Work on the Memorial Park Skate Park, a 40,000 square-foot, competition-size park, has been under way since the spring. Finally, construction is complete and the park is scheduled to open Saturday, December 13. A dedication is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the park, which is north of Sertich Ice Center near the corner of Union Boulevard and Pikes Peak Avenue.

The park includes an events plaza with a picnic pavilion and natural boulders for seating.

Not only will the new skate park provide top-notch recreation opportunities for skateboarders, aggressive inline skaters, and freestyle bicyclists, but studies indicate that a superb facility like the Memorial Skate Park will also be a regional destination and economic revenue generator. The skate park will be open to the public at no cost. The economic benefit will come when out-of-town skaters stay over night, visit other Colorado Springs attractions, or eat at local restaurants.

City officials said that the Skate Park Association of the United States of America said skate parks are the number one parks and recreation choice for teens and that skateboarding is the third most popular sport in the nation for 6 to 18 year olds.