Brownell Foundation giving park, tower to city government

For half a century, people have come to Brownell Memorial Park to enjoy the cypress and palmettos, to bird-watch and look out over Lake Palourde from high above the swamp setting.
Now the park will belong to Morgan City, lock, stock and carillon.
The Brownell Foundation is turning over the park to the Morgan City government. But the foundation isn’t just giving up the park.
Along with the park, the foundation is handing over a sum that Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi and Brownell Land Co. Managing Director Patrick Magee say will be more than $600,000. That money will pay for the park’s operation and maintenance.
Since the park opened in 1971, the city has leased it from the foundation for $1 a year, Grizzaffi said. He and Magee said the foundation made the decision to hand over ownership because the passing of time and the passing of some of the original foundation board members have loosened the ties between the foundation and Morgan City.
The current board includes Magee, Kellye Rosenheim, Betsy Burk and Brownell Chalstrom.
Talks between the foundation and city have been going on for a couple of years and have resulted in the agreement to hand over ownership.
A plaque at the park says Claire Brownell, the aunt of longtime Morgan City Mayor “Doc” Brownell, gave an endowment for the park to memorialize her parents and to provide “this quiet place amid the natural beauty of the south Louisiana swampland, with which her family has long been associated.”
The park offers those amenities, with gravel walk trails to a bird sanctuary and to Lake Palourde.
But the big attraction looms 106 feet over the park. The tower not only offers a view of land and lake, but it houses a carillon, a musical arrangement of bells ranging from 18 pounds to 4,700 pounds
The tower was designed by Behling-Pollock Engineering of Lafayette and built by Frees Construction of Franklin.
The carillon is the work of Petit and Fritsen of the Netherlands and I.T. Verdin Co. of Cincinnati. The carillon can still be played, but that doesn’t happen often anymore.
The Traveladvisor website gives the park generally good reviews:
—“Wonderful southern oak trees with traditional Spanish moss. Beautiful nature and water views everywhere”
— “Peaceful quiet place to be. Very friendly lady working there, eager to share the interesting information about the place. i found it to be good for the soul walking between the trees an in the swamp area.”
—“Tranquil walking trail with a memorial to Morgan City's long time Mayor, ‘Doc’ Brownell as well as the seemingly out of place carillon tower. Great place to spot a bald eagle, coons, etc.:
The park is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.