PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT: Martha’s Vineyard Skate Park Association was awarded $252,172 to support their Park Completion and Expansion Project. Funding will complete the original design the Skate Park Association created for the park in 2002. The final phase of the project will replace temporary wooden structures removed in 2015 with permanent concrete structures that will complete the “flow” imagined in the original concept plan and improve the safety of the park. Other aspects of the project include installing lighting and webcam technology, as well as landscaping and signage.
Construction is planned to begin in October 2016 and take 4-6 weeks. The proposal additionally includes funding for an expanded website and free safety gear (helmets & pads) to be distributed twice a year to the public. Located in the middle of “youth town”, the Skate Park is accessible by public transportation, abuts the Y, Ice Arena, Community Services and the high school. The Skate Park estimates 300-400 children and teens participate in the summer camp offered at the park. The park was built on land owned by the high school. An arrangement with the MVRHS Land Use Committee and the Town of Oak Bluffs was contracted. The Town of Oak Buffs provides insurance for the Skate Park and manages the property similarly to other town parks (Niantic, Ocean, Viera, East Chop Lighthouse). In all cases, the parks are always open, the town provides trash removal services and regular police patrol.