WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Organizers of the town's new skate park plan a Grand Opening for Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Stetson Road venue.

 

The festivities, scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m., will feature a demonstration by a professional skateboarder, food and music to celebrate the long-sought publicly/privately funded facility.

 

A group of roller sport enthusiasts have been working for years to develop the new park, which surveys of residents show will fill an identified need for recreational opportunities for all ages.

 

The town agreed to remove an existing, outdated and worn out park on the site across Stetson Road from the youth baseball field and work with the skate park proponents.

 

In addition to in-kind contributions from the Department of Public Works, which helped clear the area of the old infrastructure, the town supported the new park through contributions of Community Preservation Act funds -- $32,000 for design in fiscal year 2026 and $350,000 toward construction in the current fiscal year, approved by wide margins at town meeting in May 2025 and 2026.

 

The total amount raised for the project through public funding, private contributions and corporate sponsorship is $750,000.

 

Grindline Skateparks of Seattle, Wash., is the designer and builder of the new park, which will be turned over to the town on completion.

 

The local people behind the new park are on the agenda for Monday's Select Board meeting to discuss plans for the park's opening and its naming.