PARKERSBURG - About two dozen residents attended the groundbreaking of the Fort Neal Skate Park Friday afternoon.
State Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants; Mayor Bob Newell, and Chad Mildren, chairman of the Downtown Taskforce's Skate Park Committee, turned over the ceremonial first shovel.
Mildren took a few minutes to thank the project donors and advisers. Funds for the $300,000 park were raised through both public and private donors, including the state of West Virginia, the Wood County Commission, the city of Parkersburg, Camden Clark Medical Center, Tri-State Roofing, United Bank, Highmark West Virginia, several area foundation grants, and individual contributions, including Mary Riccobene. The effort was aided by a couple of national skate foundation grants.
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Officials break ground on Fort Neal Park Skate Park in Parkersburg.
The city donated the ground and provided in-kind services from public works and engineering.
Mildren said a plaque recognizing all those who gave $1,000 or more will be placed at the park.
The skate park has been years in the making. Mildren has been involved with the project for about two and half years. He recognized the efforts of the late Roy Collins and his family and the Parkersburg Skate Plaza Foundation and former city council members Jim and Nancy Myers.
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Photo by Jody Murphy
Mayor Bob Newell; State Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, and Chad Mildren, chairman of the Downtown Taskforce’s Skate Park Committee, break ground on the Fort Neal Park Skate Park Friday.
Collins was killed in a single-car accident last month.
The park will be an 8,000-10,000-square-foot structure, a combination street-bowl park that has been designed and will be constructed so it could be expanded over time.
Mildren said construction on the park will begin Monday with completion expected within 90 days. Woodcraft will erect a picnic shelter at the park, according to Mildren.
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In Brief
The skate park will be an 8,000-10,000-square-foot structure near the Fifth Street Bridge.
Construction on the park will begin Monday with completion expected within 90 days.
A plaque recognizing those who gave $1,000 or more will be placed at the skate park.
City Development Director Ann Conageski said they will have to purchase about 22,000 tons of fill dirt for the project.
Officials said with the large amount of rain the last few weeks, water from the Little Kanawha River never rose to the park's highest point. Mildren said they are building the park to be above the 50-year floodplain.
"It is being engineered to flood. We expect it to flood," he said. "It is not a concern."
The skate park will be near the E.L.I.T.E. Center and the Fifth Street Bridge.
