Rendering
Wabasha youth and families, City staff, Council Members, Park Board members, celebrated the grand opening of the Wabasha Athletic Complex Skate Park on Tuesday, August 28th with more than 30 youth and children in attendence, on their bikes, scooters, and skateboards.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Durand described how multiple floods in 2023 and 2024, meant that the old skate park was completely unusable and subject to constant flooding in its old location. She also shareed how a lot of hard work and perseverance went into making the new $242,000 skate park grant funded through FEMA Public Assistant grant program. She thanked Riley Costello, Emergency Management Director, Caleb Sturgel, Public Assistance Program Specialist from Minnesota HSEM, and the City staff who worked to make the project possible.
Costello also described how the original skatepark was made of wood and the ramps deteriorated rapidly through multiple floods as a result. The new skatepark is made of metal frames and will be durable to last for many generations.
“Our original skatepark equipment experienced multiple flooding events, which left it decaying. The original skatepark equipment had significantly deteriorated due to repeated flooding events. Relocating the skatepark has been a long-standing objective, and I am proud to say it is now a reality,” said Costello.
Another highlight of the new facility is that it was completely funded through FEMA’s Public Assistance grant program. The skatepark was part of the original new athletic field plans but could not be completed due to lack of city funding
Representative Pam Altendorf was also in attendence and said, ” I am so glad to be part of this ceremony and impressed with all that Wabasha does to support the growth of its community. ”
The skatepark is another example where the City has created new recreational facilities that encourage healthy lifestyles for youth, families, and adults living in Wabasha. Among many other benefits, it provides a safe and fun environment for skateboarding, while encouraging lessons for youth like self-directed exercise, creative expression, and the value of persistence.
And persistence certainly paid off for the City of Wabasha, to be able to complete the goals for the new Athletic Complex.
