Horizontal view of design for new skate park in Westfield by the Platform Group.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WESTFIELD — After a unanimous vote by the Community Preservation Commission for $500,000 on April 10, and the recent news that the project has been recommended by the state for an $800,000 Land & Water Conservation Fund grant, a newly modernized skate park is looking more and more like a reality for 2026.
At the meeting, Community Development Director Peter Miller said the existing skate park in Amelia Park was designed and built in 2001 at a different time in skateboarding and wheel sports, and has a lot of rough edges. “This reuse would allow for all wheel sports — bicycles, rollerblades, wheelchairs — acceptable for all people on wheels,” he said.
The project is now estimated to cost $1.6 million, a cost that has doubled over the last six years. Miller said the city is looking to move forward on it with the community preservation act and grant funds, another $275,000 from the city’s capital program and $25,000 from private fundraising. He said the Commission already provided $25,000 for its design.
Miller said that Burke and other members of the skateboarding community have already held several fundraisers for the park. The next one is set for Saturday, April 26 at Tin Bridge Brewing on 487 East Main St., with live music from 3-6 p.m., a limited edition beer release featuring KRUSH hops, a Theory Skateshop raffle and the Saucy Mama food truck.
He acknowledged that this would be one of the larger park projects for the city, costing more than the playgrounds at Cross Street and Chapman parks, largely due to the rising cost of concrete.
“We’re trying to spread it out to different sources for funding,” Miller said.
Commission Chair Joseph Muto asked who would be in charge of maintenance of the skate park going forward.
Miller said one of the difficulties with the old skate park was that it had unclear status as a dedicated park. He said the School Committee recently surplused the land to the city, and a survey was done to draw clear lines. The park is now dedicated to the Department of Public Works Parks & Recreation Department as protected park space.
He said the city looked at a bunch of different sites, but it made sense to renovate the existing one due to its proximity to the Boys & Girls Club, Westfield Middle School and the Rail Trail. He said the new park will be for all ages, but its primary target is for ages 14 to 25.
Built in 2001, the existing skate park is 24 years old, and the concrete itself was not cleaned and maintained as it should have been. He said the new park is a good 30-year investment for the city. “We envision it as a regional park,” Miller said before introducing skate park advocate Jeff Burke.
Burke said he initially approached the city in 2019. He said New England is very far behind in skate park structures, with the nearest ones in Pittsfield, Greenfield and Northampton, “For a kid, it would be like having the nearest basketball court in Greenfield,” he said.
Burke said the existing park is not working. “One way or another, something had to be done with it. The current skate park is basically a 10-foot pit. It’s been like that since I was in Middle School. Right now, it’s a blight on the area with graffiti and trash.”
Skateboarding itself is the sixth largest sport in the world right now, according to Burke, and is included in the Olympics. “I’m just trying to rehab the park that we have with a nice, safe, modern skate park.” He said part of the cost is to replace the drainage and remove the concrete, but working with the designer, he believes they have brought down the total cost from $1.6 to $1.5 million.
Michael Tirrell, who represents Parks and Recreation on the Community Preservation Commission, said Burke first approached them quite a few years ago. “Parks and Recreation has taken this on as a project. It’s been in process for quite a few years to get this grant in place, and is time sensitive,” he said.
“Initially, we thought it would be an $800,000 project that has since doubled,” Tirrell said, adding that it would be a secure park for the next 30 years, that would draw people from surrounding communities coming into town. “I think it’s a great use of funds. We don’t do a lot for recreation, and this fits very well.” He said Burke could have filled the room with advocates for the new skate park, which he has done at several meetings in the past.
Miller added that if the city gets all the financing in place, they could advertise for bids in September, and begin the build in the spring of 2026.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy applauded the work by Miller and Burke. “The current condition of the skate park is a liability to the city,” he said, adding that to have the old park removed and a new one built all in one is a bonus, and pledged to help move the project forward through the City Council.
When asked about the status of the Land & Water Conservation Fund of the National Park Service, Miller said the city must demonstrate that they have the rest of the funds in place to get the grant.
To another question about lighting at the park, Miller said the city is not looking at it at this point, because of the added money involved. He said there are options for security lighting, however.
A motion was made to accept the request of $500,000, which passed unanimously with all seven commission members present.
