HOUMA, La. — When Noah Lirette looks at the bayou in downtown Houma, he sees an opportunity.
“We’re still in the planning stages so the exact locations are still being worked out,” said Lirette as he points out over the bayou.
That opportunity is a project the Houma natives calls The Terrebonne Parish Paddle Loop.
“What we’re trying to do is get people reconnected with not only the water but the history of our town and what it means to be a Bayou community,” Lirette said. “We want people to realize that main street is here because of this bayou.”
Through his nonprofit, Hache Grant Association, Lirette is raising money for kayak launches along waterways like Bayou Terrebonne. They’ll become a network of floating docks tied into existing ones for anyone to use.
“Each one of these docks, depending on what needs to be done to the land, ranges anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000,” Lirette said.
The 65-mile planned loop will connect all five major bayous in the parish.
“It’s a fresh to saltwater, back to freshwater loop so you get to experience a ton of different topography and just water life systems,” Lirette said.
Lirette says it’ll be the largest of its kind in the state.
“You can basically kayak from Gibson from all the way to Cocodrie if you really wanted to,” said Terrebonne Parish Council Chairwoman Jessica Domangue.
In a separate project, Domangue says the parish will spend $400,000 to renovate Houma Heights Park along Bayou Terrebonne.
“We’re going to have a dog park, a playground, and a kayak launch here at Houma Heights,” Domangue said.
Parish leaders hope connecting the two recreational projects will reel in tourists.
“People are excited to see growth,” Domangue said. “Maybe people are coming into New Orleans and possibly this could be a trip that they could take.”
With $65,000 already raised, Lirette plans to have a trailhead in downtown Houma.
“The idea is to have multiple ones so you can get in your pirogue or your kayak and stop at different docks, shop, eat, get back in your pirogue and continue onward down the trail,” Lirette said.
Before that can happen, Domangue says the parish will have to dredge and clean the bayou.
“We also have to get with the D.E.Q. and make sure that the water is safe to utilize that waterway,” Domangue said.
From there, Lirette hopes his love for his hometown will be enjoyed by everyone.
“Terrebonne means “the good earth” in French and it surely is and I want to see my son and my daughter want to stay here and make it better,” Lirette said. “The bayou is absolutely part of that. That’s what makes us who we are.”
The loop project is still in the planning stage with dock locations still being determined. The parish hopes to have the dock at the park completed around September.
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