November 26 – GOSHEN – The Tyler Joldersma Skatepark is in the midst of a big change.
Less than a month ago, officials with the Goshen Parks Department made the decision to remove the last of the equipment from the skate park due to safety concerns, but hopes remain to eventually reopen the facility — assuming they can find a new home for it can find.
It is part of the Parks Department’s Master Plan. Because the skate park is underwater, the planning process also had to involve the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
“Through that planning process and conversations with the DNR, we learned that if we were to rebuild there, it would be a very small-scale park,” explained Tanya Heyde, director of the Goshen City Parks Department.
The renovation concept includes a 15,000-square-foot facility with all-new concrete, a halfpipe, a bank ramp, a quarterpipe, rails, a manual path, stairs, walls and handrails. Public workshops also indicated that the community wants to see shade structures and landscaping
“I think we’re at a point where we know what the community wants; we know what the city wants,” she said. “We have a good plan moving forward, and then the uncertainties are: Does this end up on city property somewhere or do we also have to consider purchasing property somewhere?”
After learning from the community that a scaled-down version of the original concept would make the facility virtually unusable, preventing equipment from being in the best locations due to floodway restrictions, the Parks Department began looking for a new house for the skate park. by the end of 2022 and since then they have been at a virtual standstill, while the skate park deteriorates.
Heyde said the Parks Department and the Joldersma family tried to negotiate a deal for a property near the Goshen Little League, but the league’s board decided not to move forward with the sale. Since then there have been no indications of other buildings.
“We have done an internal review of our existing park properties,” Heyde said. “When building a skate park, one of the things we consider is a central location. We want to make sure it’s connected through our trail system and centrally located so it’s accessible to anyone who wants to use it. Goshen has a pretty extensive park system and park properties, but the majority of them are neighborhood parks that don’t have that connectivity but are sensitive to the noise that skate parks make, and some of those properties are very close to neighbors.”
So they keep looking.
There are some properties that are in objectively good locations, but they are in flood zones, much like the Rogers Park area where the skate park is currently located.
“We are paying attention to targeted properties that may be suitable and reaching out to those owners for properties that may come up for sale with the construction of something like this,” Heyde said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a great timeline. What I can say is that we put a lot of work into master planning and a design that is desirable and also that the city could support. We went through an equipment selection process. … I think that our main goal now is just to find a location… This is the first time we have had to find land to place or move a facility.
Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.
