BATON ROUGE - On Friday, BREC kicked off Late Night Hype, a community event geared toward curbing crime in youth, and also cut the ribbon on Howell Community Park's redevelopment.

“These parents and kids need to have a place where they can go and enjoy the coolness of the pool during the summertime, the playground, the tennis courts, all that Howell park offers,” Interim BREC Superintendent Janet Simmons said.

The new site was designed with flood and rain events in mind with a new pond, rain gardens and native plants being just a few of the measures to help with stormwater management. The original community center was ruined by a flood in 2016.

Friday also marked the start of Late Night Hype, a summer event series geared toward youth with games, food and rides. Simmons said more children and teens will want to come to Howell Park which she said would keep them out of trouble and may help reduce crime.

“One of the biggest problems with kids, no matter the socioeconomic class you’re in, is idle time,” she said.

Families said they are grateful for the event.

“It helps a lot, it helps keep kids out of the streets. You know? Keep them around kids they age instead of other people," event goer Elijah Hughes said.

The next Late Night Hype is scheduled for June 20.