Members of We Heart Berlin, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing recreational opportunities in town, is awaiting a final design for a planned town skate park from contractor Spohn Ranch.
A potential location and design for a skate park at Heron Park is pictured. The exact location on the property will be determined by the Mayor and Council in the future.
File Photo
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
We Heart Berlin, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing recreational opportunities in town, is awaiting the final skate park design from contractor Spohn Ranch.
The cornerstone of We Heart Berlin’s formation, spearheaded by founder Tony Weeg, is to promote sustainable activities for the health and enjoyment of town residents. The group’s primary focus currently is to advocate for the construction of a skate park.
The Los Angeles-based skate park design company Spohn Ranch was hired in 2022 to create a concept plan and scope out potential locations for the recreational space. The town council officially voted in 2023 to select Heron Park as the future construction spot.
Weeg said the nonprofit met with the vendor in April to discuss potential designs and offer suggestions. At the end of last month, nonprofit representatives were told that a final plan would be completed in about two weeks.
“I am holding my breath, waiting for the final design to arrive in my mailbox,” Weeg said.
Once the outline is completed and delivered, the Berlin nonprofit will fundraise for the $7,500 required to obtain construction documents.
“We haven’t begun fundraising for the $7,500 yet,” Weeg said. “When we get the design, we can show people what the park will look like. When it’s not on paper, it doesn’t exist.”
Once the required documents are obtained, the primary focus will be securing the $1.2 million needed to construct the project. Weeg plans to rely on local philanthropists and foundations for the bulk of the money.
“I do not plan on hosting a street campaign or anything like that,” he said. “The kids have been waiting long enough. If we rely on $500 here and $300 there, it’ll never happen. We need some major partners to step up.”
The nonprofit officials are hopeful that by offering incentives through naming rights, generous, wealthy groups and individuals will pull out their wallets.
Berlin does have a code that specifies regulations for the titling of constructions. Weeg said that if someone were to donate around $650,000 or 55% of the funds needed, organizers intend to give them the right to label the park, meaning they may slap their name or a loved one’s name on the structure.
The park advocates have also thought about giving dibs on the title of individual pieces for intermediate donations of roughly $10,000.
The skate park is expected to be 14,000 to 16,000 square feet and adjacent to the space planned for Berlin’s new public works facility. Proponents expect to see a bowl, a street plaza with quarter pipes, and a pump track, which helps skaters learn to transition without losing momentum.
Weeg maintained that the skate park would be free forever.
“We won’t make a dollar…that is a major tenet of this project,” he said. “This will help economically disadvantaged children. They will get exposure to a sport that can take them to the moon. When you take people who are not normally near something and put them near it, they tend to excel.”
Weeg is hopeful that the park will create a strong community.
“Locally, we have 60-year-old skaters and 4-year-old skaters,” he said. “It will be an intergenerational park that brings about an amazing culture… It can permeate across economic backgrounds and ages.”
Officials hope to break ground on the initiative in 2025. However, Weeg notes that 2026 is more likely.