Bendelow

There is a move afoot to turn City Park over to an entity controlled by BRAF, LSU and BREC that would likely close or reduce the footprint of the golf course to three-holes of pitch and putt and turn important greenspace into an amusement park.
Here are some points to bear in mind.
1. City Park Golf Course Is One of Baton Rouge’s Most Important Public Assets
• Nearly 100 years old, it is one of the oldest public courses in Louisiana and one of the few listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• It hosts thousands of affordable rounds each year, serving seniors, juniors, beginners, and working families. In 2025, 28,000 golfers enjoyed a round at city Park.
• It is the most walkable, most accessible, and most affordable course in the parish.
• It is a rare example of early municipal golf design — a historic landscape worth preserving.
2. The Course Delivers Equity and Access
• City Park is the only centrally located public course in Baton Rouge.
• It provides access to a sport that is often cost prohibitive elsewhere.
• Eliminating or shrinking it would disproportionately impact residents who cannot afford private or suburban courses.
• Youth programs, senior leagues, and beginners rely on this course.
3. A “Single Governance Entity” Would Reduce Transparency
Sasaki’s proposed model would:
• consolidate control under a new, unelected body
• reduce public oversight
• weaken Open Meetings protections
• shift power away from taxpayers and neighborhoods
• increase private influence over public land
BREC is the only governance structure that guarantees:
• public meetings
• public records
• public accountability
• public ownership
4. What Golfers Want Is Simple
• Keep the Historic City Park Golf Course intact.
• Keep BREC as the sole governing agency.
• Improve maintenance, access, and ecological performance — not eliminate the course.
• Ensure all decisions are made in public, not behind closed doors.
BREC is doing a survey now through February 27 about planning for the future of City Park. Go to this link LINK

Yes, I and others have reached the conclusion that LSU Foundation and BRAF are seeking to put the responsibility for The Lakes onto BREC. Think about it: neither BRAF nor the Foundation are operators; they are private foundations. BREC is a large organization with a big maintenance staff. This conclusion was reached partly because BREC says it is leading this planning effort (and paying for it), but the initial meeting of the committee was held at BRAF on an invitation-only basis. That limits public participation from the GO.

Thanks for this. I filled out the survey and told BREC they should invest three to five million dollars in improving the course the way they did at J.S. Clark.

BRAF and BREC are definitely trying to do an end-around on this. LSU wants to get the Lakes Project off their plate and shift responsibility for maintenance and upkeep to BREC.

Yes, and they feel entitled to decide what is best for the rest of us.

That isn't speculation, It is absolutely how Jenni Peters is working, in conjunction with Rolfe McCollister and others who want to turn historic City Park into an amusement park.

The benefits of being on the National Register of Historic places are mainly recognition and prestige. City Park was one of the first--if not THE first-municipal golf courses listed.
However, being on the list does not guarantee the course can't be destroyed by substantially changing its character. That is why we have to work to preserve it.

You may or may not be aware that City Park Golf Course is on the National Register of Historic Places. If the course is substantially altered, as it would be with a three-hole pitch and putt instead of nine holes, it would be removed from the list.

Thanks for your support!

Thank you for your timely response and action.

At a special meeting on Thursday, October 9, BREC Commissioners will consider approving a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement to conduct a planning process that will result in rolling City Park into a Lakes Conservancy tied to the ongoing Lakes Project.

The proposal, backed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, presents the benefits of a CEA-directed master plan for City-Brooks Park and the University Lakes system. Those two different projects were not presented as connected in any planning session for the new BREC Master Plan -- Imagine Your Parks 3 – that will guide the park system for the next 10 years.

This appears to be an attempt to alter BREC's most recent master plan after the fact. And the Civic Collaboration Foundation is asking BREC for $300,000 to conduct their master planning, should this proposal be approved.

Think of what that $300,000 might be like if spent on improvements to City Park.

What this means to golfers is that the historical nine-hole golf course will either be eliminated or reduced to three holes for pitch and putt.

The 140-acre City Park, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2028, has NOTHING to do with the Lakes Project, and must not be allowed to be rolled up into a conservancy that no one voted for and only a handful of people are pushing. Please email BREC commissioners prior to the meeting at commissioners@brec.org to voice your opinion.