King said the park fills a need that residents have long indicated they wanted.
“This was something that came up on the master plan as a need for the community,” King said. “And we’ve actually had some young citizens come forward asking for this for a long time now.”
The nearest parks where kids can safely ride their bikes or skateboard are in Fairborn and Kettering.
Huber Heights is working with Don Ehrhart Construction. American Ramp Company did the design and the build for the skate park. Wagner Paving is doing the asphalt.
King said the area the park will be located is between eight and 10 acres and is considered a neighborhood park. The high school and the middle school are both nearby, which means kids can easily get to the park after school.
King noted there is still room for more to be added to the property later if the city decides it needs something to add.
He said the ramps selected start small and build up, so those who are just learning to skate or trying out a new trick have a place to go, but more experienced kids can build up.
“You get your young child, elementary school kid out here who’s got an interest in skating, we’ve got enough small stuff that won’t intimidate them, and once they get used to it, they can progress up and up,” King said.
Mayor Jeff Gore said he believes once kids get a taste for the skate park in the few warm moths before the winter, they’ll be out in the spring ready to go once it’s warm enough again.
“I think it’s really important to make investments in our youth,” Gore said.
Glenn Otto, a councilman who has pushed for more parks in the city, said he was pleased to see another park for young people in the city.
“The more we do, the more options we have, the better,” Otto said.
The city is still considering whether to build Dial Park, which was proposed as a combined bike trail and nature trail. The city is still in discussions with the community about it, King said.
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