Plans have shifted somewhat over the past year, however, the City of Emporia is still moving forward with the construction of a new skate park.
Original plans were to construct the half-million dollar skate park at Santa Fe Park, however, City Manager Trey Cocking says lease negotiations with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad gave city leaders pause in that endeavor. During discussions with BNSF, it was requested that all lease agreements be adjusted to one-year annual agreements, a departure from the current 99-year agreement in place.
Cocking says after a review, the city found Whittier Park may be the best fit for the new skate park, however, no formal decision has been made to that end. At this time, the city is in the process of gaining additional input from stakeholders and community members before finalizing the location.
While a formal decision is still pending, Cocking says based on discussions with city commissioners, if Whittier were chosen as the new home of the skate park it would likely be just the start to several new additions.
Cocking says he is hopeful the project may be ready to bid by sometime in February with work set to begin shortly after. The cost of construction is set to be covered by a combination of $250,000 given to the city by an anonymous donor along with dollars from the Lake Kahola Fund.
