Skateboard enthusiasts do not need to wait for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to ride Discovery Park’s new skatepark: construction should be complete and the facility will be open to the public by month’s end. At press, the bowls were complete, and work crews were creating the park’s “street course”, essentially a point-to-point obstacle course for skaters.

As enticing as the partially complete playground appears, skaters are urged to observe the signage and fencing and stay out, for their own safety, according to Wheat Ridge Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Guy Nahmiach, a Realtor with Nostalgic Homes.

“We are asking people not to go in for safety reasons,” he says. But the rest of the Discovery Park is open for play. “My family goes there every afternoon.”

Nahmiach points out that funds for the project came from Jefferson County Open Space, not tax money—lotto ticket purchases, not taxes, made the park possible.

The 10-12,000 square-foot skatepark was designed by and is being constructed by Team Pain, a national company specializing in custom skate parks. Public input on the design of the skate park was gathered in April 2011, and infrastructure work began in the fall of 2011. A drawing of the final park master plan is available on the City’s website at www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/ProjectUpdates. By following a link to Team Pain’s website, readers can view current photos of construction.

The facility is the final part of Discovery Park’s Phase III improvements to be completed. Other new features include a permanent restroom structure, climbing wall expansion, an additional shade shelter, gateways, trees and landscaping.

Discovery Park, named by the students of Prospect Valley Elementary, provides citizens an attractive gathering space and a variety of features and activities for all ages. For information about reserving the Park’s pavilion, visit Recreation Center front desk at 303-231-1300 or visit www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/PavilionReservations.