ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown City Council is moving ahead with a plan to buy almost $400,000 worth of bright outdoor lights for the new Jordan Skatepark.
The funding already has been approved, and Allentown City Council on Wednesday referred it to the city Parks Committee for the final stages of disbursement.
- Allentown City Council is about to spend $398,600 on lights for the new Jordan Skatepark
- The skatepark has been open since 2021, and new additions continue
- Some of the original money came from famous skateboarder Tony Hawk, along with a DCNR grant
- Mayor Matt Tuerk said he's a former skateboarder, and supports the idea
The money for the entire skatepark originally came from a combination of a state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant, as well as $10,000 from professional skateboarder Tony Hawk's foundation, The Skatepark Project.
The skatepark officially opened in November 2021, and improvements continue. Construction was done in phases by the city, and the lights will be part of what is being called Phase Two.
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said he's excited, especially because he's a former skateboarder.
"I've even got the scars to prove it," Tuerk said with a laugh, pointing to his arms, covered in his suit jacket sleeves. "I was a skater in 1985, so we didn't have skateparks — we just had, you know, swimming pools and ditches."
"We're resourceful people. The community that had been taking care of that park is amazing. They'll do graffiti cleanup, when that occurs, it's before we [the city] even get to it."Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk
Tuerk said the decision to light up the park at night is not explicitly for crime reduction, but for safety. Not only will the skateboarders be able to see what they're doing, but he said he's seen previous skatepark communities jerry-rig lighting equipment, which actually created an electrical hazard.
"We're resourceful people," Tuerk said, while on the topic of his time as a skater. "The community that had been taking care of that park is amazing. They'll do graffiti cleanup, when that occurs, it's before we [the city] even get to it."
"We're just trying to make safe lighting opportunities for our skaters."
