Berlin’s proposed skating project hopes to receive thousands in outside funds 

By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(Aug. 6, 2026) Advocates of the creation of a skate park in Berlin are waiting to hear if their bids for three six-figure grants that could advance the ambitious project were successful.

Residents and staff members hope to construct a skateboard complex at Heron Park to expand the area’s recreational offerings. According to Kate Daub, Berlin’s Associate Town Administrator, the municipality has three grant applications pending for that initiative: $487,500 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), $300,000 from Community Parks and Playgrounds (CPP), and $100,000 from the Worcester County Health Department Transformation Collaborative.

Daub confirmed in an email to the Bayside Gazette this week that while she has not yet received official award notifications from the LWCF or the CPP program, she has “been advised that both applications have advanced through each stage of the review process.”

“I’m hopeful that we’ll be hearing of determinations soon,” Daub said.

The LWCF is administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The program, which offers 50/50 matching grants, paves a path for local governments and state agencies to build outdoor recreation amenities, such as the planned skate park.

DNR also manages CCP, which provides funding to municipal governments to expand or construct community parks and/ or install playground equipment.

Daub said she has yet to receive any updates on the grant application for the Worcester County Health Department Transformation Collaborative.

We Heart Berlin, a nonprofit group committed to promoting and creating healthy and sustainable activities in town, has been working toward building a skate park. The campus would provide an additional recreational amenity for Berlin’s younger residents as well as adult skateboarders.

We Heart Berlin Founder Tony Weeg said earlier this year that $975,000 is needed to construct a skateable facility. However, $1.3 million is a more realistic figure when accounting for add-on features like shade structures and lighting.

A skate park has been a priority for We Heart Berlin for a few years.

In 2022, Spohn Ranch, a skate park design-and-build company based in Los Angeles, California, was hired to develop concept plans.

The skate park is slated to be 14,000 to 16,000 square feet and is adjacent to the space planned for Berlin’s new public works facility at Heron Park. The site will include a bowl, quarter pipes, and a pump track, which helps skaters learn to transition seamlessly without losing momentum.

Spohn Ranch’s design also incorporates amphitheater steps, a hipped bank, a grind ledge, an A-frame bank, a slappy curb, and a landscape area.

The initiative has been steadily progressing.

In April 2025, representatives from We Heart Berlin and Berlin Public Works Director Jimmy Charles conducted a walkthrough of the future park’s site and noted the structure’s dimensions.

Spohn Ranch is expected to complete the construction of the skate park complex when the time comes. The company will add the Berlin amenity to its schedule when the town cinches the necessary funding.

Project leaders will communicate updates as they become available.