Skate park needs boost to get over funding hump
ZELIENOPLE — Since ground was broken earlier this summer, work has been fast and furious at the Zelienople Memorial Skate Park, with crews expected to complete the job soon.
As the decade-long project draws to a close, officials said Monday they face a potential funding shortfall and appealed to borough council for help.
The idea for the park stemmed from a senior project by Trevor Barkley, who along with friends Sam Bucci and Elijah Lunsford died in a vehicle accident in 2010. Barkley's family took over the project as a memorial for the boys, securing a $200,000 grant from the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as well as $10,000 from the Tony Hawk Foundation.
The remainder of the money has been raised through community donations, including through a popular series of Lenten fish fries. The project had a goal of about $650,000, with a 2020 deadline to complete the work following DCNR grant rules.
On Monday, Amy Barkley told council work should be completed by the end of November, well before that deadline. However, she said there is a deficit of about $69,000. Some of that amount is contingency, meaning the number could be lower.“If (crews) finish at the end of November, they want paid, and we don't have that money,” she said.Barkley asked if the borough could help cover the cost. She said organizers have already committed to holding a fish fry next spring, which routinely brings in between $30,000 and $35,000. That money would be given back to the borough.She said some items have already been eliminated from the project, but none were particularly costly. She said other things could be taken out and result in savings, but that idea was not preferable.“I am asking that we not do that,” she said. “I think that would take away from this plan we've had for 10 years.”
Barkley added some of those features could potentially be paid for by community organizations, and discussion are ongoing.Mayor Allen Bayer called for a finance committee meeting to be scheduled to go over numbers and see what funding could be available. He said the request is coming just as the 2020 budget process is beginning.Meanwhile, Barkley said once the project is completed, she and other community members as well as the construction crew believe it will be a “destination facility.”We're really going to draw some people in,” she said. “There's going to be people coming here to skate it.”On Monday, council also approved the payment of $142,059.60 for work completed on the project.
