St. Tammany has seen a big growth spurt with the current housing market trends. The growth in the area has also brought many new residents. Coquille Parks is expanding along with the community growth.

“This area has seen over 5% growth for the last five years,” Richard Bentley-Smith, executive director at Coquille Parks and Recreation said. “We really are just trying to keep up with the growth of this area off La. 22 and U.S. 190 as much as possible, so we can offer a place for every kid to play. And not just baseball or football or volleyball, but we want as many kids in the area to come to our splashpad or playgrounds and not be overcrowded.”

“The key to running a recreation department, no matter where you are, is listening to your community,” Bentley-Smith said. “What Madisonville, Goodbee, Covington and the District 14 area wants may not be what Baton Rouge or even Slidell wants. So you have to really listen to your taxpayers and build to suit their needs.”

This summer the center hosted a cheer camp for over 100 kids for the first time. In fact, organized program participation has grown 750% since 1999, when the recreation district was established. St. Tammany Recreation District 14 began with Little League ball fields in 1999  which consisted of 46 acres that were purchased by the Madisonville Youth Boosters. Currently, Coquille Park includes 130 acres fields, gyms, multipurpose facilities, tennis courts, playgrounds and outdoor exercise areas.

A bond that was passed at the beginning of 2021 will give the park the opportunity to focus on upgrades and maintenance. Bentley-Smith also hopes for additional funding in order to purchase additional land. The negotiations and funding are in the works for 35-acres of land next to the park.

A new baseball complex is slated to open next month. The park is also looking into purchasing outdoor fitness equipment and building a disk golf area as well as miniature golf courses. That’s not all on the list of what is to come. A dog park is planned to open in the early spring of 2022, new trails are to be built through the wetlands area, and a campground with an accessible ball field will also be added.

“We listened to the public requests,” Bentley-Smith said. “We build facilities based on what the public requests, and that includes the bond dollars. We heard the public, and we want to put those funds to the best use possible.”

The new park will be for all residents from toddlers to senior citizens. Bentley-Smith gives the credit to the town of Madisonville where the two fields started out on Pine Street. The citizens and St. Tammany have come together to help the park continue to grow to meet the needs of the community.

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