By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The proposed skate park for Berlin’s Heron Park inches closer to becoming a reality, as the town will pursue federal and state grant funding to continue moving the project forward.

At the Berlin Town Council’s Monday, June 9 meeting, the body unanimously agreed to permit staff to submit applications for the fiscal year 2027 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a federal grant, and the Community Parks and Playground Program (CPP), a state grant, to support the development of a skate park in town. The skating site’s proposed location is parcel 410 of Heron Park.

We Heart Berlin, a nonprofit promoting recreational activities within the municipality, is spearheading the skate park initiative. According to Berlin Special Projects Administrator Kate Daub, the town has partnered with the charitable group at this project stage. As such, the Town of Berlin will pursue the aforementioned grants to help We Heart Berlin’s stake park dream come to fruition.

“The primary objective now is to secure the necessary funding to keep the project moving forward,” Daub said.

The plan is to apply for the FY27 LWCF funding by June 25. The federal grant requires a 50% non-federal match. To meet this stipulation, the town will also apply for the state-funded CPP grant. Per the Maryland Department of Natural Resources website, the CPP application is due on Wednesday, August 20, in the afternoon.

“If all goes as planned, the plan is to hopefully use Community Parks and Playground funding as the match for the Land Water Conservation Fund,” the special project administrator said. “…Should we not receive CPP, We Heart Berlin is committed to meeting that match should we be fortunate enough to receive the LWCF.”

According to a staff report recommending proceeding with the grants, We Heart Berlin has invested over $75,000 in early-phase work, including conceptual design, community engagement, and planning.

“Although this investment doesn’t count as a formal match, it shows strong local support and progress for the project,” the document reads.

The skate park’s total estimated cost is $975,000. This price tag includes final design, permitting, construction, and amenity installation.

Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said that the most the town will likely receive from CPP is approximately $250,000, and as such, he and We Heart Berlin Executive Director Tony Weeg have discussed a phased approach to completing the initiative.

“We know that the first swath of around $250,000 is going to be land prep, demolition, getting the land correct and elevated with soil, impaction, and prep work,” Weeg said. “The bulk of the next $500,000 is concrete. So, we have site preparation first, then the rest after that.”

Tyndall said that he is confident that if a solid CPP application is submitted and CPP is committed to funding phase one, “the likelihood of them funding phase two to complete the project” increases.

Weeg added that more private contributions will likely come through if the skate park secures these grants.

“Once we get the ball rolling with grants and funding, and investors around the area start seeing … I’ve been told, ‘Once we see that you’re real, we’re going to show you that we’re real,’” Weeg said. “[Investors] have all said, ‘once we see it’s real, it’s going to be real.’ We just have to get to a certain point with federal and state grant funding and/or some other private funding. Once we reach that point, others will jump on board quickly.”

Efforts to build a skatepark have been steady for some time. In April, We Heart Berlin members and Berlin Public Works went to Heron Park to mark the dimensions of where the proposed 16,000 to 17,000 square foot amenity will be located.

The site will feature a bowl, a street plaza with quarter pipes, and a pump track, which can help skaters learn to transition without losing momentum.

Town leaders are confident Berlin will soon have a skate park. Weeg noted in April that his team’s goal is to break ground in 2027, or earlier.

“This is the closest Berlin has ever been to a skate park,” Tyndall said this week.

“We’re going to get it,” Weeg added. “I can see it in my head. We’re going to have it.”