East Providence Skate Park Will Get $25K In Repairs

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — The skate park in Providence is going to get some major repairs.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to spend $25,000 for repairs at the Kevin Robinson Memorial Skate Park.

BMX star and East Providence native Kevin Robinson had the skate park installed in 2016. A year later, Robinson died of a stroke, and the skate park was dedicated to him in 2019. It has since fallen into disrepair in recent years.

"I think we owe it to K-Rob in memory,"said City Council Vice President Robert Rodericks. "He's donated thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to the youth of the area."

Councilor Nate Cahoon, who sponsored the ordinance, said the skate park is constantly in use. He said its conditions are what you'd expect after five years of being beaten by skateboards, scooters and bikes. Cahoon also said the youth that use the skate park have done a great job taking care of it over the last five years, and this is normal wear-and-tear.

"The fact it's just another place for our local youth to spend their time, rather than going off and doing something stupid or dangerous, is really great to see," Cahoon said. "It's great to see segments of the population interact that might not if it wasn't for this park."

The skate park repairs will be paid for with unallocated capital funds.