STATE COLLEGE — After years of planning, fundraising, meetings, setbacks and persistence, cheers echoed across concrete Friday afternoon as officials, skateboarders, BMX riders, scooter riders and families finally counted down to something many once wondered if they would ever see.
State College officially opened High Point Action Sports Park on Friday, May 29.
“What a great day for State College and the region,” Mayor Ezra Nanes told the crowd gathered around the ribbon cutting. “This is a new free public park available to everybody in this region.”
The celebration marked the opening of what supporters called more than just a skate park. Speakers repeatedly described the facility as a community project years in the making. It’s one built through public meetings, donations, grants and volunteer work from residents determined to create a dedicated space for action sports.
“If this isn’t the crown jewel in central Pennsylvania, I don’t know what is,” John Saxton, a Centre County resident and member of the committee who worked on the project and provided input for the design, told the crowd before thanking community members, elected officials, donors and volunteers.
Borough Council President Evan Myers said discussions about creating an action sports park began more than a decade ago, with questions surrounding funding, location and whether State College even needed one.
“But there were a lot of persistent people who kept showing up and advocating,” Myers said. “People remained engaged and focused on the objective. They kept working toward solutions. And now here we are.”
Myers said the park represents more than concrete ramps and rails.
“It was about creating a safe, welcoming place for kids, families, adults,” he said. “A place that encourages creativity, independence, confidence and community.”
That message echoed throughout the ceremony.
Saxton described the amount of work required as “immense.”
“It’s not just a, ‘Hey, can we start building? Okay, let’s start building,’” Saxton said. “You have to have years of prep work.”
Saxton said the project required fundraising, grant writing, drainage planning, code requirements and infrastructure work before the first shovel ever touched the ground.
He said the finished result also helps challenge stereotypes that have followed skateboarding culture for decades.
“Some say skateboarding brings bad kids to the area and that’s not the case at all,” Saxton said. “We want to show the community this brings great kids together.”
He described the park as a future gathering place.
“This will be their home away from home,” Saxton said. “Having a spot like this is so important.”
The design itself also reflects heavy community input.
Michael Smith, director of construction for New Line Skateparks, said community outreach drives every project the company builds.
“A skate park is only going to function if you get the input of the local riders,” Smith said.
Smith said residents participated through meetings, surveys, forums and voting systems that helped shape the final layout.
Among the park’s unique features is its upper plaza section, which includes salvaged granite pieces from New York City donated by professional skateboarder Jake Johnson.
“To have that in a skate park is something wholly unique,” Smith said.
Officials also highlighted accessibility and inclusiveness throughout the ceremony.
Nanes, who described himself as a skater who still occasionally rides, said parks like High Point create opportunities for more than just participants.
“Even if you’re not into skating, just come and hang out,” Nanes said. “Enjoy the grass, sit on a beautiful bench and just enjoy the park.”
He called the facility inclusive by design.
“You can skate, you can bike, you can rollerblade, you can roller skate, you could take a wheelchair in here,” Nanes said. “It’s designed for everybody.”
While speakers thanked donors, state agencies, volunteers and contractors, much of the crowd’s attention remained focused on the riders already waiting behind the ribbon.
Among them was 23-year-old Hayden Holsinger, who has skateboarded since he was 7.
Standing near the street section shortly before the opening, Holsinger said the park fills a need many local riders have experienced for years.
“Before this, a 45-minute drive was kind of the minimum for a skate park,” Holsinger said.
Now, he said, riders have something much closer and arguably better.
“This is like the best one within even further than 45 minutes,” Holsinger said.
Asked what he likes most, Holsinger didn’t hesitate.
“Everything about this street section is fire,” he said. “So many things you can learn here. So many different lines. The flow is really good.”
For riders like Holsinger and hundreds of others who crowded the park on opening day, years of waiting finally gave way to wheels hitting concrete.
And for the first time, State College had a public skate park to call its own.
