BILLINGS — Community members and skate enthusiasts are coming together this weekend to raise money for a $1.2 million expansion to the Billings Skate Park, all part of ongoing efforts to improve safety in the area.
Watch to learn about the upcoming improvements to the Billings Skate Park:
The event, called the Yellowstone Grind, will take place on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the parking lot of the downtown skate park, located on the corner of South 27th Street and First Avenue South. The fundraiser will feature live music, food and drink vendors, and skate demonstrations from professional skateboarders Kevin Kowalski and David Gravette. Done in partnership with the Downtown Billings Alliance and Billings Parks and Recreation, this event is free and open to the public.
Putting on the event is the Billings Skate Park Committee, a volunteer group formed two years ago, committed to keeping the space clean and reducing crime.
For member Peter O’Brien, the park has become an important gathering place for himself and his family.
“I've got a six and nine-year-old right now, and we have a ton of fun down here," said O'Brien. "It's fun to share with my kids, and it's fun to watch kids progress, and then progress myself too as an older guy.”
Related: 'Kids just aren't safe': Billings residents revamping the Downtown Skate Park
Built in 2004, the downtown facility is the only skate park in Yellowstone County, but for years, concerns about crime rates in the area have kept some families away. Amanda Kelly, another committee member, was once hesitant about bringing her son to the park several years ago but now is working on changing perceptions of the area.
“My son is a skater, and so I have been sitting down here for years with my son, and I grew to know all of the guys down here," said Kelly. “I see everything that's down here, and I see the others that think it's unsafe, and I want it not to be that. I want it to have a different perception to our city so that people will come and use it."
Earlier this year, the committee applied for and received two grants to help address those concerns. One was a $20,000 award from the National Recreation and Park Association to help increase access to youth sports, and the committee was able to host several free summer camps and skate clinics. The other was a $100,000 grant from Musco Lighting to purchase and install new light fixtures totaling $80,000.
With additional support from Billings Parks and Recreation, the lights, along with security cameras, will be installed this fall.
“It is dark down here, and the park is open till 10. So, we want our skaters to be safe, and it also will help clean up our area a little bit," said Kelly.
The committee also hopes the new additions will help continue to reduce crime rates in the area and increase visibility.
“There's a good amount of calls here. They're not often associated with the skate park itself. It's more the surrounding area," added O'Brien. “We've seen a decrease in negative activity at the park over the last couple of years, and I think that's with kind of our activation efforts and hosting contests and things like that."
The Yellowstone Grind will also serve as the committee’s first major push toward funding a planned $1.2 million expansion of the skate park. The project would expand into the rest of the park, and would include beginner and intermediate areas, as well as a street section for experienced skaters.
"It's going to be huge. It's going to fill the whole space,” said Kelly. "It is set up in stages so that if we can't raise all $1.2 million at one time, we can build out in stages.”
Kelly said she hopes the park will continue to serve the community and young people who may not find a place in more traditional sports.
"I want other kiddos to be able to come down here and use the park and skate and have a great time if they don't fit into those other areas, like my kid didn't fit into basketball or soccer," said Kelly. "Come down, use the park, enjoy it, be safe.”
With big plans rolling in, these advocates are ready to flip the script on the park's future.
“For us, this is a big community activation piece. We want people to come down here and see what the park has to offer," said O'Brien. "Everybody's very supportive, and that support goes a long way when you're trying something new and having fun.”
For more information on the Yellowstone Grind, click here.
