Skateboard Park Gets Funding Boost

MANCHESTER —  A proposed replacement for the skateboard park in in the Dana Thompson Rec Park in Manchester has gotten a funding boost from the Vermont Country Store, and is inching closer to its goal of $250,000.

The Orton Family of the Vermont Country Store recently made a donation on behalf of its employees of $50,000 towards the construction of a replacement for the current skateboard park, which was first built several decades ago. That brings the total raised so far to about $188,000 according to a press statement released by a committee of local residents who have organized to plan and develop a replacement for the aging skateboard facility.

The Orton’s donation adds to $50,000 previously voted by residents of Manchester, and $12,000 already raised in a previous round. Two other anonymous donors have also made significant contributions, according to the press statement.

“We are very fortunate to be able to support this project, which will provide a world class facility for our young people like my own children and older people like myself to gather and participate in a shared experience that bridges generations,”said Eliot Orton, the proprietor of the Vermont Country Store. “This project adds to the momentum of people investing in projects across our region in an effort to make our home a better place to live and a more attractive place to visit.”

Plans call for ground to be broken on the proposed site this coming fall, which currently is occupied by a set of basketball courts. The new park will ultimately be built out across a 20,000 square-foot space in three stages. An initial phase of construction will concentrate on a smaller part of that – about 5,000 square-feet, according to the statement. It will be called the Manchester Action Sports Complex.

A 15-member committee to help direct the planning and design of the new sports complex was organized earlier this year following a select board meeting, where interest in renovating or replacing the existing skateboard facility was expressed.

The town has issued a Request For Proposals, or RFP, inviting construction firms to bid on the the opportunity to build and design the new facility. Interviews with selected bidders will be held at Town Hall on June 7, beginning at 5 p.m.

Another fundraising event is planned for June 4 at the newly opened Union Underground Restaurant, located in the ground floor of the former Factory Point National Bank building on Main Street in Manchester. The fundraiser will start at 5;30 p.m.