GONZALES The 36,000-square-foot gym at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center has gotten new life in a renovation that not only expands its sports capacity but broadens its appeal for other events. <\/p>\n
\"It's going to be a great asset for the community,\" said Travis Turner, Ascension Parish councilman and head of the council's recreation committee. <\/p>\n
By removing space-consuming wooden bleachers andreplacing them with portable ones and by rearranging basketball goals, workers transfigured the gym's previous lone basketball court into two; the space has been reworked to add a second volleyball court, as well. <\/p>\n
A new public address system, laminate wood floors and fresh paint make the gym, a free-standing building on the Lamar-Dixon grounds, almost like a new venue for all types of events. <\/p>\n
\"It will provide us with another opportunity to attract a diverse calendar of events to Lamar-Dixon that will appeal to a broader audience,\" Parish President Kenny Matassa said. <\/p>\n
The $339,000 gym project came in early in May instead of July and about $10,000 under budget, said Martin McConnell, public information officer for the parish government. <\/p>\n
Last month, the popular Senior Sock Hop dances the parish throws for older adults returned to the gym for the first timesince its upgrade. <\/p>\n
A second, still unfunded phase, would expand the size of the gym building and add a third court. <\/p>\n
\"We'll keep working toward that end,\" Turner said. <\/p>\n
Three years ago, Ascension Parish voters rejected by a large margin a proposed 10-year, 5-mill property tax that would have funded a new recreational complex at Lamar-Dixon, a new performing arts center and upgrades to all parish parks. <\/p>\n
In the wake of the tax's failure, Turner pushed for funding for improvements to the gym alone. <\/p>\n
Turner had originally sought funding for a $2 million renovation and expansion of the gym, but a budget amendment he proposed in late 2015 for the project died in committee, as Parish Council members wrangled over funding for recreational needs elsewhere in the parish. <\/p>\n
Turner returned with a scaled-back version of the original gym plan, opting for a first phase that renovated the existing gym building with new courts for basketball or volleyball. <\/p>\n
\"The gym was inadequate,\" Turner said. \"Individuals who wanted to play basketball and volleyball were underserved.\" <\/p>\n
The renovation of the gym was due to begin last fall, but the August flood changed those plans, and the facility served as a major distribution center for meals after the disaster. <\/p>\n
Work on the gym, which is called the Ascension Gym and has a lobby and concessions area, began in January. <\/p>\n
The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, off La. 30 just outside the Gonzales city limits and not far from the Tanger Outlet shopping center, has 90,000 square feet of air-conditioned display space in two other large buildings on the site, two open-air arenas and two recreational vehicle parks. <\/p>\n
The renovated gym enhances \"Lamar-Dixon's capacity as a general entertainment center in the parish and the capital city region and Gulf coast,\" said Kyle Gautreau, chief of staff for the Ascension Parish government. <\/p>\n
Follow Ellyn Couvillion on Twitter, @EllynCouvillion. <\/p>\n
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Lamar-Dixon Expo Center gym back in play after renovations - The Advocate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GONZALES The 36,000-square-foot gym at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center has gotten new life in a renovation that not only expands its sports capacity but broadens its appeal for other events. \"It's going to be a great asset for the community,\" said Travis Turner, Ascension Parish councilman and head of the council's recreation committee. By removing space-consuming wooden bleachers andreplacing them with portable ones and by rearranging basketball goals, workers transfigured the gym's previous lone basketball court into two; the space has been reworked to add a second volleyball court, as well. Continue reading