By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

 Leaders of the proposed skate park in Berlin received word this week a grant application for approximately $487,000 has been elevated from the state level to the federal level, where it will undergo final review and, hopefully, approval.

Tony Weeg, founder of We Heart Berlin, a nonprofit dedicated to recreation activities and leading the skate park charge, announced via Facebook this week that the project’s application for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant has advanced to the next round.

The application was initially sent to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. According to DNR’s website, successful applicants are invited to prepare a full application for submission to the National Park Service.

The skate park project received a favorable evaluation from the DNR and will now be reviewed at the federal level. If approved, We Heart Berlin’s skate park dream will receive $487,500.

Berlin has not yet been awarded the LWCF grant. Project leaders are awaiting final review and will update the community on whether they are successful in securing the money or not.

Weeg said that a total of $975,000 is needed to create a skatable facility. To make it “top-shelf” with features including shade structures and lighting, a more accurate estimate is roughly $1.3 million. Currently, the endeavor has approximately $45,000 to $50,000 available for preliminary stages, such as obtaining construction documents.

The LWCF grant would be significant in helping make a skate park a reality for Berlin, Weeg noted.

“This is essentially the next big step in this process, and it pushes us further along to getting grant funding,” he said.

The LWCF grant requires a funding match from non-federal sources. If awarded the nearly $500,000, Weeg hopes that We Heart Berlin will also be successful in securing finances from Program Open Space and Community Parks and Playground, an initiative aimed at revitalizing and developing parks and playgrounds, and can use it as the match.

“We’re hoping one will match the other,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get one of them, or maybe we’ll have to see local funding to get the grant match. I’m not sure how it’s going to shake out.”

Local funding has been a mission for We Heart Berlin. Weeg said that he has spoken with groups throughout the community, seeking their interest in supporting the skate park cause.

While some have not been receptive yet, initiative organizers are hopeful the tides will turn. Financial assistance from these groups could propel the project toward realization.

“I’m hoping by 2027, we are breaking ground,” Weeg said. “Maybe even in 2026.”

Weeg estimated that once construction starts, the project will take six to eight months to complete.

The undertaking has the funds to support the next steps required, like construction documents, until the “big dollars” will be needed, according to Weeg. The stages where additional funding still needs to be secured include ground clearing and environmental testing. Weeg noted that he and his fellow skate park proponents are hopeful that they can secure in-kind donations from local companies, such as sand, gravel, excavation work, or concrete.

The skate park will be situated at Heron Park. Spohn Ranch, a skate park design and build company based in Los Angeles, was hired in 2022 to develop concept plans. Spohn Ranch will likely complete the actual construction of the amenity.

According to Weeg, the skate park would not have be a possibility without the support of the Town of Berlin staff, administration, and officials. Specifically, the We Heart Berlin founder noted the work of Kate Daub, the municipality’s special project administrator, for her efforts in helping the initiative apply for grants.

“[Daub] has been a crucial lynchpin for moving things along internally at the town, and she and I work like toast and butter together,” Weeg said. “There have to be kids that want a skate park, and there has to be someone in the town that moves papers around. Making phone calls, sending emails, and ensuring everything is in order on the town side, as the town bears a significant responsibility for obtaining grant approval and all related paperwork. Without [Daub], we would be dead in the water.”

Donations for the skate park are encouraged by project leaders and can be submitted by going to WeHeartBerlin.org.