PARIS – On any beautiful summer day, the Oxford Hills Skate Park is filled with skateboarders of all ages and abilities, just as it was envisioned five years ago.
The state-of-the-art park on Charles Street officially opened in June.
Ask anyone who’s been involved with the project, and the names Greg Hutchinson and Bently Hamilton will soon come up. For these two friends, the dream of a skate park was a test of perseverance and commitment. “We had down times, but we stuck with it and pulled through,” said Hutchinson, a Norway resident. Hamilton is from Oxford.
A junior at Emerson College in Boston, Hutchinson, was at the skate park on opening day. Hamilton missed the celebration. He’s in California where he is pursuing a career in recreation.
“The process was amazing,” Hutchinson said. “Personally I learned so much about leadership and public speaking, and about the politics of a town, how a town runs, how committees interact and work together.”
He was quick to credit Hamilton, saying without him, the park very likely wouldn’t have become a reality.
“Bently didn’t leave and go to college. He stuck with it. I couldn’t do as much from afar as I thought,” Hutchinson said.
It all started during a Teen Summit at the high school in 2001, organized by Jeanne Stone, who headed Teen Impact at the time. Teens came together to brainstorm ideas they believed would improve the community and bring improvements for youth. The idea for a skate park was one of the ideas generated at that meeting.
Enthusiasm grew. “There was a huge turnout at the initial meetings,” Hutchinson said.
The Oxford Hills Skate Park Committee formed. It was based on the Teen Impact model, where community members, school administrators and teens had equal power to contribute ideas, raise money, vote.
The town of Paris deeded the property for the park to the school district. John Parsons, the special projects coordinator for SAD 17, became project manager for the park.
“It was a pleasure watching both Greg and Bently grow into responsible young adults,” Parsons said. “They grew very quickly through the process. I was impressed with them as they dealt with adults who didn’t support the skate park – they kept their poise and an objective outlook.”
Adults weren’t always so diplomatic, he noted.
Hutchinson is awed with the support they received over the years. “Individuals in the community gave whatever they could afford,” he said. “Every cent helped. We received some large anonymous donations and a matching grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.”
In all, $180,000 has been raised, including in-kind donations.
Along with Stone, school-based educator for Rape Education And Crisis Hotline, or R.E.A.C.H., and John Parsons, Hutchinson acknowledged support from Paris police Chief David Verrier, Norway Recreation Director Deb Partridge, SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman and Dave Bean from Gould Academy.
Bean came in during the mid to final steps and helped the adults visualize what the park would look like, Hutchinson said. “He pushed members of the committee to create a park that would be a reflection of the community and an art piece in itself.”
“We chose the best setup,” Hutchinson said. “It was designed by Wally Holladay, a skate park designer in the West. This design allows for something completely different every time you come. It works for all skill levels and all ages. It’s the quietest and has the least amount of maintenance.”
Reflecting on the vision accomplished, Stone said, “What impressed me beyond words is how when we started this project there were these two boys who were 14 years old. They stayed with the project from beginning to end. And they were Bently and Greg.”
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