Residents are encouraged to attend an event featuring Emporia’s latest park addition next week.
The city has planned a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new skate park inside Whittier Park. The ceremony will be at 1 pm Jan. 8 or immediately following the City Commission’s study meeting that afternoon.
This is a project three years in the making, from development to design to construction. The original plan was to upgrade the longstanding skate facility at Santa fe Park, but lease negotiations between the city and Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the park’s landowners, prompted the city to find another location. Numerous features are included:
*Bowl with a hip
*Bump to rail and down rail for technical maneuvers
*”Manny” pad doubling as both a bump to ledge and an out ledge
*Two handrails for grinding
*Double set for jump practice
*Step-up challenge
*A-frame “hubba” ledge for advanced tricks
*Fun box with rail and pyramid hip for creative sessions
*Flat bar and ledge for balance
*Bank-to-curb section for fluid transitions
*Assorted quarterpipes and bank ramps
Funding for the $500,000 project is evenly split betwen the city’s Lake Kahola Fund and an anonymous donation.
