Niagara Falls Awarded Tony Hawk Foundation Grant

[Press release from City of NF]

The City of Niagara Falls was awarded a $10,000 Tony Hawk Foundation grant to support its Niagara Falls Skate Park project. The Niagara Falls Community Development Department applied for the competitive grant in June after months of community meetings and direct input from local skaters, BMX bike riders, in-line skaters and the public at large.

“We are proud of the grass roots push behind the skate park and thankful for the Tony Hawk Foundation’s help,” said Mayor Paul Dyster. “Our community is collaborating to create a special neighborhood space for our young people. Our partnership will complete a skate park project that has been discussed for decades.”

Since 2002 the Tony Hawk Foundation has been fulfilling its mission to help young people by issuing grants to communities building quality public skateparks, and providing guidance to city officials, parents, and children through the process. To-date, the foundation has awarded over $5.2-million to 557 public skatepark projects in all 50 States, and $100,000 to support the Skateistan (www.skateistan) program in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa.

Currently, the Niagara Falls Skate Park Project is in final design and will be located on Hyde Park Blvd. in Hyde Park; the city’s most centrally located green space (south of the Sal Maglie Stadium parking lot). The 2015 Community Development Action Plan, not the general fund, will fund the remainder of the construction budget. The concrete park will feature elements that can be used by skaters, BMX riders and in-line skaters, as suggested by a April 2015 community survey. In addition, the design includes a mural of the Niagara River and a raised “NF” feature that can be skated on.

Exactly one year after the first skater led planning meeting on August 13, 2014, the Tony Hawk Foundation contacted the Niagara Falls Community Development Department with news of the grant. In those twelve months, the City held three community planning meetings, contracted with Spohn Ranch Skateparks for design and included the construction project in its 2015 Community Development Action Plan. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015.