Hunger Skateparks designed a skatepark for Rhinelander that’s meant to cater to all skill levels from its stairs and rails to the ledges, bowls, and flat surfaces.
The 16,000 square foot park is planned for the north end of Hodag Park.
Ryan Berghammer is helping the Over It! group raise $1.5 million to build the state-of-the-art skate park.
“A skate park is not only a place to do your sport, but it's a space that everybody can kind of be yourself and be creative at your own pace,” said Berghammer.
Berghammer got involved with the skate park both because of his own experience with skateboarding and action sports and because as a firefighter and EMS, he’s seen firsthand the impact of mental health issues on kids and families in Rhinelander.
One of the main motivations for the skate park is to address the need for a space in the community for kids and teens that don’t feel like they belong.
“That was [Over It!’s] driving force of experience they had with their friends, and this need they felt to help,” said Berghammer. “So kind of put all that together. That's why I got involved.”
Over It! President Anthony Gaudioso told Rhinelander City Council Monday that they’ve been seeing more kids and kids come out to meetings wanting to get involved.
“We're continuing to find new ways to bring more younger people into this project and collaborate on some responsibility sharing and some real good role model-ship,” said Gaudioso.
The way the skate park has been designed, Berghammer also believes it will be a reason for people to come to Rhinelander.
“When a community builds a skate park that is professionally designed and built correctly by a reputable designer, people like myself, in my youth, would actually travel to other communities because of who built that park,” said Berghammer.
ArtStart has also been heavily involved in helping bring a skate park to Rhinelander.
ArtStart Community Cultural Development Director Melinda Childs says at the beginning Over It! needed them to work as a fiscal agent.
“We ended up being a lot more than that, and it taught us about this real strong link between the arts and mental and emotional health and wellbeing,” said Childs.
ArtStart was selected for the national One Nation, One Project initiative to help connect community and art through the skate park.
ArtStart is also helping with fundraising.
It’s hosting the “PUSH for Connection” fundraiser event this Saturday, September 13th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
There will be live music, a pop-up skate jam, and mental health resources available.
They’re also auctioning off skate decks donated by Sined Skateboards and transformed by local artists.
“We sent them out to artists across the Northwoods who painted them, embellished them, did all sorts of things. We even have one deck that serves, as I guess you would call it, like a pedal board for guitar pedals that are mounted onto the skate deck,” said Childs. “So all different shapes and sizes and colors of these boards that artists have created.”
You can place bids now. The auction ends on September 13th at 2:00 p.m.
Bikes-n-Boards also donated items to raffle off at Saturday’s event.
You can learn more about the fundraising effort and donate here.
