Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
BURLINGTON — Towns across Vermont are moving away from metal and wooden ramps in favor of durable concrete skateparks. What began as grassroots efforts by local skaters has evolved into coordinated construction projects backed by towns’ recreation departments and community donations.
“There are a lot of kids that are bored in Vermont. They look outside of Vermont to form their communities,” said Brian Glenney, a skateboarder and philosophy professor at Norwich University. “One really incredible aspect of a skatepark is that it builds a community that’s local, such that people aren’t bored living in their town.”
Icy winters and rain-soaked spring seasons have weathered down older skateparks. The challenging conditions left ramps warped, splintered and unsafe, pushing towns to seek more sustainable alternatives.
“I think right now is a perfect example, going from 3 inches of snow to 60-degree weather, unfortunately the materials just can’t handle that,” said Dylan Verner, director of the Bristol Hub Teen Center, which operates a skatepark.
In February 2024, Bristol residents decided to move forward with building a new concrete skatepark after receiving $140,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money. But the town eventually redirected the funds to a slope stabilization project between Lincoln Road and Briggs Hill Road to address road erosion falling into the nearby riverbank.
Town officials turned to fundraising and designated a $850,000 funding goal for the project. Fundraising efforts began in early 2024, building momentum through community donations.
“I feel very fortunate to inherit this project. We have so many foundational pieces in place to make this park happen,” Verner said. “I know that we can continue to grow our funds and get to that base $100,000 that we really need.”
Two years later, that momentum turned into action.
This spring, Bristol is slated to revamp the park by reinforcing ramp supports and sealing cracks along riding surfaces. The upgrades are set to be done in early June, extending the park’s life cycle another five to seven years while the town continues to fundraise, Verner said.
Bristol ultimately partnered with Nor’Easter Skateparks, a New England-based skatepark design and construction company, to help execute the project.
“The people at Bristol have been amazing. It was very easy for us to plug into that and get to know everybody and work together,” said Chris Hogan, Nor’Easter Skateparks co-owner and operator. “The final design that we came up with was a really collaborative effort. It’s a great close-knit community that really supports one another.”
The park is set to reopen just after construction is finished in June, giving Bristol a revitalized park just in time for summer camps.
Other towns are campaigning for skatepark remodels, too.
Rutland’s Flipside Skatepark was closed in 2020 after the ramps deteriorated beyond use. Since then, the local advocate group Friends of Rutland Skatepark have been organizing a plan for a new concrete park in the city.
“I would honestly say (Flipside Skatepark) acted like a hotspot. It was this center where everyone can get together and share the beautiful thing of skateboarding,” Rutland skater Finn McGuiness said. “It has kind of lost a sense of community, just in the way of there not being a hub.”
Groups in Windsor, Middlebury and Killington are all hoping to build new brand-new skateparks. Killington’s 12th annual “Slash & Berm” snowboarding in March helped raise funds for construction, but advocates want the park to be added to the town’s Recreation Master Plan.
As more towns envision concrete parks, the revitalized Hope Davey Park in Waterbury has emerged as the standard.
The project began in 2019 with a local group of skaters advocating to fix up their park. Over the next several years, the Waterbury Skatepark Coalition fundraised, planned and designed the project with community feedback until it eventually opened in October 2025.
“I think the use of it over just the first year has really proven that there was a demand there, which was pretty satisfying to see,” said Jake Ferreira, a member of the Waterbury Skatepark Coalition.
Project advocates say the engagement is rooted beyond skateboarding — it’s about access, safety and community. For many Vermont towns, skateparks are providing a new space between work, school and home where people can express themselves and build a community.
“Skateparks are providing a place of actual freedom for people. It’s a creative and physical outlet,” said Pierre Hall, a member of the skatepark design company Catamount Skateparks. “It keeps people from diving into substance abuse. I really believe they are positive things, especially in small Vermont communities.”