My Louisiana childhood memories of early summer lead me back to downtown Abbeville, where koi swam in the pond in the old courthouse’s shadow, and Magdalen Square transformed into a resplendent garden for the annual Daylily Festival. As a child, my parents took my sister and me to visit the fish before taking us to dinner at Shuck’s to celebrate good report cards. Every spring, my grandmother “Honey” whisked me off to the Daylily festival. We walked among the booths until I carefully chose a flower to plant in Honey’s garden. Every year, that garden grew a little brighter, with each memory we planted.

Now, the daylilies outnumber the koi that have long since disappeared from the courthouse pond. My parents told me they’d been moved to a "better" pond, but I have a hunch they didn’t make it through Hurricane Rita. Every time I visit my hometown, I see the daylilies we planted in her garden growing stronger, reminding me of my roots anchored in Abbeville and the family who make it feel like home.

These formative memories all have one thing in common: scenic downtown Abbeville – it isn’t just close to my heart; it’s part of who I am. I’ve been a CPEX team member for nearly 3 years, and when we began working with Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White, I jumped on the opportunity to get involved with the project.

In 2023, Mayor White attended the Walk Action Institute in Baton Rouge and came back with a vision: a traffic-calming and walkability demonstration that could breathe new life into the heart of our city. As our planning team worked with the mayor and her staff to develop the project schematics, I grew more and more excited. I finally had the chance to give back to my hometown—to be part of a project that could make Abbeville safer, more vibrant, and even more of a gathering place for people to make their own memories.

The demonstration project required months of planning and close collaboration with Mayor White’s team, the city’s Department of Public Works, and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office. For two intense days in December 2023, CPEX staff and city employees measured, painted, and chalked out lines across downtown. The final product? A half-mile bike lane, optimized back-in angle parking, 19 curb extensions, 21 crosswalks, and a pedestrian plaza right in front of the courthouse—all given a stamp of approval by none other than Santa and Mrs. Claus themselves.

*Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White stands between Santa and Mrs. Claus at the demonstration project site*

In the months that followed, residents moved through the city with these new options for walking and biking and improvements. New clearly marked crosswalks and cone-lined curb extensions improved pedestrian safety, while a barrier-enclosed bike lane, the first of its kind downtown, guided cyclists more securely into the heart of the city. Residents had time to see what worked for them and to provide real-time, informed feedback based on their actual experience of the temporary installation. Demonstration projects create powerful opportunities for meaningful community engagement that drive positive change. When you meet people where they are and invite them into the process, they’re more than willing to tell you what they think—and that’s where the real insights come from. Through online surveys, word of mouth, and plenty of Facebook comments, we learned the back-in angled parking didn’t win everyone over, but they did like the traffic calming, bollards, pedestrian plaza, and extended curbs.

*Mandy Armentor, LSU Ag Center, points to a feedback board at the January 2024 public meeting, courtesy of LSU AgCenter Healthy Communities*

Thanks to the city's determination and the community's active engagement, Abbeville seized the opportunity presented by the state road transfer to implement these traffic-calming and walkability improvements in under a year. For those familiar with municipal construction timelines, this represents a near-record speed and a remarkable achievement. Now, this area is a brick-paved pedestrian plaza, as outlined in our initial meetings, and hosts musical performances, festivals, and ribbon cuttings. Visitors and residents alike can safely enjoy downtown, guided by clearly marked crosswalks, including one that proudly spells out the name of my favorite place in the world: 'ABBEVILLE.'

This project felt like more than a city planning demonstration; it was a tribute to the small town that shaped me, an effort to make sure it would be just as special for future generations. I can only imagine what these changes mean to the people who live, work, and—most importantly—eat downtown every day. I am eternally grateful to CPEX and Mayor White for one more wonderful memory of Abbeville: working alongside my coworkers and friends to build a safer, more vibrant downtown. I commend the residents for their willingness to experience something new and embrace change for the future of the community. You’ve made me immensely proud to be from the beautiful City of Abbeville.

Rooted in Abbeville: A Journey from Childhood Memories to Community Change