Abbeville Councilman shares concerns about return on turf investments at A.A. Comeaux

In 2022, the city of Abbeville added turf to the infields at A.A. Comeaux Park to enhance the facilities and become more competitive in attracting tournaments.
The city utilized $3 million in revenue bonds to fund the project. During the Abbeville City Council meeting on Jan. 6, Councilman Francis Plaisance said he has some concerns about what return the city is receiving on that investment.
“We had hopes for big things with the turf, so we took that step,” Plaisance said. “I think our note is $30,000 a month,” Plaisance said. “I appreciate everything about what it is doing. However, I’m hoping we can focus on generating more revenue. I’m the finance chair, so I see money going in and money going out at the park. I’m really concerned with our budget in ‘26, and that $30,000 note is a liability for us.”
Crowley, New Iberia, Broussard, and Youngsville have all made similar investments to various degrees. Plaisance, along with Councilman Brady Broussard Jr., Councilwoman Terry Broussard, and current Mayor Roslyn White, served on the council during the project’s approval. White, along with the new council, took office after the project had gotten underway. White said at the meeting on Tuesday that the city is not looking at a situation where it will net $30,000 solely from the baseball fields. She said lodging for families coming in for baseball and softball tournaments is vital.
“If you want to increase revenue,” White said, “the first place you should start is holding the hotels in town accountable for being hotels, and not apartment complexes, so that we will have more rooms for these families to stay in, so that we can keep revenue here in the city, as opposed to them staying in Lafayette.”
Along with its own rec league, the city worked with Quality Sports Authority (QSA), which handles rec, to host nine tournaments in ‘25 that brought dozens of teams.
“Another step is to attract some additional hotels, “White said. “Until we have the hotel facilities to accommodate these big tournaments that QSA is bringing in, we’re missing out on the biggest revenue stream we can bring in.”
Councilman Broussard, whose district includes the park, said restaurants are seeing some benefits during the days that tournaments are being played.
“The visiting teams have figured out,” Broussard said, “that there is only one Dupuy’s, one Shucks, one RiverFront, one Tito’s. You can go in and not recognize a single person in there during these tournaments.
“That’s something that people enjoy traveling to Abbeville for.”
Broussard added that the investment also benefits teams from Abbeville High and Vermilion Catholic that enjoy success on the upgraded fields.
“There are more benefits to the city than our restaurants serving these visitors,” Broussard said after the meeting. “High School boys and Girls Softball can be seen on these fields.”