Pittsfield Cuts Ribbon On New Skate Park
 Bill Whittaker, co-owner of The Garden snow and skate shop, said seeing the park was "a dream" of his for a long time. |
The new custom concrete skate park, designed by Who Skates of Kennebunkport, Maine, was funded partially by the city and with a $150,500 grant received by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs through the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities program.
The recently completed park is located on the former Pittsfield High School tennis courts at the corner of East Street and Appleton Avenue, a site which has sat dilapidated and mostly unused for decades.
"As a park professional, my job is to make sure that we adequately address the recreational needs of the residents of our city, both young and old," said James McGrath, the city's director of parks and open spaces, "and until today, we were sorely underserving the youth of our city, who simply wanted a well-built and well-designed skate park."
Mayor James Ruberto and other city officials opened the park in place of the skate park that used to be at the First Street Commons. The Commons is currently under reconstruction.
"Who'd have thunk this? Did you believe we'd do it?" Ruberto asked the mob of youth astride their bikes and boards, and seemingly just a bit surprised by the enthusiastic cry of "Yes!" that came back from a few young boys.
"This is the culmination of an eight-year dream. Eight years ago, and every year after that, someone would come to City Hall, some timidly and others not, and ask 'Mayor, when are we going to have a real skate park?' and I'd say 'When we can find the money.' So the two people you have to thank are Deanna Ruffer, director of community development, and Jim McGrath, because they found the money."
Ruberto grinned and added, "there's nothing like Boston sending Pittsfield money. I tell ya, it's one thing I love better than apple pie."
Ruberto thanked local youth for taking an active role in what by all accounts has been a very agreeable, transparent process of consensus gathering which resulted in the current park, including its location and design.
Bill Whittaker, co-owner of The Garden snow/skate shop, spoke briefly about the significance of what this park means to the enthusiasts who will use it.
"It's been a dream of mine for a long time to see a park of this caliber and to see everyone out here enjoying it. It's 38 degrees and there's 50 or 60 people out here [skating and biking]."
The final speaker of the opening was Tom Noble, owner of Who Skates and SPC Construction, the companies which designed and built the new park.
"From Jim [Ruberto] to the guys at the Garden, the skaters and bikers, the city officials I've met, I can honestly tell you of all the skate parks we've built all over the country I can honestly tell you I've never seen so much support across the board," Noble said.
Noble said that Pittsfield's park had been unique in the level of support seen from the mayor as well as the equal distribution of development help from both bikers and skaters.
"This has definitely been a project for the record books," Noble said, "and you don't have the best skate park in the county. I think you got the best skate park in the state."
Following the brief speeches, a ribbon was extended, and cut by a group of bikers and skaters wheeling across it.
Tags: skate park, skateboard,
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