By KAREN LAGRANGE COX
Several years ago, the town of Erath took proactive measures to ensure an inclusive playground was available for all children. Mayor Taylor Mencacci sat down with BY Local News to discuss how the town took the idea for an inclusive playground and ran with it, Lahasky Park, and grant funding.
Erath resident Martial Broussard, a Twin Parish Port Board member, presented his idea for an inclusive playground accessible to Menacci and special education teachers at Erath High School. Broussard went on to spearhead the project; he and the town collaborated with special education teachers in choosing the design, layout, and playground equipment based on wheelchair accessibility, the needs of the children, etc.
In 2019, the inclusive playground was built in Lahasky Park, a park named after Dr. Bernard Lahasky. The playground equipment, purchased from Miracle® Recreation, includes high-back swings with straps, a disk swing, an inclusive whirl (wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round), and a zipline. The area surrounding the inclusive whirl is covered with turf for easy wheelchair access. Universal swings were also placed in the main playground in Lahasky Park.
The Twin Parish Port Commission funded the $100,000 cost of the inclusive playground in Erath. As per the Twin Parish Port Commission website, this Special Tax District says, “The Twin Parish Port District of Iberia and Vermilion Parish sponsors economic development projects in and around the communities of Delcambre and Erath, Louisiana.“
The inclusive playground has attracted several area schools to take field trips to the playgrounds in Erath.
The video above is by Courtois Productions and provided by the Town of Erath.
Other Features at Lahasky Park
Surrounding the inclusive playground are metal benches donated by businesses and residents of Erath through a community fundraiser. The name of the bench’s donor is on the seat back.
The main playground at Lahasky Park was rebuilt one year before the inclusive park with $50,000 funding from Erath’s 4th of July Association.
The tennis courts in Lahasky Park were resurfaced before the COVID-19 pandemic and were funded by Erath’s 4th of July Association. The park also includes the Joshua Lahasky Basketball Court, tennis courts, a one-half-mile walking track, and small pavilions to host gatherings. The Annual Easter in the Park is held in Lahasky Park.
Thanks to Dr. Bernard and Marie Lahasky Foundation funding, Lahasky Park will soon have a new nine-hole disc golf course. The course has been designed, the equipment purchased, and it is now awaiting installation.
Mencacci emphasized, “Lahasky Park is an asset for the town and area”.
Utilizing Grant Funds
The city is currently working to utilize grant funds to stimulate business and growth in Erath as part of the town’s Moving Erath Forward (MEF) initiative. The MEF initiative involves residents and businesses working together to stimulate community events and keep resources in the community. This is aimed at enhancing Erath’s overall community development.
Mencacci has applied for and continues to apply for grant monies for Erath.
Erath received $9,000 in grant funding from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Community Challenge Grant. This grant money was used to design, manufacture, and install metal bicycle racks with town name cutouts throughout the town.
The Lahasky Park is made possible by the Lahasky Family and Moving Erath Forward. It is off Highway 14 Bypass at 401 City Park Drive in Erath.
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