The Fanwood Borough Council voted unanimously Monday, November 18th, 2013, to allow the Recreation Commission to move forward with construction of a new skateboard park inside the abandoned skate-hockey rink at Forest Road Park. The skateboard park has been the subject of public debate since it was first proposed earlier in the year. A boisterous public meeting in October revealed concerns by people who lived in the vicinity of the park.
The skateboard park will be constructed inside the former street-hockey rink in Forest Road Park. The rink, enclosed by a chain link fence, has fallen into disrepair and is currently not used. Recreation Director Bob Budiansky said the idea for the park began as a way to renovate the old hockey rink and create an area for Fanwood’s many teenagers to skateboard safely. Budiansky said the skateboard facility would be financed by a $62,000 grant from Union County matched with $62,000 of locally generated funds– a combination of tax revenue and proceeds from Recreation Department activities such as the 5K run and building rentals. More info can be found here.
