New Aurora skate park plan gets rolling

About six years have passed since the Bardwell Area Neighborhood Planning Initiative called for a skate park to be a part of an $800,000 renovation to the west end of Aurora's Phillips Park. Tuesday the project came step closer to reality.

According to the plan, the Bardwell Area is located south of Downtown Aurora along the east side of the Fox River.

Aldermen Tuesday sent a recommendation to the city council to spend $52,000 to redesign and bid the construction of a new skate park.

Early plans called for an entry-level type park with ramps and beginner stunts but last fall, a group of skaters told Third Ward Alderman Stephanie Kifowit they were looking for a bit more of a challenge than what was offered at other parks throughout the city.

"I think it will be a great asset to the whole city," Kifowit said after Tuesday's approval. "We got a lot of input from the kids in the community on where the deficiencies are in the other parks, and this will compliment them greatly."

The city plans to use $175,000 of a matching grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which expires in December, to build the skate park. Kifowit and her third Ward Committee has also committed an extra $100,000 from ward funds to the upgrades.

"We have been working toward it ever since (the park was proposed in 2004,) Kifowit said. "A lot of hard work went into making this a reality and the greatest skate park in town."

With a favorable vote by aldermen on Tuesday, May 11, Kifowit said the park could be completed by this summer depending on the bids that come in.