FARMINGTON — Selectmen July 25 approved funding requests for Dragon’s Nest Skateboard Park and to hire a company to design a “Comprehensive Parks Master Plan” for the Parks and Recreation Department.
Director Matthew Foster requested the board approve in advance future donations for the skateboard park, for which the design is pretty well completed. He would have to apply for grants from the Tony Hawks and Land and Water Conservation foundations in September in order to have construction done next year. There are other projects at Hippach Field that could be grant funded, he noted.
If grant funds were awarded, Foster would come back to the selectmen for their approval.
Various organizations have supported the skateboard park, Foster said. “They are looking at fundraising over the next year to raise a pretty significant amount of money for the park,” he noted. “They talked about holding skateboard competitions for people to enter, to get awareness and some funds coming in.”
Foster thought pre-approving donations might simplify things. There is a reserve account for the skateboard park where donations could be placed, he noted.
Thank you letters would be sent and those who allow it would have their names recognized in the future, Foster said.
Selectman Joshua Bell asked if other locations had been considered for the skateboard park.
Other locations could be looked into, the park designer likes that it is so close to Hippach Field, Foster noted. “Skateboarding has traditionally been an outsiders sport,” he stated. “It has become a lot more mainstream, it’s in the Olympics now.”
When asked, Foster said the skateboard park area is a bit smaller than originally planned, will cost $180,000 to $200,000.
Foster said he was looking at the best ways to use, maximize the $100,000 Judith Bjorn donated to the Parks/Recreation Department in 2021.
Most larger grants want 50/50 matching funds, Foster noted. Using $50,000 from that gift towards the match would be a great way to turn $50,000 of that gift into $100,000, he stated.
“We have quite a few other good sources of funding,” Foster noted. “I don’t think we would have to do a significant amount of fundraising for this project.”
“The Bjorns have been extremely generous,” Selectman Dennis O’Neil said. “I think creating some synergy with their funds in order to get that major renovation accomplished is the way to go. It beats going to the floor and asking the taxpayers.”
Selectmen also approved using $20,000 from the Bjorn gift for a comprehensive plan for the parks department.
Foster said the Walton’s Mill Park is nearing completion, he’s been getting good feedback on it. “It really showed me what you can do with a plan,” he stated. “If you don’t have a plan it leads to wasted time, wasted money. You don’t have direction or vision, something to show people for support.”
Using $20,000 from the Bjorn gift to develop a long term plan for the department would be a great legacy, Foster noted. The company hired would approach the school district, individual sports organizations, local community members and use research already gathered from around the country in developing the plan, he said.
The company looks at population densities and growth areas in town, consider updating of facilities and remodels, Foster stated.
“They are a bit pricey, but after being part of this Walton’s Mill Park project I saw what can happen when you have a really good plan in place,” Foster noted. “I think that speaks for itself.”
Foster said he planned to hang on to the remaining $30,000 of the Bjorn gift.
“I have lost a lot of grant funding in the past because I didn’t have money sitting there, didn’t have enough fund balance available,” he noted.
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