By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Stephanie Schaefer was as thrilled as anyone — including the many youth — who turned out Friday to celebrate the opening of the new city skate park on the west end of Richardson-Dubois Park in Warsaw.
The city’s recreation director began her work with the city 19 years ago and spent years supervising activities at the fenced-in Mantis Skate Park in Boggs Industrial Park, which was constructed with wooden ramps.
On Friday, Schaefer and officials braved the breezy, 46 degree drizzle to commemorate the all-concreted construction that features a full bowl-shaped design on the north end of the 180-foot-long stretch of cement.
Unlike the old park, the facility will be free of mandatory supervision, sign-in sheets, and a long list of rules, which officials believe probably limited participation.
The changes were encouraged by American Ramp Company, which specializes in skate park development and constructed the Warsaw project.
Minutes after Friday’s ribbon cutting, a handful of skateboarder began trying it out.
In a way, with the new park’s arrival, Schaefer’s career has now come full circle, she said.
Schaefer’s children have enjoyed skateboarding over the years and said she looks forward to her grandchildren using it, too.
“This opportunity is so exciting. I don’t think a lot of people know what it means to me, but it means the world. I am so pleased,” Shaefer said afterward.
Next April Shaefer will celebrate her 20th year and begin developing new skate park-related activities in earnest.
“I have a lot of things in mind, things I want to see happen out here, different activities and events,” she said.
She credited her boss, Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer, with supporting the initiative.
“It’s nice to work under somebody that sees the vision and hears the need, and they come and see the kids actually out at the park,” she said.
The city had begun looking at a new park in 2019 but failed to secure funding from the state, and put the plan on a back burner until about 18 months ago when K21 Health Foundation offered to provide $245,000 for the project.
The entire project cost $465,000.
Other financial support came from the DEKKO Foundation ($40,000), and the Kosciusko County Community Foundation ($20,000).
The remaining portion came from city reserves.
Plummer thanked Mayor Jeff Grose and others for their support.
“It’s one thing to have an idea, but it takes leadership and willingness to invest in our community to turn those ideas into reality. And that’s exactly what happened here,” Plummer said.
Among those at Friday’s celebration was Johnathon Underwood, foreman for American Ramp Company, who oversaw three months of construction and stuck around a week longer to enjoy the ribbon cutting.
He’s been with the company for more than 15 years and estimated he’s been involved with upward of 100 skate park projects.
The 38-year-old, a skateboarder himself, praised the city’s involvement and cooperation in getting the job done.
“This is a really good, well-rounded skateboard park because it has features that could challenge up-and-coming skateboarders, but it also has a lot of things to learn on,” Underwood said.
Newly added related amenities include lighting, a paved parking lot and a commemorative plaque honoring the memory of Liz Frazier, whose name was adorned on the old girls softball field that was removed to make room for the new park.
Frazier died in 1981 at the age of 18 from leukemia, Plummer told the assembled crowd.
“The softball field may be gone. Liz’s memory will always have a home here, and I think that’s exactly what it should be,” Plummer said.
“Today, we’re not only celebrating a new chapter for Richardson-Dubois Park, but we’re also making sure that an important part of history will never be forgotten. We may have changed the landscape of the park, but we haven’t forgotten its history.”
