By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — The city of Warsaw’s new skate park, featuring two large cement bowl shapes, will have its grand opening Friday afternoon on East Market Street.
City officials think it will be a hit.
The new park will replace the old Mantis Skate Park in Boggs Industrial Park on the city’s west side, which opened in 1995.
Unlike the old park, the new facility features an all-cement surface — rather than relying on wooden ramps — and will have far fewer restrictions and rules and will no longer operate with park supervision.
Park Superintendent Larry Plummer said they came to realize those rules just weren’t necessary.
“It’ll be open during park hours, and you come and use it as you (choose). I mean, there’s no employee out there to be telling you, you know, hey, you’re doing this wrong or that wrong. I just want you to go out and have fun … It’s wide open,” Plummer said.
Plummer, along with Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose, talked about the new skate park for this week’s In the Know, the public affairs show you can hear this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.
Grose scaled the top of the northern cement bowl and was impressed with the overall configuration.
He said the more centralized location on the west end of Richardson-Dubois Park — just east of the Dollar General store — will help attract more people to the park.
“This is just going to be a great addition, and it’s going to allow families and younger people to get to it without having a parent or somebody drive them,” Grose said.
Plummer said people are eager to try it out.
“I’ve had 30- and 40-year-old gentlemen stop by, just can’t wait to get on this, can’t wait to bring their kids to this,” he said.
The park was designed and constructed by American Ramp Company of Jolin, Mo.
New amenities include lighting, landscaping, and a new paved parking lot that can accommodate nearly 40 vehicles.
The entire project cost $465,000.
K21 Health Foundation provided $275,000. The DEKKO Foundation donated $40,000, and the Kosciusko County Community Foundation donated $20,000, Plummer said
The remaining portion came from city reserves.
The project was sidelined in 2019 after the city failed to receive grant money from the state.
The plan was resurrected a little more than a year ago when K12 Health Foundation offered to provide significant money for the construction.
The new park will also lead to more related programming, and Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer is eager to take advantage of the new opportunities, Plummer said.
“I think she loses sleep over thinking about all the things that she can do to show this facility off and have programming for everyone,” Plummer said.
The ceremony will also include an unveiling of a plaque in honor of Liz Frazier, a softball player whose name was enshrined as part of Liz Frazier Field, an old softball field on the property that had fallen out of use over the past 30 years. The field was removed earlier this year to make room for the skate park.
Below are broadcast times for In The Know.
Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):
Friday at 9 am and 5 pm
Saturday at 7 am
Sunday at 7 am
WRSW (107.3 FM)
Sunday at 6 am
WILLIE (103.5 FM)
Saturday at 7 am
