City officials recently hosted an online meeting with Micah Shapiro, Grindline CEO/designer, who showed conceptual drawings of the proposed park that will be located along the Chadakoin River near McCrea Point Park. Shapiro said the park will use some existing foundations from a former building, and steel from a former Jamestown Board of Public Utilities coal bridge will also be a part of the design.

“That has created a pretty unique concept,” he said.

Shapiro said 25 people participated in an online survey to give Grindline, the state of Washington-based designers hired to design and construct the park, officials an idea of what they would like to see in the skatepark. He said most of the survey participants want the $500,000 in funding to go toward the skate park instead of toward outside amenities. He added that one way the park has been designed to make it say “Jamestown” is a Crescent wrench is being proposed to be used as a hubba ledge. Hubba is a word used by skateboarders to describe a ledge that angles down a set of stairs. The Crescent wrench was invented in Jamestown in 1915.

“This is a unique concept drive by site conditions,” Shapiro said. “Because of that, it will be better than your average skatepark.”

A conceptual drawing showing how a hubba ledge in the shape of a Crescent wrench might be used in the proposed new skate park. The Crescent wrench was invented in Jamestown. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

The conceptual drawing shown by Shapiro includes three areas. He said two of the areas can be built using the $500,000 in funding and the third area could be a future section added to the park. He said the two areas that will start to be built this year is 6,500 square feet.

During the last online public meeting on the skatepark, a member of the public, Nick Baglia, asked if bikes would be allowed to use the park. On Thursday, Baglia asked the question again and Jeff Lehman, city public works director, said city officials are working with its insurance carrier to see if that is a possibility.

“It’s heading in the right direction,” Lehman said about people being able to use bikes at the park.

Shapiro said the budget for the new park is $500,000, which includes the $250,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation, with the assistance of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

The grant was matched by local contributions from the city of Jamestown and several grassroots fundraising events. The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has a special fund for the project titled SK8 JTNY. Those interested in donating can send a check to the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, 418 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701.

For more information, visit crcfonline.org.