Business View Civil and Municipal | March 2021

88 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MARCH 2021 BROUSSARD , LOUI S I ANA are vital. When a company is looking at moving here, we want to be in a position that we can handle that growth. It’s part of quality of life for our citizens. It’s just a fundamental responsibility of municipal government to be able to supply infrastructure needs so people can be successful, live here, work here, go to school here and have success in those things and not have to always play the game of catch up.” In addition to underground infrastructure, Broussard has been investing in above-ground recreation options for its citizens. A 122-acre, state-of-the-art sports complex was completed four years ago, giving residents access to baseball diamonds, and soccer/football fields, as well as a professional disc golf course, splash pad, and walking trails. “These things are at home in Broussard for our residents and it just makes us a more attractive place to live,” says Bourque. “These kind of things help us grow because people want to live in our city. If you supply quality of life for your residents, then a tourism initiative is natural. People want to come and see what you have to offer and they want to enjoy the spaces you have created.” Broussard’s next major infrastructure project has turned into a major revitalization opportunity for the city’s downtown core. Envision Downtown Broussard, the city’s main street corridor master plan to rejuvenate the downtown coincides with infrastructure updates that needed to be done on the city’s main street. Bourque explains, “It gave us the opportunity to do something on a higher level for Broussard. We thought about, if we are going to open up the earth to change water lines and sewer lines, how are we going to put it back? What can we do for our city? In the downtown area, which is the heart of the city, beautifying it and making it more useable for our residents and creating some economic opportunities for businesses to come in and supply new services like restaurants and shops, seemed like a natural path for us.”