CITGO celebrated its $1 million commitment to Port Wonder on Wednesday, Aug. 24, where Mayor Nic Hunter joined representatives from the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery and the Children’s Museum.
The event featured a preview of work now underway at the site of the $20-plus million Port Wonder lakefront development, which will house the Children’s Museum of Lake Charles and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science and Education Center. Participants also got a sneak peek at the ongoing renovations to the lakefront parking garage.
“Port Wonder is a much anticipated lakefront development that simply would not be possible without the support of a number of private donors,” said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. “The CITGO roots in our community run deep and they have been an incredible community partner to the City of Lake Charles for decades. Their financial support of Port Wonder will help ensure a world class attraction on our lakefront and a state-of-the-art educational experience for generations to come.”
CITGO has been a long-time supporter of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education for youth in the community.
“At CITGO, we are committed to providing a clear pathway to STEM education for our students which, ultimately, molds the next generation of talent for our community,” said Sterling Neblett, vice president & general manager of the CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex. “Our goal is to increase access to STEM-related educational opportunities, including Port Wonder and our CITGO Innovation Academies located at E.K. Key Elementary, LeBlanc Middle and Sulphur High, all of which are excellent STEM-related avenues that support the future of Southwest Louisiana.”
Site work for Port Wonder and rehabilitation on the parking garage at the lakefront site are now underway.
