Baseball: Russo Park name OK’d, with conditions

Ken Stickney, The Advertiser, April 29, 2016

Call it Russo Park … maybe.

The University of Louisiana System has OK’ed naming the University of Louisiana at Lafayette baseball complex in honor of the local Russo family but conditions were added to that request Thursday.

There are two conditions: UL alumnus Christopher Russo, who pledged a contribution of $5 million for improvements at the baseball complex, must fulfill that obligation, and the system’s legal counsel — the system is represented by the Baton Rouge firm of DeCuir, Clark and Adams — must give final approval. Eventually, UL hopes to complex some $10 million in improvements for the baseball complex.

The conditions were added Thursday in amended language to an initial request before the supervisors, a request handled first in the Board of Supervisors’ facilities committee. Board member Mark Romero of Lafayette, who has represented the 3rd Congressional District on the board since 2013, offered the amended language in committee. The finance committee approved the amended item; the full board approved it later Thursday.

Romero declined comment Thursday afternoon.

UL President E. Joseph Savoie requested in an April 7 letter that the complex be named for the Russo family, usually a routine request. The UL Board of Supervisors has oversight over UL and eight other Louisiana universities: ULM, Louisiana Tech, Grambling State, Northwestern State, McNeese, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls State and the University of New Orleans.

Civil action filed in Harris County, Texas court last week named Christopher Russo as a civil defendant. Superior Energy of Houston, parent company of Stabil Drilling in Lafayette, contends in the civil action that Russo and other defendants defrauded Stabil of tens of millions of dollars by funneling money away from the company and to companies owned by the defendants.

Sammie Russo, who died in 2013, founded Stabil Drilling more than three decades ago and later sold it to Superior. Christopher Russo remained with Stabil Drilling as its chief operating officer until recently.