Josiah Gier, Chet Adydan, Brandon Halfen, 19, and Zack Theriot attended a St. Mary Parish Recreation District 3 meeting a few years ago and presented the idea that they would like a skate park built in Bayou Vista. The recreation district didn’t have the money for the park at the time.
Fast forward a few years down the road and 80 percent of the project is funded with roughly two mills of property tax collected by the district, according to District 3 Board President Stan Robison. The other 20 percent comes from a combination of the district’s general fund, a $50,000 Louisiana Government Assistance Program grant and a $30,000 federal grant.
Paired with the 8,000- square-foot skate park are a pavilion to serve the needs of family gatherings or family-oriented events and new restroom facilities, new playground equipment and video surveillance equipment for additional security at the Central Park.
Gier, 18, and Adydan, 18, both of Bayou Vista, and Halfen, 19, of Berwick, cut the ribbon on the $1 million project and then were given a few minutes to try out the skate park before the many others who were present were allowed to join them. Theriot, 18, of Patterson, was not present for the ribbon cutting.


