Today the City of Buffalo along with a skateboard advisory announced that funding has been secured for a two-acre, $250,000 skate plaza at LaSalle Park. Designed by New Line Skateparks, the plaza design and construction docs are scheduled to be completed by November and contracts will be awarded by end of year. The location of the plaza is in an old pipe yard, which is rather interesting as some of the large pipes will be incorporated into the park-like setting.
I spoke to one of the skaters at today’s press conference, Jamar Moore, who attended told me that until this point he has been traveling to skateparks in Fort Erie and Niagara Falls. “Now I’ll be able to skate in Buffalo,” he said. The location of the skate plaza is situated directly next to Centennial Pool – a parcel of land that will allow The City to combine resources to maintain and monitor the site. The recent addition of bike lanes on Porter Avenue and DAR Drive will allow skaters to get to the park safely.
The first step, once built, is to prove that the amenity is used by numerous skaters. Then, if all goes according to plan, there is additional room to expand the plaza at a later date. Most importantly, the city of Buffalo will have a skate plaza up and operational by late spring or early summer of 2013, and that’s a huge accomplishment. Thanks to, among others, the gang at JP Gillespie at Sunday Skate (photo), Evan Yates Bussiere, Jay McCarthy, Andy Rabb, and Mayor Brown for making it happen.