Supporters continue fundraising effort for new skate park

Supporters are rolling up their sleeves to raise $150,000 in the next three months so local skateboarders can let down their hair at a safe, fun outdoor activity.

Fundraising for a new $385,000 concrete skate park in Columbus has passed the halfway mark, but it will take a push to have the skate park ready to open by the end of June, as planners have envisioned.

The need is obvious to Joe Nierman, who pitched the idea of a wooden skate park and helped raise $100,000 to build one in Columbus nearly 20 years ago.

But time and the elements have taken a toll on the original Jolie Crider Memorial Skate Park.

“It’s not safe and it’s not going to last another summer,” said Nierman, the Columbus East student who proposed the skate park as his senior project.

For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.