In the last minutes of the Louisiana Legislative Session Thursday, Sen. Ben Nevers and Rep. Harold Ritchie secured funding for two projects that would have an impact on Washington Parish now and in the future —the Bogue Chitto State Park and the Psych Unit at LSU Bogalusa Medical Center, according to a Senate press release.

At the urging of the two Bogalusa lawmakers, $2.1 million in state funds needed to open the soon-to-be-finished park was put in House Bill 881, the supplemental appropriations bill. That piece of legislation is now headed to Governor Bobby Jindal’s desk for approval.

Nevers said Friday he has talked with the administration and with Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu about the importance of the funding, and that he feels “fairly confident” the governor will sign the bill into law with the funding attached.

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At a meeting in the Washington Parish Courthouse in March, Landrieu vowed to “fight for that park” despite a projected lack of funding.

In early June, Clifford Melius, landscape architect with the Office of State Parks, said that although construction of the park should be done by the end of the month or the beginning of July, there was no money to open and operate the facility. His hopes were with the legislature.

Now the local legislators say they feel optimistic the park will be funded.

“I feel good about it,” said Nevers.

He and Ritchie also identified approximately $2 million that will allow the Psych Unit to remain open in Bogalusa rather than move to Mandeville.

LSU BMC, which formerly split the expense with the Office of Mental Health, will assume responsibility for operating the unit, according to the release. And there are plans under consideration to possibly expand the facility.

After previous attempts to keep the unit in Bogalusa failed, it was announced in May that the OMH would close the local unit and, in return, open additional beds at Southeast Hospital on June 30 “unless other funding becomes available.”

Now the unit’s 38 employees, many of whom live in Washington Parish, will be able to continue to provide the much-needed services close to home, said Nevers.