(Batesville, IN) – A project many years in the making was celebrated on Saturday when the City of Batesville and the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the Batesville Skatepark and Outdoor Adventure on Pohlman Avenue.
Dr. Amy Carpenter was the driving force behind making the facility a reality and during an address to the crowd in attendance, thanked Mayor Mike Bettice for his support.
“He had a financial pledge for us of $50,000, which helped so much in trying to get funds from other organizations because they saw that there was already a community commitment,” Dr. Carpenter said. “And I don’t think the skatepark would be here without his backing of the project in that initial pledge.”
Mayor Bettice heaped praise on Dr. Carpenter.
“We are here today because one person made this happen. I’d like to thank Dr. Carpenter for all of her hard work, for what she has done, from the City of Batesville,” Bettice said.
Carpenter also thanked Batesville City Council and the city’s parks and recreation department for backing the project, and expressed gratitude to donors, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Accelerate Rural Indiana and the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) program, and the Batesville community.
Meanwhile, donations are being accepted for Phase 2 of the skatepark project, which includes the construction of a bouldering wall and a pump track.
The city and the chamber also snipped the ribbon to celebrate the completion of the east-to-west portion of the Batesville Trails.
Eastside residents can walk to the west side of the city or stop off at Liberty Park or downtown.
Work on the trail started in 2016, with construction wrapping up late last year.
Mayor Bettice says the next step is to connect the trail to the north, starting at Walnut Street, going across State Road 46 and I-74, and up State Road 229 to Freedom Park.
