WATERVILLE — After almost a decade of effort, construction is scheduled to begin in August on a skatepark at Green Street Park in the city’s South End.

The Waterville City Council approved a $135,000 contract earlier this year with American Ramp Co. of Joplin, Missouri, to install the skatepark, and additional money has since been appropriated to help cover costs.

“This project is special for me because I grew up skating in Waterville,” said Tobias Parkhurst, president of the Maine Skateboard Association. “I have been involved with the skateparks in Waterville for over 30 years.”

Parkhurst’s association helps communities construct user-friendly skateparks that are accessible to diverse riders. He is helping with the design and related work for the Green Street project, and has helped raise $30,000 for it.

“Having the town that you grew up in invest in your interest is something that only recently started happening in skateboarding,” Parkhurst said. “Waterville should really be commended for putting a sport that is so widely enjoyed by such a diverse group of people at the forefront.”

Rien Finch and Jackie Dupont lead Friends of Green Street Park, which is overseeing the project. The group works to revitalize the park, formerly known as Sherwin Street Park, with the help of the city and other organizations.

A city resident, Dave Dutil Jr., was involved in the group and had long lobbied for a skatepark there before his death in 2016. The skatepark is to be named for him.

“At its core,” Finch said, “this is a story about steady persistence and the importance of community.”

The skatepark is to replace one that was at Green Street Park, but had deteriorated to the point it was removed in 2015. The park is also supposed to get a new playground and shade pavilion, additions that are part of a broader effort by city officials to improve parks and amenities across Waterville.

Friends of Green Street Park is continuing to raise money to pay for related expenses such as signs and skatepark equipment.

“Dave would have been thrilled to see a new skatepark coming,” Finch said. “The skatepark is a project that has taken nearly 10 years to fulfill. It’s still a little surreal and hard to believe that it’s actually happening.”

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