It's been nearly a year since City Park officials said anything publicly about their post-Katrina commitment to bring a championship golf complex to the storm-ravaged site of the old East and West courses. But City Park CEO Bob Becker is adamant that the ambitious project is alive and well. Becker said last week that the design phase for the facility is heading into the home stretch. His board of commissioners expects to solicit construction bids by the fall and award a contract and break ground by year's end.

"The good thing is it's in final design," Becker said. "That's a huge step forward, and we're on track to choose a contractor by mid-September."

Exactly what the course will look like, however, is still unclear.