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New Iberia will be getting its own Junior NBA and WNBA League, with children ages 6-14 having the opportunity to participate in the program.

Parks and Recreation Director Heather Dominique said registration for the program started Thursday and will be open to boys and girls who wish to participate in the new program.

Registration for the Junior NBA League run by the New Iberia Parks and Recreation Department will run from Nov. 3 to Dec. 9.

“We’re hyped, we’re excited the kids have this opportunity,” Dominique said.

The National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association announced earlier this year that the launch of Junior NBA Leagues would be happening across the country in 11 markets starting this month, with the goal of reaching half a million participants in the first five years.

Dominique said the league would replace Parks and Recreation’s winter basketball program that was open to children starting at 4-years-old. Four and 5-year-olds will still have a basketball clinic and will eventually be able to graduate into the Junior NBA league once they hit the right age, Dominique said.

Children participating in the league will receive an official NBA or WNBA jersey, and the league will receive a basketball for every team that is registered for the league.

“I think these kids are going to have a great time,” Dominique said.

Councilman Deedy Johnson-Reid said she attended the presentation in Lafayette for the opening of the league in Acadiana and said the new opportunity for children will lead to a positive impact in the area.

“This is going to be an awesome program for New Iberia,” Johnson-Reid said. “It’s going to put our kids on the map.”

In other business, Mayor Freddie DeCourt addressed complaints from local residents regarding the transition of a new garbage service for New Iberia.

Pelican Waste has been in the process of putting out new garbage bins for residents within New Iberia City limits, while Republic Services has at the same time been removing bins from homes.

The process has not been completely seamless, with some residents issuing complaints to City Hall as well as social media, DeCourt said.

“It is a huge undertaking,” the mayor said. “Republic is still picking up trash cans, they had areas they needed to catch and it will probably take through this week.

DeCourt urged patience for everyone involved in the transition, and said his staff as well as Pelican are logging issues.

“We’re going to have a local call center and my staff is documenting the issues,” DeCourt said. “We have people we can talk to and are communicating with.”