First Meeting of Skate Park Committee Thursday

In May, Town Meeting voted to move forward with plans to build a skate park in the Town of Framingham.

Thursday night, July 23, the first meeting of the Framingham Skatepark Advisory Committee will met at 7 in the Parks and Recreation building at 475 Union Avenue. The public is invited to attend.

Town Meeting voted 124-4 to spend $50,000 to design a concrete skate park in the Town of Framingham.

“We want as many skateboarders and their supporters as possible to attend this meeting,” said Judith Grove, a Town Meeting member in Precinct 15 and an appointed member to the advisory committee. “Their voices need to be heard if we are going to build the best possible skate park for Framingham.”

One of the main goals of the Skatepark Advisory Committee is to decide a design of the skate park and where it should be located in the community.

Town Meeting member George Lewis of Precinct 18 has his own vision.

He would like to see a skate park located at Farm Pond, across from Cushing Memorial Park.

Editor’s Note: Attached to this report is a design Lewis created.

“I have created a picture to show what a skate park might look like if it were situated at Farm Pond,” wrote Lewis on his blog. “The area is situated on the water side of Dudley Road near the bocce court and adjacent parking lot. I feel this is the best location since it is close to Cushing Park, the new Children’s Grove, baseball, soccer and basketball fields, and other activities. Families are drawn to this area for its many activities. A skate park fits nicely here.”

“ We would like to get responses from the residents of Framingham on various locations,” said Grove.

“One restriction is that it be south of Route 9, since most of the skateboarders live in this area and do not have transportation other than their skateboards,” said Grove.

“At the same time, we want it to be accessible to all the youth in our community who would like to skateboard. Cushing Park area seems to be favored so far,” added Grove, who has been working with Framingham youth for more than a year to bring a skate park to Framingham.

“A skate park is only as good as the site that it’s located within. And because a skate park’s site is so critical to the ongoing success of the facility, finding the perfect one can often be one of the most arduous parts of the skate park development process,” wrote Lewis on his blog.

When evaluating potential skate park sites the committee will look at accessibility, visibility, and infrastructure issues.

Estimated costs to build the concrete skate park is $350,000 and plans are to be submitted back to Town Meeting no later than 2016.