Skateboard park plans still alive
An unsolicited $250 donation to the city means the vision for a skateboard park is still alive after funding for that proposal was defeated by city voters in January, the Parks and Recreation Department has announced.
Members of the First United Methodist Church’s “Circle of Faith” donated the money after becoming inspired by an informational presentation Parks and Recreation Director Carlene Brown had given at a garden club gathering in March, member Jolletta Dean said. Dean decided to take that message to the church.
“It just touched me that we really do need to do something for our young people to provide good, safe recreation, so they’ll stay out of trouble,” Dean said Tuesday after group members presented the check to the city.
The donation comes after funding for an estimated $170,000 skateboard park facility was defeated as a part of the city’s $5.5 million bond referendum held in January, which also provided for an aquatic center and fire-fighting equipment. And while city leaders have held discussions on the latter issues, it appeared the possibility of a skate park was a dead issue.
“They took something negative and turned it into a positive,” Brown said of the church group’s efforts, noting she was equally inspired that such a park is possible after reading about a city where a grass-roots effort made a skateboard park reality.
That park, located in Colombia, Mo., was constructed after community groups became involved. Additionally, Brown said that city’s public works department assisted with construction of a $110,000 facility there.
She hoped similar efforts – volunteer donations and in-house construction by public works – would be possible here.
“They see a need for our kids and they’re going to step forward,” she said of the donation. “We can start with opening the skateboard park fund account with the city and make this park a reality.”
“We know it can be,” Dean added. “We have confidence in our community that they will step forward.”
If the funding had passed, city officials had planned to locate the skateboard park at the Civic Center, but this time, hope to locate the facility at Pepper Branch Park.
Brown said, because the city is already consulting with engineers on the Barren Fork Greenway, of which the first phase ties in with Pepper Branch, she has consulted with the greenway engineers to determine the possibility of locating skating facilities at infrequently flooded areas of Pepper Branch.