Skate park will come from local pockets

The city has set aside the space in New Tampa for a skate park, but the community is trying to raise the cash to build it.

By JOHN BALZ, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 17, 2003

NEW TAMPA -- Residents seeking to build a skate park in New Tampa will turn to their community instead of the city of Tampa to find money for the project.

The city has set aside space in a recreation center on the grounds of a 40-acre park in Tampa Palms. But without funds earmarked, residents are seeking to finance the ramps themselves.

"It's already included in the plan," said Tampa Palms parent Aimee Lucas. "It's really just about getting money to build it."

Public and private skate parks are becoming more common across the Tampa area. Besides New Tampa, residents of South Tampa and Spring Hill are organizing their own groups.

Almost 120 people attended a Tuesday night meeting of Skate New Tampa, Inc., the non-profit group leading the push, said Lucas.

The new park will cost between $100,000 and $500,000 depending on the size of the ramps and the construction materials used.

The group will turn to old-fashioned fundraising like car washes and recycling used printer cartridges and cell phones. It also will turn to corporate sponsors with deeper pockets.

The New Tampa YMCA has agreed to partner with Skate New Tampa Inc., although the relationship is still undefined.

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