A rendering prepared by New Line Skateparks shows the planned High Point Skatepark in State College.
Efforts to build a long-planned public skatepark in State College are getting another boost, this time from a renowned nearby action sports camp.
Woodward PA will donate proceeds from its monthly open ride night to the High Point Skatepark project. The event will be held 4-9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 in two indoor, heated spaces at the camp, 134 Sports Camp Drive in Woodward.
“We are so proud and excited to support a free public skatepark in our own backyard in State College,” Chris Hayton, skateboard program manager for Woodward PA, said in a statement. “With free skateparks at High Point Park and the professional facilities at Woodward, the sky’s the limit for local skaters. I can’t wait to see the talent pool grow.”
Skateboard, BMX, scooter and roller skate riders are all welcome, but only 150 spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $39 and pre-registration is suggested.
The High Point Skatepark volunteer committee is also bringing in VIPs for the event, thanks to Jake Johnson, the professional skateboarder and State College native who has been instrumental in the group’s work on the park.
“I’m calling in favors and getting a bunch of friends to show up,” Johnson said. “I really hope the local kids in the community come to skate with some of the best.”
With an estimated $1.9 million cost, organizers have raised more than $1 million to date for the 20,000 skatepark to be located at the borough-owned High Point Park off of Whitehall Road.
The wheelchair-accessible, plaza-style facility for sports like skateboarding, BMX biking, rollerskating and scootering will replace the unused baseball field at High Point Park, taking up about 3 acres of the 6-acre lot. It will be designed for all skill levels with amenities for park and street-style riding with ledges, stairs, rails, banks, a mini-ramp area, a brick volcano, quarterpipe, planting areas with boulders for seating spots and a center courtyard with a large granite pad.
High Point Park was …
