Prairie Grove to announce skate park today
Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008
A dream that two Prairie Grove teenagers shared with city leaders eight years ago is finally coming to fruition.
Brandon Bartholomew and Andrew Disney approached the City Council in 2000 about putting a skateboarding park in the city’s newly purchased city park property now known as Delford Rieff Park, said Larry Oelrich, public works director.
The teens made a nice presentation to the City Council that generated interest in a skate park, but it was not the city’s top priority at that time, he said.
Since then, the city has spent almost $ 3 million to develop the park, which includes an aquatic center, baseball fields, a walking trail and a volleyball court, he said.
Bartholomew, now 22, said he probably won’t use the skate park now, but he’s glad that the city built it. The idea grew out of necessity because he and his friends were having trouble finding somewhere in town to ride where they wouldn’t get run off by property owners scared the kids might get hurt.
“ I think it’s good (the city ) did it for the kids now, ” he said. “ They can use it without getting in trouble. ”
Bartholomew said Fayetteville had a skate park in 2000, but he and his friends did not have cars to drive there.
“ We thought it would be nice to have something local, ” Bartholomew said.
The construction of the skate park, located at the entrance of Rieff Park, was completed a couple weeks ago at a cost of about $ 96, 000, officials said. About $ 21, 000 of this cost was funded by several private donations, Oelrich said.
The city of Prairie Grove will unveil the name of its new skate park at a ribboncutting and dedication ceremony at 10 a. m. today.
The skate park is an 8, 000-square-foot facility that includes steel ramps, half pipes, boxes, grind rails and obstacles. The facility is lighted and will be open till 10 p. m., and later in the summer, Oelrich said.
The equipment was purchased from the American Ramp Company of Joplin, Mo., which provided the city a 10 percent grant for additional equipment, Oelrich said.
The skate park is free and the city recommends all riders wears helmets and pads.
Mayor Sonny Hudson said the skate park is needed for the city’s youth. He said he’s witnessed local kids injure themselves jumping on homemade ramps made from bricks and plywood.
The new park will “ give the kids who skateboard a safe place to do it, ” Hudson said.
“ We try to have something for everybody, ” he said.
Local kids have been enjoying the facility before its official opening, he said.
“ When they were putting it together, there were kids who could not wait. They have been enjoying it, ” Hudson said.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
