The city of Gonzales is nearing completion of its Freeland Jackson Center, a multipurpose recreational and community facility expected to open later this summer.
Construction on the roughly $7 million project has faced setbacks since officials broke ground in November 2024, including weather-related disruptions and difficulties coordinating construction crews, pushing its timeline beyond an initial target of late 2025. Officials now say the project is on track to be completed in early July.
Once open, the center is expected to significantly expand the city’s recreational and programming capacity, according to Ranita Claiborne with the city’s recreation department. Plans include two full-size basketball courts, classrooms, conference space and a commercial kitchen, along with flexible areas for sports such as volleyball and pickleball.
“We’ve received funding from [the Cal Ripken Foundation] and the city will have their own volleyball travel team,” Claiborne says. “With the new center, we can play basketball year-round,” Claiborne says. “The city didn’t have a gym before, so we were at the mercy of the schools letting us use their gyms for whatever programs we wanted to have.”
The roughly 25,000-square-foot facility is designed to serve a broader role than traditional recreation, with educational programming, after-school care, and community events planned year-round. The project also includes a partnership to establish a local Boys & Girls Club chapter in Gonzales, addressing longstanding access gaps in youth programming in the area.
“We’re going to have one here,” Claiborne says. “The nearest one is in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, so it was a transportation issue for our children here in Gonzales.”
The city is expected to incorporate after-school programs in the center when the 2026-27 school year begins in August. Claiborne says the Boys and Girls Club program would be for the middle school population, which totals roughly 600 kids in the city.
The facility is located on South Darla Avenue behind Gonzales Middle School. Meyer Engineers is the architect, Build Construction is the contractor and All South Consulting Engineers is the project manager.
“I think it’s a great enhancement to parks and recreation,” says Randy Morales of All South Consulting Engineers. “It’s a center that’s indoors, so even with adverse weather, you can host tournaments. You can do all these different things. It’s something great for the community.”
Freeland Jackson was a well-known community activist who had a passion for sports. Jackson was involved in several community organizations, including serving on the City of Gonzales Recreation Commission. He was also a driver for the Council on Aging for a decade before he died in 2023.
