ST. MARTIN PARISH — The Village of Parks is making progress on several major infrastructure projects, with construction underway on a new library, a new water well nearing completion and more improvements planned in the months ahead.
Mayor Kevin Kately said residents are beginning to see the results of those investments.
“You know, the taxpayers got to see where their money is going. So this is where they're seeing it, you know, we're building a library, the well is almost completed.” Kately said.
The new library, located next to Town Hall, is expected to be completed early next year. Meanwhile, work on the village's new water well is entering its final stages. Kately said completing the project will pave the way for the next phase of Parks' automatic water meter upgrade.
“Once the well is completed and they say like it's done, we know where our money's at; so I'm guessing about another two to three months we should start processing more meters to automatic meters,” Kately said.
The village has already converted hundreds of customers to automatic water meters, with the remaining installations expected to continue after the new well is fully operational.
Progress is also visible at the library site. Less than two months after village leaders broke ground on the project, Kately says work has advanced significantly despite weather-related delays. But beyond the library and water projects, Kately said the village has additional improvements in the works.
Later this year, he hopes to convert the former City Hall into a community event space after hearing from residents who said Parks needs a dedicated place to host gatherings and events.
“We ask the community to help us, but also we have to help them so that's one of the projects that we're working on so there's a few projects that we’re looking at."
Kately said expanding sidewalks and creating new community spaces are all part of a broader effort to improve the village while preparing for future growth.
“We are definitely moving in the right direction. We're not just sitting in our office and collecting checks. We are definitely moving Parks forward, but we're moving it together as a team,” Kately said.
