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New Iberia re-opening skate park after 3 years

Posted at 6:29 PM, Jun 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-15 19:29:12-04

The New Iberia Parks and Recreation department and concerned citizens are doing their part to keep kids off the street during their summer break.

The Bayou Wheels Skate Park in New Iberia is re-opening after being closed for three years, but the parks department is bringing it back just in time to kill Summer boredom.

"We’re planning on reopening July first. We removed all the equipment that was in the park, and we’re reworking that equipment," says John Robichaux, Assistant Superintendent of New Iberia Parks. 

Local architects, designers, and park-goers are volunteering their time to refurbish the park. The park is also looking for sponsors to help pay for improvements.

"The opening for July first is just going to be the first phase of the park. The second phase, we’re trying to get a Tony Hawk grant to help add more items to the park. We hope to add a concrete bowl and hopefully some concrete ramps," says Robichaux.

That grant would match up to $25,000 in donations the park receives. These improvements are part of the mayor’s plan to get kids off the streets.

"We want to have the skateboarders in the skate park versus the downtown area. When they skate downtown, it’s dangerous for them, it’s dangerous for the people on the sidewalk and we want to eliminate that hazard," says Robichaux.

Kids don’t think it’s a bad idea either.

"It’s a good idea to bring it back because kids can have things to play with and they can go skate at the park," says 8-year-old Alivia Joseph.