BATON ROUGE - Central community members held a groundbreaking event on Tuesday for a new playground at Central Intermediate school.

The playground is being named after Taylor Conrad, a fallen Marine who died in a helicopter crash near El Centro, California, while on duty in 2018. Conrad was a graduate of Central High School.

Superintendent Jason Fountain said Conrad is most known for his love for special needs children. The playground was made possible through efforts by Conrad's family and the Central City Autism Awareness Program.

This project took almost ten years in planning and a nearly $750,000 grant sponsored by State Senator Mack "Bodi" White in the 2023 legislative session.

"His legacy is living on. It's his dream of all kids being treated equally; it's his belief that everyone should be treated the same," his mother, Dawn Beckham said.

The playground is set to be completed in six to seven weeks, if weather permits. All students and community members are welcome to use the playground.