While park is being built,
kids can go see X Games
EAST BRUNSWICK — The municipal skate park may still be a couple months from completion, but skating enthusiasts can see some of their heroes up close at the X Games in Philadelphia.
Councilman Jeffrey Simon said at Monday’s Township Council meeting that the township will hold a skate park fund-raiser Aug. 17 by running a bus trip to the eighth annual games. The money raised will be used to purchase more equipment for the skate park, which is still being built.
"This is really to get the kids involved to raise money for their park," he said after the meeting.
The bus will leave from East Brunswick at 11 a.m. and return at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $24 per person, and seating is limited to the first 49 participants. Deadline for registration is Aug. 5.
Simon said a township skate park committee has been meeting almost every week recently in order to discuss fund-raising ideas. While the bus trip will bring in some money, he said the committee still expects to target corporate sponsors.
He said he wants to put together a schematic of the park for the prospective sponsors, so they have an idea of what they will be supporting. He said it has not yet been determined if the committee will sell naming rights to the park, or just allow companies to advertise there in some way.
"We want to talk to Crystal Springs to see how they’ve done it," he said.
Simon noted that advertisements could be on the fencing or even painted on the platform. The township has allocated $84,000 for the skate-park project. Of that, about $50,000 will be used just to construct the park, while the remaining money will be left to buy equipment, according to Simon.
"A big chunk is just infrastructure," he said.
"What we’re trying to do is build up the funds to buy more equipment," said Michelle Strubeck, president of the skate park committee. She said the equipment is very expensive, so the committee wants to do some major fund-raising.
She and Simon said they are hoping to secure more funding from the township next year. The park is being built in phases, with additional equipment being added as funds come in.
Simon said money will also be needed to maintain and repair the equipment, though he does not think the new, heavy equipment will be damaged often.
The fee for the X Games trip includes the coach bus. Entry into the First Union Complex for the X Games is free of charge. The day will include numerous X Games events such as in-line skating, bicycle stunts, speed climbing and skateboarding. The bus will leave from the East Brunswick Senior Center at 11 a.m. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. The trip is open to both residents and nonresidents of the township, and registration is being held at the East Brunswick Division of Recreation on Dunhams Corner Road.
The skate park, which is being built on municipally owned property on Dunhams Corner Road, is scheduled to open some time this fall. Simon said he hopes to see it completed by the end of September.
— Vincent Todaro