HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – The Harrisonburg community is invited back to the Westover Skate Park, as the popular amenity is set to reopen to the public this week.

Harrisonburg Parks & Recreation will officially open the skate park tomorrow morning, Friday, March 21, with the amenity expected to be ready for the public by 11 a.m. Action sports park design and construction team American Ramp Company has completed their work on the 8,509-square-foot project, complete with multiple quarter pipes, ledges, A Frames, handrails and more, set around a concrete pad with extra space for beginners to safely warm up or more experienced users to practice tricks. The project was designed by two professional skateboarders, Julia Brueckler and Cody McEntire, and based on input from the Harrisonburg community.

Harrisonburg Parks & Rec team members are excited to return one of the department’s most beloved amenities to the community.

“No matter how you roll – whether it’s with a skateboard, scooter, rollerblades or bike – and no matter how experienced you are – from beginner to expert – the Westover Skate Park is for you,” Harrisonburg Parks & Rec Director Brian Mancini said in a news release.

Harrisonburg Parks & Rec originally began work on the new skate park in 2023 before pausing the project to better understand and address concerns from community members about materials planned for the new park. A public engagement forum was held in January 2024, where skate park users provided ideas for the new concrete design and obstacles to be included, with two additional input sessions later held with skate park advocates to improve the proposed design.

“We know our community has been anticipating the reopening and eager to get back out there,” Harrisonburg Parks & Rec Facilities and Projects Manager Scott Erickson said. “So, we’re very happy to know we’ll soon be hearing sliding, flipping, grinding and shredding going on out there.”

Harrisonburg Parks & Rec will hold a celebration event at the skate park in the coming months. More information will be posted to the department’s Facebook page when available.

The skate park, at a cost of $535,000, is one of more than 20 Harrisonburg projects funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and one of six Parks & Rec ARPA projects. The projects were determined following an extensive community engagement campaign that reached more than 3,000 people in the Harrisonburg community, asking them how they would like to see funds utilized.

Learn more about the City’s ARPA projects at https://harrisonburgva.gov/ARPA.