🔴 The initial plan was first approved by the city council in December 2021

🔴 Final approval was given by the city council in April

🔴 The park should open by fall


Ground was broken Thursday for a long-awaited skateboard park off Route 33.

The project to be built along Route 33 on the former Stump Dump landfill received unanimous final approval from the Portsmouth City Council on April 17, at a cost of $1,083,500.00.

Skateboarder Jesse Court, a Portsmouth High School student who served on a blue ribbon panel about the park, told the board before the vote that the skateboard community would take care of the park.

"This skateboard park is going to be a great place for kids and adults to learn and progress their skating," Court said.

Sketch of new Portsmouth skateboard park
Sketch of new Portsmouth skateboard park (City of Portsmouth)
loading...

The park includes parking, walking paths, and a playground, and will be the main access point for the Greenway Route (the "rail trail" path).

Mayor Deaglan McEachern described the park as an "amazing example of one generation looking forward to the next and their enjoyment of the park."

"The community came out in such support of this, and it's a really good feeling. It means we've grown as a community in the 20 years since we banned skating and built a skate park on the outskirts of town. We should be proud as a community for doing this," McEachern said.

The Portsmouth skateboarding community came together to support the project which was first formally proposed to the city council in 2021. Boarders made their support known in parades and fundraisers while participating in a blue ribbon panel. The formal group, Skatepark of Portsmouth, raised $26,000 towards the cost of the park.

The park is expected to be open by fall, although additional work will be needed in spring 2024.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH

Have a Blast at These 15 Amusement and Water Parks in New England

More From Seacoast Current