It’s been more than a decade since J.D. Turner first envisioned a skate park in Reading.
Turner, the owner of Holistic Skateshop in West Reading, began advocating for a dedicated skateboarding park in the city after talking with his customers.
Though grateful for any opportunity to practice their skills, area skateboarders were frustrated by the lack of advanced challenges offered locally. The prefabricated plastic and metal ramps found in the few local public skate parks inherently limit certain tricks.
Turner of Mohnton and the others longed for a professional-style skating surface with bowls, ramps and other features made of poured concrete.
After years of fundraising and advocacy, their dream is set to become a reality.
City Council awarded a contract to Grindline of Seattle for the construction of a skatepark on Canal Street. City administrators expect to announce a start date soon. The long-awaited park will take about 18 months to complete.
(Courtesy of the City of Reading)
City Council has awarded a $1.6 million contract to Grindline Skateparks of Seattle to build the cast-in-place concrete skating surfaces in the planned park at 601 Canal St.
“It’s going to be really exciting once they actually start construction,” Turner said.
The award to Grindline was the final hurdle crossed in clearing the way for the project start.
Council this year also awarded a $744,890 contract to Land-Tech Enterprises, Warrington, Bucks County, for landscaping and construction of a parking lot and other non-skate-surface features in the 22,000-square-foot park.
Funding for the two contracts — totaling nearly $2.2 million — will come from state grants totaling $290,000 and $700,000 in city capital improvement project funds. The remaining $1.2 million will be made up of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The ARPA distribution is a fraction of the more than $10 million earmarked by council last year for improvements to parks and public properties.
While a construction start date has not been set, David Anspach, city capital projects manager, said he expects a date to be announced soon.
Once the project gets underway, he said, it should take about 18 months to complete.
“I am excited about it,” Turner said. “I’ve been at this for more than 10 years.”
An avid skateboarder, Turner was just 23 in 2012 when he opened his shop and began championing a public skate park. Supplied with only a dream, he pitched the idea to anyone willing to listen. And city administrators were, after Turner and a handful of enthusiasts founded the Reading Skatepark Association in 2016.
The grassroots group works to facilitate the growth of free public concrete outdoor skate parks.
The association’s efforts were instrumental in laying the groundwork and securing grant funding for the initial designs by Grindline, Anspach said.
“They really got the ball rolling,” he said. “Then the city took over.”
This lot at South Sixth and Canal streets will be developed into a skateboard park. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)
Progress was slow as the association worked its way from the conceptional phase through the red tape, Anspach said, and there were even more delays after the city took the reins.
“All of that has been resolved,” Anspach said, noting all funding and permits are in place and the city has clear title to the property. “Everything is good to go.”
The funding will cover completion of the landscape features and skating surfaces, he said. A latter phase of the project, including night lighting, restrooms and a picnic pavilion will have to wait for future grant funding or a major donation.
Turner, now 34, still skateboards and looks forward to proving his skills on the course designed by Grindline.
The company specializes in the design and construction of skate parks and sought input and guidance from area stakeholders, he said. The effort resulted in a design specifically tailored to the local skateboarding community.
It’s not only locals who are anticipating the finished project, Turner said. The design — half street-boarding style and half park style — has attracted the attention of a number of professional skaters and organizations, too.
Both park and street events debuted in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he noted, helping to elevate respect for the sport.
Once completed, the park in Reading is likely to attract professional tours, demonstrations and other events, Turner said, and that will give city skateboarders a chance to learn some tips and tricks from the pros.
And that’s what it has always been about for Turner: giving local kids and skateboarders of all ages a chance to develop their skills and enjoy the sport.
“It’s going to be really good for the kids in the area,” he said. “Having something like this, that’s been designed and built by skateboarders is going to take the local skate community to the next level.”