By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
MELVINDALE – The Melvindale Parks Project officials are hoping Thursday’s auction of artistically unique skate boards will help the city complete funding for a skate board park.
Ironically, the boards helping to make the park a reality probably will never come in contact with concrete or wheels. Project officials plan to use money raised from their sale to launch the 20 percent matching fund needed to take advantage of a $60,000 grant from a Wayne County Parks millage, which will provided the other 80 percent.
Wayne County Commissioner Gary Woronchak helped the city obtain the grant.
Two dozen skateboards will be auctioned off starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Civic Arena. Minimum bids start at $50.
Local artists decorated the two dozen boards. The artistic talent pool ranged from Fordson High School students in Dearborn to Downriver artists.
Firefighter Aaron Sarnovsky and Councilman Joe Alvarado both tapped into their artistic side to help the cause.
Councilwoman Stacy Striz said her husband, Ian Striz, applied for a Tony Hawk Foundation Grant to help fund the balance of the project. They should know whether they received anything from them by the first of April.
The foundation’s primary mission is to promote high-quality, public skate parks in low-income areas throughout the United States. Melvindale’s skate park will be southeast of the Veterans Memorial/Melvindale Pool, 3155 Oakwood Blvd., between the pool and basketball courts. “A lot of people from around the community have put in a lot of effort,” Striz said. “It’s for a great cause.
“The kids are getting involved from the middle school and there will be a lot of prizes and drawings. It will just be a nice family event.”