First Elgin skate park opens

Shirtless teenage boys in plaid shorts and flat-top caps skated in the midday sun Saturday as Elgin marked the opening of its first skate park.

Grant School Park on Elgin's near west side sits on the site where the old Grant School used to be - at the corner of Jackson and Lawrence avenues.

Besides a skate park, the new park features a playground for young children, a picnic area and open space.

Grant School Park is the seventh park Elgin has opened this year, with one more scheduled to open before the year's end.

The volunteers and city officials who helped make the park a reality said the park was badly needed.

"Almost every town around here already has a skate park," said Paul Bednar, Elgin's park development coordinator. "We're just playing catch-up."

Grant School Park contains the first of several skate parks planned for Elgin neighborhoods.

A larger skate park is planned for the future Prairie Park on Elgin's east side and the future regional park on Elgin's far west side.

Residents who live near Grant School Park welcomed the addition.

"We need it because there are no parks around here," said Lucy Guerrero, who lives nearby with her husband and four children. She said with the high price of gas, "you don't want to drive your kids so far away."

Carl Missele pointed out the yellow house across the street where he grew up and remembered how he used to walk across the street to go to class at Grant School and come home for lunch.

The school, originally built in the 1880s, was torn down a few years ago.

"This is probably the very best thing they could put in its place," said Missele, who as president of the Elgin Community Network helped organize Saturday's grand opening.

Skaters said they were glad they didn't have to drive to neighboring towns anymore to find a good skate park.

"I think it's really good. It keeps kids out of trouble," said Kevin Myers, a skater from Elgin.

Elgin skater Travis Hourigan said he liked the way the park was set up even though it's smaller than other skate parks he's seen. "It's got more originality," Hourigan said. "Just because it's a small skate park doesn't mean the ramps aren't nice."