State College skatepark receives grant from Tony Hawk

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — One of the biggest names in skateboarding is showing his support for a long-awaited skatepark in State College.

Tony Hawk’s non-profit, The Skatepark Project, is awarding a $30,000 grant to High Point Skatepark.

“The Skatepark Project is proud to support a project like the High Point Skatepark,” Benjamin Anderson Bashein, Executive Director of The Skatepark Project said. “It’s clear that so many from the community have come together to get this project off the ground; their dedication, hard work and engagement is inspiring and we look forward to seeing them reach their fundraising and groundbreaking goals.”

The organization has awarded over $10 million in grants, helping to create nearly 700 public skateparks across the country.

“Tony Hawk being involved on this project is huge,” Ben Wentz, with the High Point Skatepark committee, said.”It validates what we’re doing. Everybody knows his name and it just brings a legitimacy to our project.”

High Point Skatepark is a $1.9 million project. The 20,000-square-foot skatepark will be located in High Point Park off Whitehall Road, about 1.5 miles from downtown State College.

“This park is going to be a state-of-the-art, progressive area,” Wentz said. “It’s going to be a very welcoming, inviting atmosphere.”