Albany skaters get a win with funding, location of replacement skate park

ALBANY –  There was joy for Albany area skaters with the settling of funding and the location of a new skate park to replace the structure uprooted to make way for work at the Oglethorpe Boulevard bridge.

In a 4-3 vote, the Albany City Commission approved on Tuesday an outlay of $500,000 from special-purpose local-option sales tax dollars to fund the project. The vote also included placing the new skate center at the same location on College Drive that currently serves as the staging area for the bridge replacement project.

The recommendation from city staff included only the matter of funding, but a motion by Commissioner Chad Warbington specified the location and also instructed staff to apply for a grant for additional funding.

Several alternate locations had been mentioned in discussions of the issue, held since the original structure was demolished in late 2024.

“We talked about Tift Park, we talked about Henderson,” Warbington said on Wednesday. “We even talked about over by the Civic Center. You can’t go applying for a grant if you don’t have a location.

“You’ve got to have a clear vision and a clear path. My motion tried to get to that.”

Warbington was joined in voting yes by Commissioners Vilnis Gaines and Colette Jenkins and Mayor Bo Dorough. Voting no were Commissioners Diana Brown, Jon Howard and Willie Weaver.

The new skate park is slated to be a destination for skaters on skates and boards as well as bicycles. Enthusiasts also have pushed for additional attractions, perhaps a zip line. 

But for now, the victory on funding and location are enough.

“I think it was a great win for the community as a whole,” Alex Ranew, who initiated a petition in December 2024 urging the city to replace the demolished structure, said. “It’s been a long time to get an actual location and funding.”

A number of supporters of the skate park were in attendance at the meeting. Since the demolition, the group has kept pressure on city leaders in an effort to prevent the issue from falling off their radar.

The city’s responsiveness showed that residents can have an impact if they are willing to make their voices heard, Ranew said.

“If you fight hard enough, you can change things,” he said. “It’s right there by Albany State University. It fits right in with downtown Albany. As a youth I was easily able to access Turtle Park (Riverfront Park) and also the skate park.”