Lighting installation underway at Unity Skatepark in Turners Falls
Published: 08-20-2024 9:55 AM |
TURNERS FALLS — New lighting is being installed at Unity Skatepark starting this week to allow for extended use into the evening hours and for continued wintertime use.
The Montague Selectboard voted in May to approve the use of $95,998 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the lighting project. Unity Skatepark opened in 2016, with construction, at a cost of nearly $400,000, having been approved during the 2014 Annual Town Meeting.
Montague Parks & Recreation Director Jon Dobosz explained that the project, to be carried out by Central Mass Signal LLC of Northborough, was initially considered following feedback he received from community members who use the skate park frequently.
“Some of our regulars expressed an interest for lights for the last few years since the skate park opened officially back in 2016,” Dobosz said.
To accommodate for the lack of lights at the time, “Night Skates” were introduced to extend hours into the evening during the summer months. The Montague Parks & Recreation Department worked with the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction to set up floodlights for the special events, and interest for permanent lighting grew — an idea Dobosz said he was not initially keen on.
“At first I was skeptical,” he said. “I really didn’t endorse that idea because the park does close at dusk, and this is going to change that element.”
It was only after patrons expressed their desire to still use the park during the winter months that Dobosz changed his position on the idea of allowing the park to stay open later with new lights.
“If you work and if you go to school during the day, you’re really not able to use the park, and that really hit home with me,” Dobosz said. “We are in New England, and it’s a shame that you can use an element of a recreational facility hardly at all, or mostly on the weekend because it just gets too dark.”
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In a Facebook post, the Parks & Recreation Department noted a decision hasn’t been made yet regarding how late the lights will stay on.
“We are working on a lighting schedule for evenings,” the post reads, adding that “a major factor for lighting is to allow extended use during the winter when it gets dark very early here in New England.”
Montague Town Administrator Walter Ramsey said the desire for extended use of Unity Skatepark is “a testament” to how significant it is to the community.
“It’s a chance to extend the use that it already gets,” Ramsey said.
Dobosz explained the lights will be purchased through Musco Sports Lighting, a company that creates lighting for sports, transportation and infrastructure. The lights will also minimize light pollution for residents living nearby.
With the project now underway, Dobosz feels the new lighting will serve as an asset for the skate park year-round. Installation work is expected to last a few weeks.
“We get a lot of families that go out there with kids learning how to skateboard, kids on their scooters or on their BMX bikes,” Dobosz said. “It’s an expansion of services that I think is going to serve [the community] well.”
Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.