Spring Update: the Middlebury Skatepark Project is rolling right along
Flowers, rain, skatepark news! It must be spring! The Addison Independent recently ran an article covering what the Middlebury Skatepark Project has been up to over the winter. Spoiler alert: It’s a lot!
Members of the Middlebury Skatepark Project (MSP) board on April 11 gave the town selectboard an update on the budding project, which gained significant traction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, the skatepark board has in recent months:
• Secured 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
• Begun holding fundraising events, including a well-attended soiree at Middlebury’s Notte last fall that brought in more than $5,400.
• Identified grants for which the skatepark is eligible. Among them are opportunities through the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative, Building Communities Recreation, and Land and Water Conservation Fund programs.
“This spring will be the start of a season of fundraising for us; as we’ve now received our 501(c)3 status, we are creating a list of prospects to contact for major donations and seed funding, as well as planning fundraising events and other grassroots fundraising campaigns over the summer,” MSP board Secretary Jill Quackenbush told the board.
The MSP group got additional wind in its fundraising sails on April 11, when the selectboard unanimously endorsed the skatepark effort.
“We agree a skatepark facility will be a popular addition to outdoor recreation options in Middlebury and wholeheartedly support their planning and fundraising efforts,” reads a letter the board provided to the MSP board.