ZELIENOPLE — For the past eight years residents and community members have been hard at work to bring a skate park to the borough. Now they are closer than ever to making their dream a reality.

Members of borough council approved the final plans for the skate park at their Monday meeting and voted to allow the skatepark board to begin advertising for bids.

Once a contract is awarded, the skate park will be built in Zelienople Community Park.

The project was originally the dream of Trevor Barkley, a Seneca Valley student who wanted to make something that would keep teenagers out of trouble and engaged in healthy activities.

He started working on the skate park for his senior project, but died before he was able to complete it.

Barkley had just been working on a poster for the project in January of 2010, when the vehicle carrying him and two friends — Sam Bucci and Elijah Lunsford — slid off the road and plunged into a lake, killing the three students. They were volunteer firefighters as well as avid skateboarders and BMX riders.

Later that year, friends and family gathered to keep the project alive, naming it Zelienople Memorial Skate Park, in memory of the three students, and for the past eight years they have spent countless hours raising funds and awareness for the project.

With Monday’s vote, construction on the skate park is expected to soon begin.

Jeff Barkley, Trevor Barkley’s father and a skate park committee member, spoke Monday thanking the borough for its support and explaining a little bit about the project.

“It’s the community. I really can’t thank the community enough,” he said. “People who come to the fish fries can see that it’s become a community event, and that to me is something to be proud of.”

The committee raised the money through a combination of grants, including $10,000 from the Tony Hawk Foundation and $200,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and annual fundraisers.

Jeff Barkley added that the fish fry fundraisers will continue every year as a fundraiser for the park and to cover maintenance costs.

The skate park will be made from a single concrete pour to eliminate the risk of lips or structural changes over time and will minimize noise, Barkley said.

It will feature numerous offerings for skateboarders of all ages and abilities including a pool to skate in.

“It’ll have a little bit of everything,” said Barkley. “We’re excited.”

Council members praised the skate park board for their dedication and hard work in making the project a reality.

“You guys did a great job,” said council President Alan Bayer.