skatepark.jpg

A rendering of the skate park planned for Berry Lane Park in Jersey City. The city was awarded $25,000 from the Tony Hawk Foundation for its construction.

EPA visits Jersey City park 11-21-14 21 Gallery: EPA visits Jersey City park 11-21-14

JERSEY CITY - The city was awarded a $25,000 grant from iconic skateboarder Tony Hawk's foundation to build a skate park at Berry Lane Park, which is currently under construction, Hawk announced today on his Instagram account.

The foundation was created by Hawk as a way to giveback to communities, promote the sport of skateboarding and expand opportunities for youth.

"We couldn't be more excited about this grant, which will allow us to build a state-of-the-art skate park at Berry Lane," Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said in statement. "Our local skateboarders were instrumental in the design process and this will be one of the best skate parks in the country.

"We can't wait to invite Tony Hawk here to personally thank him."

Plans for the 12,000-square-foot skate park calls for a combination of street and transition features, including a large, below-grade concrete bowl. City officials says it will be the first poured-in-place concrete skate park in Hudson

County, and one of a small number in the state.

It was designed by SITE Design Group, Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif., an internationally known designer of skate parks.

"The local skaters worked hard to get a park approved, attending (City) Council meetings and lobbying their cause for the last eight years," Hawk said on his Instagram account today.

Last month the city was awarded a $173,500 grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund to install field lighting and a scoreboard at the park's baseball field.

The $35 million Berry Lane Park, a 17.5-acre brownfield of former rail yards, junkyards and industrial facilities between Garfield Avenue and Woodward Street, will include two basketball courts, two tennis courts, a baseball field, a soccer field, a dog run, a spray park, an adult fitness course and a playground.

The park is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The skatepark is scheduled to be completed when the park opens.

Some of the skatepark features include:

A layback bank, hipped quarter pipes, a roller, an A-Frame ledge combo, a split

level A-Frame w/gap, a three-star rail, a bump to ledge, a kicker gap, a flat rail over gap, a clam shell, a quarter pipe extension, a pump bump and a backyard bowl.

"From the ashes of a demolished DIY skatepark, skateboarders engaged with city leaders to develop a sustainable long-term solution to the community's skateboarding needs," Peter Whitley, programs director of the Tony Hawk Foundation, said in a statement.