Huge turnout for Lock Haven Skate Park opening
LOCK HAVEN, PA – The formal ribbon-cutting for the Lock Haven Skate Park at Hoberman Park went off without a hitch Thursday afternoon, hundreds of community members, including skateboarders and bicyclists, on hand for the special day. The new layout had a great first-day usage, both before and after the brief ceremony and ribbon-cutting.
The skateboard park is the first in a series of improvements at Hoberman Park. As announced earlier these will include an accessible playground, resurfacing of parking lots, a new centralized restroom facility, pavilions, a community garden, walking path, relocation of the tee-ball field, replacement of dugouts and fence at the Little League field, new basketball court, multipurpose court and picnic area.
The skateboard part, at a cost of $735,000, will be completely finished this year. Next year will see phases two and three. The east side of the park with $650,000 in work which will see a community garden, playground improvements, restrooms, a new pavilion, new Little League dugouts and a relocation of the T-Ball field.
West side park work will include a new basketball court and a multi-purpose court, the cost for that phase $518,000. All the improvements should be completed by 2025.
Speakers at the ribbon-cutting included Lock Haven Mayor Joel Long who noted the humble beginnings of the initial skate park, made of plywood and not built to last. Also speaking was Madra Clay, Central Regional Director for the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Multiple elected officials were on hand, including state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz and state Sen. Cris Dush.
The complete three-phase Hoberman project carries a $1.7 million price tag, all but $100,000 of that amount obtained from sources outside the city. These included $350,000 through the state Department of Community and Economic Development, $735,000 in a Community Development Block Grant, $739,600 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, plus $103,673 in local match dollars.
