Skate Park Finally on Roll to Finish Line

Gary-New Duluth project has been years in the making, thinking and funding--and now building.

For people living, working and waiting in the western half of Duluth, it is a dream that is close to coming true.

Ground has been broken, and earth is moving for a skate park in Gary-New Duluth. Countless people have worked for years to make that dream become a reality–both physically and financially.

Now it’s so close you can almost feel the wheels rolling under your feet. One GND Development Alliance board member said it was an emotional day when the preparation work actually got started.  Supporters have worked hard to provide a wide range of activities for all ages, and they see the skate park as the crown jewel.

“You know, of course we have soccer and an area to play baseball. And we have gardening for kids, for the kids at school, for the kids at the REC. Pickleball,” said Fran Morris, a board member for the GND Development Alliance.

“We’ve got all kinds of things for people to do. But skateboarding is also an Olympic sport, and that’s a whole other group of people that we would be leaving out. So, you know, it’s being inclusive, and the bottom line is it’s mainstream now. It used to be kind of on the fringe. That’s not the case. So, we want to include everybody here, and this will do it,” said Morris.

So, how soon until you can show off your Ollie South, or that Frontside Heelflip you’ve been working on?

Morris says fingers are crossed that people will be skating in August, and weather-permitting, maybe sooner. But she says definitely it will be this summer.