Two community members, Joshua Kinard and Derek Roden, attended The Gettysburg Area Recreational Authority’s (GARA’s) monthly board meeting on Monday to propose improvements to the Alternative Sports/Skateboarding section of the park.
Both representatives are experienced skateboarders who had used the park for many years when they were younger. “There is not much life left in that park,” said Kindard. The pair said a goal would be to have the ramps appeal to all ages; create obstacles for kids of all age groups and sizes; remove all outdated gear and matter and, ultimately, make the sports park more functional and safer by removing spaces where anyone could hide.
The team proposed resurfacing the area with concrete, which would ensure longevity and require less maintenance, and updating the various ramps and obstacles. If needed, the project could be carried out in phases, such as breaking ground and adding the foundation first; then adding obstacles here and there. “We would like to offer our help to impart our knowledge for the design and making it more functional,” said Roden.
The pair said they had a variety of resources to raise funds through sponsorships from local businesses, skateboard shops in the larger area, music shows, contests, and crowdfunding. They also mentioned the possibility of exploring a grant.
The board expressed interest and pledged their support for the project. Board member Steve Neibler suggested that the team also attend Gettysburg Borough and Cumberland Township board meetings to raise interest, as well as reaching out to the Mt. Joy and Straban Townships.
GARA Executive Director Erin Pedigree proposed forming a sub-committee to explore all options and perhaps find ways to collaborate with other townships to search for possible grant money. Noting that Gettysburg is a great place for recreation, Neibler thanked the team for coming and invited them back for further updates.
The President of Gettysburg Little League (GLL), Drake Cammauf, addressed the board to request additional space for the Little League team practices and games. Cammauf said the league has now grown to 200 kids with 18 teams playing this spring, effectively doubling the size of the original league. Cammauf also noted that there is competition for space in the whole area from other leagues, such as travel ball, softball teams and the Cal Ripken leagues.
Noting that GARA’s Weikert and Coldsmith fields were overloaded already, Cammauf inquired whether there might be other opportunities to expand. Neibler mentioned an area between Swope Field and Breckenridge St. that had baseball fields in the past. “This might be a great location for the kids if they don’t need the base pads and so on”, Neibler suggested. The group discussed cost of restoring the baseball fields which might still have a basic foundation to work with.
Cammauf noted that GLL had better resources this season to help with financing. Since the league had grown, it also increased the availability of business sponsors within the league, including some excavating companies that might be able to assist with the project. Neibler said that there wasn’t enough money in the budget to create new spaces but offered full support to assist as much as possible with organization and utilizing existing fields. Pedigree offered to meet and explore financing options, including funds from various donors and the Giving Spree to be earmarked for this project. The board invited Cammauf back to discuss and collaborate further.
Pedigree reported that several special events had already been confirmed for the upcoming season, including a free Easter dinner for the Gettysburg Soup Kitchen, hosted by the Church of Brethren, as well as the Celebrate Success autism celebration in April. She also reported that almost all nights of the summer concert series have been filled with mostly rock cover bands and jazz musicians.
Farmers Market planning has been in full swing; at present, the team is still exploring the best options for customer parking. Erin further reported that discussions continue regarding the proposed new bike trail study we reported on previously.
Additional business included discussion of potentially adding a pickleball court to the park, which might be funded by a recently received $20,000 donation.
Since the board meeting did not meet a full quorum, certain business matters were postponed to next month. The full agenda of the meeting can be found at: https://www.gara-recpark.info/meetings-and-holidays.
Donate Gardner is a freelance writer and journalist who came to Gettysburg in 2021 from Montgomery County, Maryland. A former linguist-turned-legal professional, Donate recently retired from the corporate world and is eager to support her new community in a variety of ways.
She currently serves as the news communicator for the Adams County migrant outreach program, Pasa La Voz.
As an immigrant born, raised, and educated in Germany, Donate still maintains a strong connection to other languages, both as a writer and translator. Donate is an active musician, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. She and her husband have two daughters and three grandchildren.