At a Recreation District Subcommittee meeting of Terrebonne Parish (Consolidated Government), several residents pressed council members about locked fields, denied community programs and a nepotism allegation involving Recreation District 1.

Anthony Rainey, a resident who addressed the committee, said lights at the Treville tennis courts were not on during normal hours and that a nearby baseball field had been locked ‘‘during a regular normal, public hours’’ with keys unavailable, keeping neighborhood children from playing. Rainey also raised a potential conflict of interest: "the CPA that is employed by rec district number 1 and a district manager is husband and wife," and asked whether that constituted nepotism. "You mean to tell me that I have a district manager that has a budget that do not need to go in front of the chairman ... and my wife is writing the checks out, so y'all think that is that's legal? That ain't nepotism?" he asked.

Rec District representatives disputed several claims. A RecOne speaker said, "We do not lock down any parks. Our parks open every morning at dawn. They shut down every afternoon at dusk," and explained that the district locks some fields for insurance reasons when events are organized because policy requires insurance for gatherings above a set size. The representative said supervisors try to accommodate access and that past closures were prompted by staff safety concerns at dusk.

Former rec district chair Arnold Adams and long‑time district director Craig Luke urged the committee to examine whether complaints rose to a level requiring council intervention and recommended working out community‑level solutions when possible. Wayne Thibodeaux told the panel he had reviewed a 2024 legislative auditor report showing an unassigned fund balance ‘‘of over $250,000’’ and said the district declined a request to host a summer camp at a parish gym because it did not want to front the estimated $30,000 and wait for reimbursement.

Councilors asked for clarification about specific incidents, including two episodes when a coach said he could not access bathroom facilities because a gate or combination lock would not open and one instance when equipment was removed from a leased facility. Sean Mesh, speaking for RecOne, said the district terminated a 10‑year lease with the Gray Improvement Committee this year because of cost and low utilization; he gave a rough operating figure for that site of about $53,000 per year and said lease cancellation freed funds the district planned to allocate in the November budget process.

The subcommittee did not adopt new rules at the meeting but agreed to gather additional information and said council members and the parish attorney would follow up. The committee scheduled its next meeting for December 1, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.

What happens next: committee members (and staff) said they will review records, consult the policy manual and follow up with RecOne and community representatives before the next subcommittee meeting.

Representative quotes from the meeting included Anthony Rainey: "That ain't nepotism?" and RecOne: "We do not lock down any parks. Our parks open every morning at dawn. They shut down every afternoon at dusk."