CHARLES  RIVER  PARKLANDS  UPDATE
Fall 2003
Archives—Table of Contents

Boston Business Leaders Recognized For Skatepark Efforts

A growing number of local foundations and business leaders are stepping forward to fund the planning and design phase of a world class skatepark in the Charles River Parklands near the Zakim Bridge. Designed to serve kids from all over Greater Boston, skateboarders and other freestyle sports enthusiasts from Boston and Cambridge are looking forward to the new skatepark with keen anticipation.

Leading supporters of the effort to create the first major skatepark facility in the Parklands include the Tony Hawk Foundation and Boston Foundation (for youth involvement). Individual supporters include Jay Baldwin, Hunter Boll, Charles Abry and Paul Fremont-Smith. A special emblematic statuette created by noted sculptor Nancy Schon of "Make Way for Ducklings" fame was presented to initiative supporters at a September 10 planning meeting.

Noted artist Nancy Schon (center) generously donated her services to create a bronze paperweight to recognize lead skatepark donors including Paul Fremont-Smith, US Ski Team Foundation (left) and Jay Baldwin, Wind River Capital Partners (right).

While New Basin park construction is funded largely with Big Dig mitigation money, state funds are not available for skatepark construction. Generous private donors have stepped into the breach, with the Conservancy anticipating the need for substantially more private support in the future. Meanwhile, New Basin parks and associated pathways and footbridges will link the Esplanade with the Harbor and Kennedy Greenway, creating new and attractive riverfronts in the heart of Metropolitan Boston.

Following in the tradition of Frederick Law Olmsted (who in the 1890s created Boston's first outdoor gymnasium nearby at Charlesbank) and Dr. Paul Dudley White (who in the 1970s promoted bicycling on the national scene as a means to good health), the New Basin skatepark will offer active recreation for youth consistent with contemporary trends in sports and recreation.

Due to the nature of "freestyle" and "extreme" sports, it is anticipated that the new skatepark will create spectacular entertainment opportunities for onlookers, including visitors and residents alike. Its central location will make it easily accessible from four subway stops and provide legal skateboarding for riders of different skill levels. To explore how individuals and organizations can play a role in the work, click on our pages about this New Basin Skatepark.

Charles River Parklands is published by The Charles River Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the Basin parklands of the Charles River.

• Next: President's Message
• Back to this issue's table of contents
• Newsletter Archives - Table of Contents

Email: crc@thecharles.org

 
© 2003, The Charles River Conservancy.