MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — The Manitowoc skate park is undergoing a major upgrade — one that skaters say has been a long time coming.
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Chris Kouba, director of Friends of the Manitowoc Skatepark, was part of the original group that helped design the park when he was in high school. When unexpected costs arose, the city was only able to build half of the original plan.
"From 2007 to 2017 we all kind of accepted we had half of a skatepark," Kouba said.
For years, local skaters worked to repair the wooden ramps themselves. Eventually, the park needed more than patchwork repairs.
"It was becoming unfun and unsafe to ride," Kouba said.
Now, thanks to a push from the community and city funding, long-term upgrades are finally a reality.
When asked what he would say to his younger self — the one who sat in those first planning meetings — Kouba reflected on how far the local skating scene has come.
"I think I would tell myself the skating scene in Manitowoc is gonna be amazing in 20 years and you're gonna play a role in it, and your friends are gonna help. And that's something to look forward to," Kouba said.
Skaters say the biggest change goes beyond the equipment itself. Manitowoc skaters Chad Day, Tim Tam and Ryan Ackley described what the park means to them.
"It's very individual, you can go out, do whatever you want, but there is also community where people learn together, grow together, express ourselves together," they said.
"This is gonna open up, many more years of comradery, more friendships, and more ouchies," they said.
Kouba said the sport teaches lessons that extend well beyond the ramps.
"You learn the value of repeated effort and failure. Doing something you're afraid of, pushing through it," Kouba said.
The project is expected to be fully complete by the end of August. The park will remain closed until construction is finished.
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