The master plan for DeRidder’s West Park was unveiled at the Rotary Club of DeRidder meeting on Thursday.

The 48-acre park was heavily impacted by Hurricanes Larua and Delta in 2020. Landmark trees were uprooted. Natural drainage patterns were disrupted. Park structures like the baseball park sustained damage.

The National Park Service -Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (NPS-RTCA) program provided expert help to create a master plan for the park.

The West Park project was brought to NSP-RTCA’s attention by the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana when the non-profit had the opportunity to be connected to NSP through FEMA. The goal was to turn “ideas into action” and not only rebuild the park but enhance it, said CEO Sara Judson.

The mission of NPS-RTCA is to “bring the mission and the benefits” of national parks – outdoor recreation and the conservation of natural and cultural resources- to local partners, said Helen Siewers, landscape architect, NPS-RTCA. Groups of professional planners and landscape architects can bring resources and best practices to local partners and communities to help them complete large recreation and conservation projects.

“Part of the challenge is rebuilding a park does not happen overnight, and when there is such level of destruction as West Park experienced, there was a need to really think it through and not just rebuild things exactly as they were and where they were,” she said.

In 2021, the city, the Community Foundation and NSP-RTCA met with DeRidder native Zachary Broussard with Baton Rouge Landscape Architecture Firm CARBO to begin developing the master plan.

Deridder Fire Chief and Mayor Pro Tem Ken Harlow said at the meeting a the park is a community institution that will benefit from NSP-RTCA, which brought “vision” and out-of-the-box thinking to the table.

“Things have changed over the years,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming, but we knew to bring the park back, we needed to bring in the people that could help us develop a plan and make sure that we’re going in the right direction and that we’re going to meet the needs of the city in the future.”

The master plan includes several recommendations, including new sidewalk connections, new play areas and playground equipment, a water detention area, a native tree grove, a wildflower meadow and covering and shade structures.

The plan also recommends an overhaul to the walking trail, suggesting extending the walking trail by installing rail extensions to playgrounds, restrooms and benches. Recommendations for the trails also aim to make it more accessible and durable, by extending to parking lots for increased ADA accessibility and removing sections at risk of further erosion due to proximity to the creek.

Harlow noted the master plan is a living document that is not set in stone.

“We’re going to continue to improve. … As technology changes, as equipment changes, we want to make sure that we’re staying up to date to have the nicest park that we can possibly have for our citizens.”

“You have the guide now, and these ideas are best practices from other communities for you all to think about,” said Judson.

The Community Foundation of SWLA will be available to assist the DeRidder community with the recommendations they choose to pursue.