The Reading Skate Association’s decade-long venture pays off, phase one starting ASAP

By Nicole Barbarito

Anticipate the construction of the redesigned, concrete, $2.1 million, 22,000-square-foot beast — the Reading Skatepark, after ten years of fundraising and hard work from Holistic Skate Shop owner John Turner, the Reading Skate Association and Grindline Skateparks.

The park is fully funded and ready to begin construction after successfully accepting a bid from a local construction company.

The first phase of the build will feature the prep work of the park’s drainage, parking lot, sidewalks and landscaping. The park will feature a bowl, a pool, skateable ledges, stair sets and more.

According to Tucker, also known as JD, the park will be skateable in 6-8 months once construction begins.. The projected time frame projects that the park will be skateable in October, November, or December of 2023.

The park is still working hard on securing additional funding to begin phase two, which includes amenities like lights, shade structures and a bathroom facility.

Reflecting on the Reading Skateboard Association’s success, president JD discussed the journey of striving to get a concrete park in Reading since 2016.

“I’m really excited for the next phase of this project to begin so everyone can finally see the hard work that the Reading Skatepark Association has dedicated since forming in 2016. A huge thank you to all the volunteers, contributors and those that believed in this project!” he said.

JD expressed that he is most excited about the bowl, saying, “For me personally, I’ve been skating since I was 13, and now I am 34, and I think having a bowl will be my favorite thing. We have to drive a while to find a bowl or a quarter pipe just to skate a bowl/ have a pool coping. When we did our design meeting, all of the older guys who used to skate at Magic Park came to our meeting. We agreed to build a bowl after the famous Kinksink… but to make it easier to skate and less steep.”

Holistic Skateshop and other action sports affiliates intend to hold many events at the local park.

In fact, the ceremony is in the works. JD is in talks with Vans to get their Global Team out for a demo after the park’s construction. Additionally, look for consistent skate and BMX events to build and inspire the community.

It is not the end of the Reading Skate Association just yet. The crew intends to update other Prefab parks in Kutztown and do other work in the community.They are always looking for volunteers as a local non-profit  to continue building the action sports scene. Check out their website or Instagram for more updates on the park.