The New Iberia City Park boat dock project is scheduled for completion in about a month, said project engineer John Charpentier of Berard, Habetz & Associates.
The project includes two fishing piers that will span out on either side of the existing boat landing. No changes will be made to the launch itself, said Jane Braud, director of Planning and Zoning for the city.
The project also includes improvements to the parking lot and additional lighting for the parking lot that will ensure it is well lit during evening hours.
A new restroom facility also is being built as part of the project. It will be across the street from the dock, so children using the new playground equipment won’t have to cross the street to access it, Braud said.
Charpentier said the two wharves have been constructed and the parking lot has been poured. Four paved spaces plus one handicapped spot have been added.
The parking lot also has another two or threegravel spots, Charpentier said. The plans includedmore paved spots, but they didn’t want to damage the oak tree, so they had toreduce the number to four plus the handicapped spot.
The wharves have tie-down cleats on both sides to tie up boats. Each wharf is 97 feet, which will leave plenty of room to tie up boats, Charpentier said.
However, the wharves do not have electrical or water hookups like at Bouligny Plaza. The two wharves are meant for recreational and fishing boats, Charpentier said.
Construction is underway for the bathrooms. The cinderblock walls should be up this week, and construction should be finished on them in the next two to three weeks, he said.
The bathroom facility will have two areas, one for men and one for women. They are single-person restrooms, Charpentier said. Exterior lighting will be added to each side of the restroom facility.
The boat landing will have lighting to illuminate the wharves, as well as the parking lot.
The city plans on locking the bathrooms at night, Charpentier said.
Construction began at the end of February, and everything should be finished at the end of May, he said, barring weather problems.
When completed, the project will complement all park amenities in the area, including the new playground equipment, walking trail, bike path, picnic area, Senior Center and boat landing,” Braud said. “All in an effort to improve quality of life in New Iberia.”