A long-planned free public skatepark in State College has received another boost to its fundraising efforts.
Centre Foundation is awarding a $50,000 grant from the Knight Foundation Donor Advised Fund to help build the High Point Skatepark, according to a news release. The proposed park will have a 20,000-square-foot facility for wheeled sports like skateboarding, BMX, rollerskating and scootering to be located at the borough-owned High Point Park off of Whitehall Road, near the intersection with Blue Course Drive.
“This skatepark exemplifies Centre Foundation’s commitment to inspire a vibrant, equitable and inclusive community,” Molly Kunkel, Centre Foundation executive director, said in a statement. “The space will provide a dynamic place for people of all ages and skill levels to engage in healthy physical activity and build connections. We look forward to seeing it built.”
Knight Foundation recommends grants from the fund to projects that promote a more engaged community.
“At Knight Foundation, we are dedicated to empowering communities and transforming public spaces into vibrant centers of connection,” Lilly Weinberg, senior director at Knight Foundation, said in a statement. “By investing in projects like this, we are strengthening the fabric of the State College community.”
The High Point Skatepark effort has raised $1.2 million to date for the estimated $1.9 million project, and volunteer organizers are optimistic they can reach their goal to begin construction in 2024
“We are truly grateful for the generous support of Centre Foundation and Knight Foundation through their grant,” Gordon Kaufman III, an organizer of the High Point Skatepark volunteer committee and State College resident, said in a statement. “Their commitment to enhancing the quality of life is evident and we are lucky to have them in this community. With this grant, we are one step closer to turning our vision into a reality.”
The wheelchair-accessible facility will replace the unused baseball field at High Point Park, taking up about 3 acres of the 6-acre lot. It will be designed for all skill levels with amenities for park and street-style riding with ledges, stairs, rails, banks, a mini-ramp area, a brick volcano, quarterpipe, planting areas with boulders for seating spots and a center courtyard with a large granite pad.
The upper part of the design is a plaza-style park for skateboarders while the lower elevation has been refined to better support scooters and bikes. The surrounding area will be landscaped to be enjoyable for all, with or without wheels.
After an ad-hoc borough committee evaluated various options, the underutilized High Point Park was selected in part because it’s accessible by bus, bike path and car, less than a mile from State College Area High School, Delta and Corl Street Elementary and 1.7 miles from the center of downtown.
While a volunteer committee is leading the fundraising and organizing effort, the park will remain owned by State College Borough and maintained by Centre Region Parks and Recreation.
Jake Johnson, a professional skateboarder and State College native who opened IQ Skateshop on South Pugh Street in 2021, and his father, Tim, a professor emeritus of landscape architecture at Penn State, designed the concept for the park and enlisted New Line Skateparks to develop final technical designs and construction plans.
Since 2020, when the initiative began in earnest, the project has received three state grants totaling $750,000 and a $200,000 commitment from the borough. A public campaign has raised more than $100,000, including $30,000 from Tony Hawk’s The Skatepark Project, $25,000 from the Hamer Foundation and more than $40,000 from private donations, online fundraising and community fundraising events. Earlier this summer the skatepark received a $12,500 tourism grant from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Centre County Board of Commissioners.
The commissioners in June approved a letter of support for the skatepark committee’s application for an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Area Development Grant of about $700,000. Kaufmann said at the time that the grant could be the tipping point to move forward with construction.
Committee member Kim Faulds told borough council in March that it is imperative construction begin by the summer of 2024 because some of the grants awarded for the project will expire after that.
Once ground is broken, construction is expected to take about three months. But to get there, the committee needs to have the necessary funds and the ARC grant is not a certainty.
To donate, visit highpointskatepark.com.
