. center's exterior.
“They doin' what they want to 'King Joe,' but I betcha if you go across to City Park, you go to Burleigh Park, you not gonna have—in Willow Wood, you will not have it,” said Rener. "They done had complaints made but they...they throw it on the side."
