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JAMESTOWN – A new kind of park is coming to the Jamestown area.
Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist hosted city officials, donors and other members of the community Thursday for the official groundbreaking for the new Riverwalk Community Skatepark.
“So the fact that we’re still working on behalf of our kids, our youth here in the City of Jamestown, to make sure that we have a space where they can be the best they can be is so incredibly important,” said Sundquist.
Trevor Staples from The Skatepark Project, formerly known as the Tony Hawk Foundation, promised the new skatepark will be the crown jewel for skaters in Western New York.
“This public skatepark for Jamestown will probably be a shining example of what people can do in the region,” said Staples.
Fundraising began in earnest three years ago with a matching grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation, supplementing grants from the City and other sources.
Pete Scheira, owner of Jamestown Skate Products, led the fundraising effort for the skatepark, collecting donations as far back as ten years ago.
Crystal Surdyk, Director of Development for the city, says the skatepark will be built at the site of an old trolly maintenance house.
Some of the old trolly pieces left from the demolition have been incorporated into the design.
“Besides this beautiful setting, I think one of the most exciting things to me is that it is putting this land back to use, cleaning up a site, and still honoring its history,” said Surdyk.
The project also includes extending the riverwalk behind the park, providing additional access to the Chadakoin River.
The skatepark is expected to be developed in phases. While pre-construction work has already begun, actual construction is expected to commence by the end of May and be completed by the end of the summer when it will be opened to the public.
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