A combination of hard work and generous donations were the key ingredients needed for the Mexico Freedom Skate Park project to come to fruition.

In six short months, the $85,000 needed to build the outdoor skate park has been raised. Susan Linerode, the Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the village of Mexico, and Bruce Bailey, the owners of Red Planet Skate Park in Oswego, spearheaded the project.

According to Linerode, the village just received three grants needed to make the skate park a reality. “We can build everything,” she said. “It’s great.”

Most recently $10,000 was given to the village from the Tony Hawk Charitable Foundation. Linderode pointed out that the organization usually only funds 25 percent of the applications they receive.

“We’ve gotten the most out of any park in New York state,” she said.

Also, Bikes Belong awarded the village $5,000 to the village of Mexico to help with the cost of the construction and purchasing of the materials necessary to complete the skate park. The grant money from Bikes Belong will go toward the bike-specific elements of the park.

“Bikes Belong is thrilled to support this skate/bike project,” said Elizabeth Train, grants and research director at Bikes Belong. “It’s great to see skaters and BMX riders working together to fundraise and plan a park that both groups can enjoy.”

Linerode noted that Bikes Belong normally only funds 10-15 percent of the applications they receive. “Both of them are competitive,” Linerode said about the aforementioned organizations. “So we were super psyched to get the good news.”

At the local level, Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-Pulaski, secured $8,000 in funding for the Mexico park. The village of Mexico donated the lot located at 18 Watson Avenue for the 97,500-square-foot facility. The village and town of Mexico donated $25,000 each.
The town of Mexico Department of Public Works brought the fill in and got the site ready for Oswego County to do the paving sometime next week.

Bailey will build the entire park with the help of five kids who helped him build the roughly 5-year-old Red Planet. “Right now, we’re cutting the templates and getting prepared for the big build,” he said. Bailey will build most of the amenities of the park at Red Planet including quarter pipes, a fun box and stairs with handrails. Then he will transport them via trailer to the site in Mexico.

Bailey is going on vacation this coming week and plans to commence building when he returns to Oswego.

In total, Linerode said that the kids for whome the park is being built have raised more than $10,000. She said there are about 15 kids who have been consistently working on the project and attending all of the fundraisers.

The park’s grand opening weekend is slated for June 21 and 22. “I’m expecting we’re going to be really full all summer long,” Linerode said. She noted that two older skateboarders would be giving lessons to beginners at the park on Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m.

Opening day festivities include a skateboard demonstration on Saturday and a BMX demonstration from Rochester’s Etiket Team Riders. There will also be a barbecue and free cotton candy. The village of Mexico, Tobacco Free New York and Reality Check are the main sponsors for the opening weekend.