SCRANTON, Pa. — Weston Field will soon have a new feature: a skate park. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti says the city is taking proposals on a design and building plan to construct the skate park in one of the city's largest parks near Scranton High School.
"This has been in the plans since the American Rescue plan rolled out in 2021. We wanted to make sure that we dedicated a healthy amount of funding for a dedicated skate park here in Scranton," said Mayor Cognetti.
"In my opinion, it's a huge attraction. There's literally X Games about it," said Ryan Lentz.
Lentz enjoys skateboarding and uses the skate park equipment along Jackson Street. Lentz says a larger, more professional park will be good for those who skate and ride compared to this park.
"Having something that is better and not going to rot away as easily sounds good," Lentz said.
The city is seeking proposals from companies with experience in building skate parks. Mayor Cognetti says once those are in, they'll ask for input from people who have a vested interest in this project.
"We'll be talking to Bizarre Skate Shop, other skate organizations, and we've got the youth, high school kids want to give input, so we'll be doing that as well to make sure we've got the kids' voices," Cognetti said.
The skate park won't be the only addition to Weston Field. The playground and pool are also receiving a makeover as part of this nearly $5 million dollar project using federal funds.
"The Weston Field complex is very centrally located to a lot of the neighborhoods in our community, and the pool is well utilized so we want to make sure we have upgraded amenities," said Steven Heintz, Scranton Parks & Recreation manager.
Once the final design of the skate park is chosen, construction on the project is expected to begin later this year.