BATON ROUGE - BREC will likely go door to door in neighborhoods around Howell Park in North Baton Rouge to find out what residents want done with the park's golf course.

A proposal calls for closing the golf course and replacing it with a fishing lake, a walking track and another play area for children.
 
BREC spokesperson Cheryl Michelet says studies done in conjunction with the National Golf Foundation have determined the current golf course is not self-sustainable.

According to Michelet, it gets about ten-thousand visits a year but needs three times as many to make a difference. The closest comparable BREC golf course is Webb Park which is about 15 minutes away by car.

BREC held an initial public input meeting over the summer.

"Golf was not a high priority," said Michelet, "but the fishing pond was very popular."

BREC plans to hold another public meeting in a few months after the neighborhood survey is complete. After that, official plans will be drawn up for the park's overhaul and will be presented to BREC's governing committees for final approval.

Renovations could come as early as summer 2016. In the meantime, the golf course will be maintained for golfers to enjoy.