The post-Katrina recovery of City Park has a two-steps-forward, one-step-back quality about it.

For example: FEMA recently determined that the park's headquarters received more than 50 percent damage from the storm, and thus will be replaced at government expense.

The caveat: It's going to take at least two years, meaning the staff will remain in trailers in the interim.

It's much the same way with the park's athletic facilities.

Although the number of prep football games at Tad Gormley Stadium will more than double from 17 in 2006 to 35 this season, and $1.2 million has been spent recently to complete electrical and restroom renovations, Pan American Stadium remains closed without even the power restored.

Although the park's 20 tennis courts have been completely redone and are up and running, the softball complex lies dormant.

And although plans are in place to restore the park's three golf courses to their pre-Katrina level, or perhaps even to implement a $200 million plan for a state-of-the-art complex, no actual work has been done, and the announced reopening of the North Course for January has been pushed back to April at the earliest.

Such are the complexities of dealing with one of the city's largest parcels of land -- some 1,300 acres -- that is the home for a football stadium, art museum, horse stables and a miniature train ride.

There is one common bond, though -- there wasn't a building or piece of equipment that wasn't damaged or destroyed by the storm.

Small wonder that on Katrina's second anniversary, City Park CEO Bob Becker feels like he has a big mound of red tape lying on his desk.

"I can understand the level of frustration that's out there," Becker said. "If there's anything I've learned in these last two years, it's patience."

However, there is some progress being made.

The damage claim on the North Course, one of 600 involving City Park seeking more than $43 million, is due to be presented to FEMA by the end of the week, albeit a month later than originally planned. Once FEMA determines how much it will pay, the rest will be appropriated from the $6.2 million line of credit approved by the State Bond Commission in March, and work on the course will likely commence this fall.

Also, a presentation by the Fore!Kids Foundation for its proposal to convert Bayou Oaks into two championship courses and a nine-hole layout -- part of a plan that includes mixed-unit housing, two schools and a YMCA family center in the vacated St. Bernard public housing complex -- will be made to the City Park board of directors in September.

But even with that news, there are stumbling blocks.

Regis Bergeron, the state's point man for dealing with City Park's recovery, sounds unsure of the park's readiness to resume golf operations.

"They don't have equipment, and they don't have a staff in place," Bergeron said. "We can repair the course, but that's no good without maintenance. We believe they could get ready in time, but there always seems to be a lot of unknowns when you're dealing with City Park."

Before Katrina, City Park had outsourced its golf operations to Kemper Sports Management, but that deal was terminated after the storm.

Similarly, Becker does not seem sold on the Fore!Kids proposal, which was made in early 2006.

"It's certainly very ambitious," Becker said. "But they have to demonstrate they have the wherewithal to carry them out and whether the market can support it. Certainly the idea of a public-private partnership of this magnitude is very attractive, but we also have a fiduciary responsibility to do what's best for the park."

Fore!Kids member Mike Rodrigue said he is more enthusiastic about the proposal than ever, although he understands its complexities.

"Whenever you get into a public-private venture the process can take a long time, but we've had some very good negotiations with the park and expect them to continue," he said. "We're trying to use golf as a theme in education and housing, and when you cross so many political boundaries and territories there are a lot of interests involved."

At the same time, Rodrigue said he shared the public's frustration that there is no golf being played at City Park, save for the driving range.

"They're dealing with another government sector, and that can be difficult, too," Rodrigue said. "City Park has been a golf home for so many people for so long, there's a lot of high anxiety in waiting for it to open back up."

Part of the delay in getting the North Course going is that FEMA does not pay for what it considers landscaping, which in this case includes the resodding of the greens.

"This can be a very tedious process," Becker said. "And with FEMA, they want every I dotted and T crossed. They are moving as expeditiously as possible, and I can guarantee you the people we are dealing with now are much more understanding of our situation."

However, Ben McVay, the FEMA representative with whom Becker deals directly, said he could not comment on any aspect of the agency's dealings with the park.

Becker said that the North Course is in better shape than might be assumed.

"We've kept cutting it," he said. "It will have to be fumigated, and we'll have to apply herbicides to get rid of the weeds. Once we get the damage estimate approved, things should move fairly quickly."

Part of that process, Becker said, will be hiring a staff of at least eight to maintain the course.

"Golf is a major component of our park and a great source of revenue," Becker said. "Unfortunately, like the rest of the city, the areas that suffered the most are the slowest to come back, and in this case it's our golf courses.

"But we're in much better condition now than we were a year ago."

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