ASHTABULA – Skateboarders have a new place to do their 180s and 360s in Ashtabula.
A new skate park has been added at Walnut Beach, much to the delight of the community.
At the July 20th Ashtabula City Council meeting, council member Jane DiGiacomo announced the addition of the skate park, which is located in a pavilion near the new playground, next to the bocci courts.
“There is a new skate park down at Walnut Beach, and I think it’s going over pretty well,” she said. “I think people really like it. I think they enjoy it. It’s been a community effort.”
The new skate park was also announced on the Historic Ashtabula Harbor Facebook page.
“Walnut Beach just got a lot cooler!” the post reads. “Thanks to the generosity of several community members, Walnut Beach now has a skate park!”
According to the information, Ryan Humphrey made the ramps for a Red Bull event in Cleveland, and donated his labor in trade to be able to bring them back to the local community after the event.
“With the help of local volunteers, they were able to clean up the pavilion and install the ramp, all for FREE!” the post continues. “How cool is that!”
The post thanked Ashtabula City Manager James Timonere, DiGiacomo, J.P. Ducro, the “Parks and Recreation Advisory Board,” Jennifer Shannon, Home Depot, Gregory Simon, Blake A Hinkle, Ryan Humphrey, and Red Bull for their contributions.
DiGiacomo, the Ward 5 councilor and chair of council’s Economic/Community Development and Parks and Recreation Committee, was impressed by everyone’s involvement.
“The skate park is another great example of what can happen when residents get involved,” she said, when asked for comment by the Gazette. “I love that this has been a citizen-driven effort. Every time I drive by, the park is full of people enjoying it, and the recent Facebook post about the skate park received more than 600 likes. That tells me there’s real excitement and support for this project. Kudos to Ryan Humphrey, the Parks Board, and all of the volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy to making this happen. Their work is making a real difference in our community.”
Two skateboarders who were recently using the new skate park, Derrick Miller of Ashtabula and Chris Eurich of Saybrook, gave it the thumbs up.
“It’s good. I’m glad to have a skate park back down at Walnut Beach,” Eurich said. “It’s been many years since they had a skate park down here, so it’s good to have something back for the community and the kids to be playing on.”
He estimated that the box at the skate park is about 16 feet long, with mini ramps on either side. He also liked the two grind rails at the park.
Miller also was happy to see the skate park open at Walnut Beach.
“I think that it is a great addition to the community and the beach itself,” Miller said.
He thought it would add some more excitement at the beach.
“I think it’s going to liven it back up down here a little bit,” he said.
