By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
ONE FEATHER STAFF
There will be an official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Cherokee Skate Park on Thursday, March 24 at 2pm. The new park will be built off of Acquoni Road in the Yellowhill Community just about half a mile from the existing park.
An artist's rendering of what the finished skate park will look like (Image courtesy of Pillar Design)
The park, set to be around 12,000 square feet, is being built on a 3.5 acre tract. At the request of Principal Chief Michell Hicks last year, Tribal Council approved up to $600,000 in funding for the project.
Brad Siedlecki, of Pillar Skate Park Design Studios, was the lead designer on the park. He met with local skaters in June 2010 to get ideas for the park. That meeting, combined with comments received from an online blog, led to the final design.
At the meeting in June he commented, “We want to do our best to give you what you want. We like to take something you see in every skate park and change it up to make it unique. We really want to make this park unique to your community.”
The final design for the park is a 50/50 split of street skating elements and bowl or transition skating elements.
