Moncus Park — Attraction in Lafayette

[Original Review] At first, this place was amazing and I praised its free parking, dog park, and walking trail. In fact, it was so good that I left a five star review and even got a reply from the owners. Today, however, I had a very different experience.

Often, when we drive to Moncus Park, we would park for free in the conveniently provided parking spots and take our dogs to the free lively dog park. Not today. For starters, they closed the free parking area in favor of a small building for a bank, forcing guests to pay for parking. If you try to park in an area around it, you WILL get towed.

Once you get past the parking issue, you go to the dog park. If I could describe the dog park in one word, I would say deserted. Why? Turns out, the free dog park is no longer free. Tell me, honestly, who in their right mind would pay $15 per year to go to a dog park with no one else there?

This dog park and parking issue show a story, a story of a park with good intentions but bad leadership. Never would I ever think that a park that I once praised so highly would fall from such grace, especially that they call themselves a nonprofit. Wow.

[Moncus Park's Response (for referencing purposes)] Thank you for sharing your feedback and concerns. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced during your recent visit to Moncus Park.

As Moncus Park continues to evolve, we are currently under construction to expand the previous area that you parked in. This expansion will include additional parking spaces and a new pavilion for the Farmers Market, along with future event spaces to support the park's operations and sustainability efforts.

The $15 annual permit fee for the dog park ensures that all pets are vaccinated and covers the maintenance and operational costs associated with maintaining the two dog parks. This fee has been in effect since our opening, but now is enforced with a code- similar to other dog parks in our area.

As a nonprofit organization, we are committed to serving the community and providing a welcoming environment for all. We appreciate your past support and hope to regain your trust with improved communication and understanding. Please feel free to reach out directly to discuss this further or to share any additional concerns you may have.

Thank you again for your feedback and for being a part of the Moncus Park community

[My Response] It seems like the owners have responded to my review and, while I appreciate the reply, I would still like to address the unfortunate truth about the dog park. I understand why the fee is there; however, do the significant donations received from your many sponsors not pay for the dog park? I mean, as a nonprofit, formerly Lafayette Central Park Inc, now known as Moncus Park (EIN: 46-2552778), has over $20,000,000 in total assets (~$17,000,000 being land) and has a reported revenue of almost $5,000,000 per year as of 2022. With expenses only being around 50% of that (a little more than stated on their website), they keep $2,500,000 every year. This is public information released by the IRS. According to a revenue report released by Moncus Park themselves, those expenses include everything (salaries and benefits, legal, security, land, etc.), and this was not only when the parking was free and the dog park was not inforced (so people didn't pay it), but also when they had fewer sponsors. Using Wayback Machine, the immense growth in sponsorships is very evident. Now, they are making even more money than ever and, despite this growth in funding, they are charging for things that used to be free and enforcing unnecessary charges. What is the excess money going to? I would love to know. So, to answer my own question: no, the $15 annual permit fee for the dog park does not cover the maintenance and operational costs associated with maintaining the two dog parks, as it should already be covered through the excess funding. Besides, you don't need to maintain a dog park if there are no people there due to the ridiculousness of charging...

Update (3 Stars): After posting this review, I was contacted by upper management and the situation was resolved. While my refund has not posted yet, I was assured it would be soon. Apologies were made and I believe them to be honestly given. I do not believe in taking down honest reviews once posted however I have no problem updating them. I also would like to stress that this review is about the membership and not about the park itself. If the membership experience improves moving forward, I will update again.

MEMBERSHIP REVIEW (2 Stars): Return on investment is Not worth it. My family decided to participate in the monthly membership offered by the park in order to support the space and to have a better experience with parking. We paid $30 monthly and received two parking passes. The first time we tried to use our parking passes, the lot was full and we were turned around. The next time I tried to use the pass, I was let into the lot by a worker at the gate. He discarded the parking ticket because I showed him my parking pass and he said I didn't need the ticket, just needed to scan my pass when I leave and the gate would let me out. Simple enough. When it came time to leave, I ended up in a bottle neck at the exit, waiting for the 6 or so cars in front of me to check out. Once I got up to the kiosk, the worker was gone and I attempted to scan my pass on every part of the kiosk that seemed appropriate. Nothing was working, traffic was stacking up behind me, I had no ticket to scan (because the worker tossed it) and I was forced to press the "Lost Ticket" option and pay the $10 for parking. I figured it was no big deal and I would just get a refund. Turns out, they can not give a refund because "our CRM does not allow that". I was offered a "One Time Parking Pass" in lieu of a refund. Yep, that's right, a one time parking pass to go along with my 2 unlimited parking passes I guess. The membership is a total scam. Enjoy the park, because it is a very nice park but don't give them any more money than they already receive. I have not seen any value in having the membership. Please don't waste your money or...

A lovely work in progress. This park is an oasis in the congested Johnston Street area - it was such a pleasant surprise to come here last trip to Lafayette. I did not have as much time to wander as I would have liked but I walked some of the paved trail then wandered into the wooded area which also has trails.

The playground is nice and squishy and well kept. Vending is available and there are water stations along the path. Wooden chaises are dotted around the area to provide a spot for people to relax and enjoy the scenery. I don’t know if wheeled exercise is permitted on the paved path (bikes, scooters, skates, etc) but I did not see any signs saying not to. As it is a shared path I would assume that for now it is common sense - don’t go blasting through on a bike if lots of people are walking.

There is a bit of construction happening on the Johnston street side of the park and a few green areas which have not yet been opened to the public so I can’t wait to see the progress next trip.

Parking costs a couple of dollars which supports the park and also provides a sense of security - only serious park-goers will be coming here.

There is a generously sized dog park adjacent to the parking lot. The only issue with that which I may have unfortunately catalyzed is there is a bit of a drop off into a drainage area(?) where dogs or kids could fall over and get hurt. The reason I am blaming myself for discovering this is that I was on the parking lot side of the fence interacting with some very friendly pups and one was so excited he fell backwards into the drain area. He was not hurt- just surprised. His people immediately called him away from the fence and I got a couple of dirty looks so I do feel bad about that. However I feel like the park might consider proofing that area along the fence so that this is not as much of a risk.

All in all I really enjoyed Moncus park and it is a factor in my decision to work toward moving to Lafayette once my husband retires from his...