After multiple years of planning, Scarborough is building a new skate park and repurposing the current skate park site into eight new pickleball courts.
The project has drawn some criticism from community members, many of whom were worried the town was just replacing the skate park with pickleball courts. Town officials created a page on Scarborough’s website to clarify the nature of the project and answer questions.
A few years ago, the town identified the need to repair the skate park, as its surface was torn up, said Nick Cliche, Scarborough Community Services director. As pickleball continued trending, the town saw the opportunity to meet two needs.
“The goal is to expand recreational opportunities and make the best use of public space,” Cliche said.
The old skate park was closed May 10, and construction began on the new pickleball courts on May 26. Scarborough hopes to open the courts mid-July. The courts are located near Memorial Park, where there are already two pickleball courts.
The new skate park — which will be located by the tennis courts next to Wentworth School — will take more time to complete because it’s a larger and more complex project, Cliche said. The goal is to break ground and complete the park in the fall.
The timing of the construction isn’t ideal because the skate park won’t be completed until after the summer, Cliche said, but the town is restricted by a seasonal window for asphalt and concrete work, and delaying the projects would cost more money.
In the 2024 budget, the town initially allocated funding to repair the skate park. The following year’s budget included funding to reconstruct and relocate the skate park and funding for the pickleball courts.
In total, the town budgeted $280,000 to build a new skate park and $100,000 to build eight additional pickleball courts.
While some community members may be concerned pickleball’s just a fad, Cliche said more young people are becoming interested, and the sport’s popularity is still increasing.
According to the 2023 Parks and Facilities Master Plan, community members expressed a desire for additional pickleball courts. The pickleball community also advocated for courts at finance committee meetings, Cliche said.
Players consistently use the two existing pickleball courts, and people often have to wait to use them. There are also overlaid pickleball lines on other courts due to high demand. New pickleball courts will alleviate pressure on those courts, Cliche said.
As for the skate park, the need for a new one was obvious, Cliche said.
“The former skate park was well beyond its useful life,” he said.
The Maine Skateboard Association is working with Scarborough to help build the new skate park, said Tobias Parkhurst, the association’s board chair. The association also hopes to raise extra money to expand the size of the new skate park in Scarborough, he said.
The association advocates and raises money for skate parks, serving as a go-between for contractors and towns. The association has helped with funding and the design process for skate parks in multiple communities, including Augusta, Farmington, Waterville and Brunswick.
A good skate park must have the basic obstacles that people expect, something fun for people who are skateboarding for the first time and a unique feature that makes experienced skaters want to travel to it, he said. The new park’s location near schools makes it easily accessible and visible, too.
“We really want it to be accessible regardless of socioeconomic status or access to equipment,” Parkhurst said.
The skateboarding community is underserved and underrepresented compared to other sports, Parkhurst said, partly because of its age. The average age of skateboarders is between 12 and 16, he said.
“Twelve- to 16-year-olds don’t do a great job of advocating for themselves at city budget and planning meetings,” Parkhurst said.
It’s more important than ever to have low-barrier and low–cost athletic activities people of all ages can do to stay active and healthy and spend time outdoors, he said.
Interested community members can get involved and share their thoughts for the new skate park at a community engagement meeting at 5 p.m. on June 25 in the Public Safety Building. The planning board will review the skate park concept plan on Monday during its meeting at Town Hall.