Big Statement – $250,000 Approved for Gretna Neighborhood Pool Repairs by Jefferson Parish

DEBARYLIFE – Jefferson Parish set aside a quarter of a million dollars to restore a troubled neighborhood pool, years after the parish helped save it and another private country club from going under by creating special tax districts.

The 500-home Timberlane Estates neighborhood in Gretna, which is served by the Timberlane Neighborhood Improvement and Beautification District, will get reimbursement for significant repairs made to its neighborhood pool, which sustained significant damage during Hurricane Ida.

Member of the Jefferson Parish Council Marion Edwards set aside $250,000 from his district’s fund, which was obtained from the 45-year West Jefferson General Hospital lease to LCMC, to be used for initiatives pertaining to health and fitness.

On Memorial Day, the pool that had been closed due to the storm reopened.

According to Jon McGill, chairman of the Timberlane Neighborhood Improvement and Beautification District, the pool is now exclusively available to locals and users of the Timberlane exercise facilities, which also include a tennis court, volleyball court, and golf course. The district is working on plans for public access to the pool, McGill said, as well as future programs for the general public like water aerobics classes for seniors and swim lessons.

The facility’s website states that to swim in the pool, non-residents must pay a $10 admission fee each and be accompanied by a resident. Non-residents can join as a sports and recreation members can bring up to three visitors for a $10 cost per person, according to the website.

The facility’s gym was also damaged in Hurricane Ida and was transferred to a smaller room and is only open to residents until it is refurbished, McGill said.

The Jefferson Parish Council decided to support the Timberlane Country Club, which was in danger of closing due to years of declining membership and dilapidated infrastructure, by voting to establish the Timberlane special tax district in 2018.

The next year, locals cast their votes in favor of a $1,950 per property, ten-year property tax. To save the club, it was anticipated that the tax would bring in roughly $1 million annually.

NO.jppools.advOn Thursday, May 30, 2024, at Timberlane Golf and Recreation in Gretna, Louisiana, the Lomonaco brothers Robert, 9, Nathan, 12, and Harrison, 15, are seated atop each other’s shoulders in the recently restored Timberlane swimming pool. Matthew Perschall took the picture. The Times-Picayune.

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McGill underlined that the Timberlane taxation district was a “public entity” at the time of its formation, no longer a country club.

The restaurant is run by Cafè Hope, a nonprofit organization that provides work experience for young people between the ages of 16 and 24, while the golf course, pool, and other facilities are owned and operated by the tax district.

Examination of Hospital Expenditures

In 2015, LCMC signed a 45-year lease to take over West Jefferson General Hospital’s operations. As a result of the agreement, the three West Bank districts received around $30 million, subject to the requirement that the funds be allocated for programs pertaining to health and fitness.

Following the sale of East Jefferson General Hospital in 2020, the east bank districts received a comparable allocation of funds connected to healthcare.

The hospital’s funds have been used on the West Bank for a number of purposes over the last three years.

Edwards donated $150,000 to Café Hope and $35,000 to Responsibility House Inc., an organization that provides counseling, treatment, and support to those with mental illness and substance misuse disorders. He also contributed to walking routes and pocket parks.

Byron Lee invested $90,000 on a fitness station in Claiborne Gardens, $150,000 on a walking track called Brown Ave Linear Park Walking/Fitness trail in Harvey, $940,000 on a splash park at Johnny Jacobs playground, and $2.6 million to construct a farmers market. He also spent $2.9 million on a COVID memorial.

NO.jppools.advOn Thursday, May 30, 2024, at Timberlane Golf and Recreation in Gretna, Louisiana, Nathan Lomonaco, 12, and his brother Robert, 9, take advantage of the newly reopened Timberlane swimming pool as a way to escape the heat. Matthew Perschall took the picture. The Times-Picayune.

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Deano Bonano, a member of the Jefferson Parish Council, has set aside funds for an Olympic-sized pool at a West Bank aquatic center from the hospital fund in his district. The project has entered a preliminary design phase to ascertain cost and design details, according to a statement made by Bonano on Wednesday. According to Bonano, he has seen such pools in Shreveport and Atlanta that are self-sufficient after three years.

Inspector General Kim Chatelain of Jefferson Parish indicated that as part of a continuous examination of the hospital’s financial operations, her agency intends to closely examine the Timberlane pool distribution.

Council members have a history of contributing funds for local development. In order to renovate the kitchen at the Stonebridge Golf Club, Edwards gave the Stonebridge Neighborhood Improvement and Beautification District $250,000 from West Bank Riverboat Gaming Funds last year.

Renovations to the pool

The pool was in bad condition for a long time before to Hurricane Ida, according to McGill, but it has been formally closed since the storm in 2021. It flooded all the time, had an antiquated pump system, and in some places the ground had sunk below the deck, making the walkway dangerous.

The district used money from its annual budget to finish the pool project in time for Memorial Day. According to McGill, the makeover cost $500,000 and involved completely renovating the deck, swimming pool, landscaping, and furniture. The parish will pay back $250,000.

According to McGill, Timberlane has talked about offering water aerobics lessons to seniors and has signed a contract with a private swim instructor that is available to the general public. According to him, swim instructors at the pool would not be required to become members.

The Johnny Jacobs playground in Jefferson Parish features a single public pool where residents can enjoy recreational swimming, swim team, and YMCA swim classes. Lessons in swimming range in price from $4 to $5. For swimmers, general pool use is $2; for spectators, it is $1.

Important Note: The refurbishment of the pool will cost a total of $500,000. This story’s previous iteration used the wrong number.