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Lt. Gov. Nungesser comes to Bunkie for ribbon cutting

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser was the featured guest for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Gator Grounds RV Resort and Water Park last Saturday (Aug. 27). The recently finished project is located at the former Bayhills Country Club on La. Hwy 115 between Hessmer and Bunkie.
Owners Glenn, Beau and Jacques Goudeau and Luke, Ben and Greg Kojis hosted the event and treated Nungesser and his family to a night in a cabin on the resort grounds.
The by-invitation-only crowd was on hand to mark the transformation of the parish’s quaint, 9-hole golf course into a major resort for recreational vehicles and annual club memberships.
“This is a great place that has been constructed,” Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser said before the ribbon cutting. “This is a vision of a family but it is much more than a vision. This is an investment into the economy of Louisiana and the family did it with their own money and not one penny from the state. This was a passion for this family. They put up their own money to create this ‘wow factor’ you see today.”
Nungesser said he was “blown away” when he pulled into Gator Grounds and saw the project, including the water park.
He briefly talked about the miss opportunities that Bunkie has had in recent months.
“When a company pulls out of an areas, it hurts the restaurants and small businesses,” Nungesser continued. “This project here will be a boost to those same restaurants and businesses.”
Nungesser added this is he 100th anniversary of the national park system. He said Louisiana will be starting a promotion geared to the outdoors in Louisiana. He felt Gator Grounds will be an asset to the promotion. He said pamphlets promoting Gator Grounds will be placed in each of the 22 state parks in Louisiana.
“We want the people of Louisiana to make their vacation a ‘staycation” by staying at a state park or a facility like this.”
State Senator Ronnie Johns of Sulphur but also a Bunkie native praised everyone for the project and they investments they made to create the resort. Laughing, he called Gator Grounds the “Disney Land of the South.”
For the past 15 months, the 140-acre Gator Grounds facility has been involved in constructing constructing a water park and a 120-space RV park.
A second phase of the project is scheduled to begin later this month with the construction of an indoor water park and splash pad, which are expected to open in December.
Later this winter, a lazy river around the water park and a banquet room will be constructed. Those elements of the resort should be completed in June or July of 2017.
The third phase of the resort will be the construction of another 120 RV slots. That project will begin next summer.
Other amenities at the resort include a general store stocked with basic needs for a family staying at the park, barbecue setups, firewood and a shower house.
Since having a "soft opening” in mid-summer, most of the weekends have been completely booked by RV’ers. On Saturday, the resort was once again at capacity.
Gator Grounds Manager Luke Kojis said the park has 30 permanent and seasonal employees. There will be more employees in summer than there are in winter.
Water Park
The current water park includes five swimming pools in Phase I, with a splash pad. The lazy river will go around the five pools. Next to the pool area is an obstacle course with a zip line at the end.
Kojis said the goal for Gator Grounds is for the guests to feel comfortable and not crowded around one or two pools.
“The campers have been keeping the five pools and obstacle course busy this summer,” Kojis said. “We want to make this a year-around destination for campers, even in the winter. ”
Improvements on the 9-hole golf course are completed. Jake Wilson, a horticulturist from Marksville, is the course manager. Local golfers have given positive comments about the improvements and condition of the course.
Other features include a new entranceway and a large, 40-foot digital sign next to the entrance.
“It’s been an honor to work with Greg Kojis and his team as well as Glenn and Beau Goudeau preparing for this grand opening,” Tiffany Tuminello, president of the Bunkie Chamber of Commece said. “It’s not often a small community has an opportunity to be part of something of this magnitude.
Not only will this state of the art venue bring visitors into The City of Bunkie but to Avoyelles Parish as a whole.  Gator Grounds represents tourism and economic development for Avoyelles and will help provide growth even to our local small businesses.
“Sky is the limit”
“We want to start off with a nice facility that everyone can enjoy,” Kojis said. “The sky is the limit on how Gator Grounds can look in the future.”
The number of people camping and using RVs to travel and vacation is increasing across the country, Kojis said.
“Once they arrive at their destination, they normally don’t want to leave,” he added, noting that is why it is important for the RV resort to provide visitors with activities at the resort.
Each of the 120 RV pads will have utility hookups, to make Gator Grounds a “home away from home.”
For those who don’t have an RV to bring to the resort, Gator Grounds sells memberships for $1,500 a year. The membership includes access to the golf course and water park. RV guests will have the same access as members, Kojis said.
“I’m excited about the future and we want to make this something the Bunkie and Avoyelles Parish community can be proud of,” Kojis said. “It is something the younger generation can come out and enjoy.”