Location Options Being Considered for Possible Action Sports Park in State College

A long-gestating and much debated action sports park in State College may be moving closer to reality, but where exactly it would be located remains under consideration.

The project was first proposed to the Centre Region Council of Government Parks Capital Committee in 2013 by BMX legend and local resident Jamie Bestwick. State College Borough staff began looking into the project in 2014, and now it is part of the proposed 2018-2022 borough Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). It could include facilities for skateboards, rollerblades, scooters and bicycles.

Members of Borough Council reviewed several aspects of the proposed CIP, including the park, at a special meeting on Monday night. No action was taken and council is expected to vote on the final CIP on July 17. 

A major issue with the park has been where it will be located. In June 2016, Orchard Park was identified as the recommended site. Greentree neighborhood residents were vocal in their opposition to converting Orchard Park and having an action sports park in a residential neighborhood. In August, council removed the park in the Greentree neighborhood as the site selection and directed staff to review all possible options.

On Monday, Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said staff have identified other State College parks, regional parks near the borough, public properties that are not currently park lands and privately owned land that could be suitable.

‘The project has been somewhat delayed over the past year due to staff changes that occurred in the public works department but it is now at a point where we’re ready to go ahead and do the site review,’ he said. ‘Multiple potential sites have been identified but no specific sites have been selected for further consideration.’

Orchard Park is still under consideration, but multiple locations that are equally suitable have been identified.

Several residents of the Greentree neighborhood said they they are not opposed to an action sports park but that they continue to oppose locating it in Orchard Park or any residential neighborhood.

‘I don’t think my or my neighbors’ voices have been heard with regard to this issue,’ said resident Jim Milutinovic. ‘I’m not against a skate park if its properly located but I don’t believe a skateboard park should be located in a residential area. We don’t want the skate park in our neighborhood. We don’t want it in Orchard Park. It’s going to disrupt our neighborhood and change its characteristics forever and not in a good way.’

Milutinovic said that the current park is used for a wide variety of activities such as soccer, softball, volleyball, yoga and an annual Easter egg hunt, among others. He also said flooding that comes with heavy rains at the park would worsen with the addition of concrete.

‘Our park is perfect the way it is,’ he said. ‘If it’s not broke, please don’t fix it.’

Resident Christopher Jones echoed Milutinovic, saying that the park is used by people of all ages for many different activities.

‘I just don’t want to see this park sold to the highest bidder. I want this park to be left there for everyone in the neighborhood to enjoy it,’ he said. ‘This isn’t an issue about not liking skateboarding or rollerblading or any of those things. This is about the simple placement of that park. Frankly, it doesn’t belong in any neighborhood park in the borough.’

Milutinovic also noted that the second phase of development for Bernel Road Park in Patton Township, which is expected to begin in 2020, will add skateboarding and bicycle park facilities and is not located in a residential area.

Advocates for an action sports park in the borough have said it should be located in an area that is easy for young people to access. The closest current skatepark facility is located at Tussey Mountain. 

After Borough Council adopts the 2018-2022 CIP in July, staff will move forward with putting together an advisory committee to help with site selection, Public Works Director Deb Hoag said.

“We will quickly work to put together this subcommittee with stakeholders, a mission and a schedule to really look at where is an appropriate place that it can fit well and serve the borough residents,’ Hoag said. ‘At this point we’ve just looked at parcels based on the size of the parcel and criteria for where we have parcels and are borough owned. We were just trying to get a handle on what there is to even consider.

‘We don’t want to delay this any further.’

The subcommittee would make a final report and recommendations to council in December. In 2018, council would review the report and site selection as well as a conceptual design and would begin identifying grant and external funding sources. The park, which is estimated to cost about $350,000, would be a general funds project but would rely on private donations and grants.

‘To date no commitments have been made by anyone for funding,’ Fountaine said.

Councilman Evan Myers noted that proposed federal budget cuts may mean making choices among projects.

‘Given the potential for budget cuts from the federal government for community block grants and all kinds of other things, we’re going to have to make decisions on what we’re going to spend money on or not and raise private funds,’ he said. ‘There will be many competing projects. This will be one in a list of them that we’ll have to decide if there is a lot less money available.’

In 2019, Borough Council would vote on final design approval and construction would begin.

‘It’s possible if funds are available it could happen more quickly but it’s likely it would be a 2019 project,’ Fountaine said.