Things are in full swing now that spring has sprung!! Over the past weeks I’ve spent a lot of time on a project that we’re working on in the X-Barn here at the Ranch. The project is an area where students can do what’s known as “street skating.” That’s were they skateboard on the ground doing “flip tricks”, or on a rail, or a box. We’ve had a half pipe which is known as “vert skating” for the students. It’s been around for a while and gets a lot of use. However, I noticed that many of the skaters like to skate on the ground, and haven’t had much room for that since the floor of the barn is very old and has uneven planks.
Well, a few weeks ago I started visiting local businesses to raise money for our project with the help of Morgan, a volunteer. Shortly after that we purchased some materials at Lowe’s that we’re using to build a floor in the barn made of plywood. Cliff Knepper built a rail for the park out of some old steel rails Lynn had in their back yard. Many people have helped with this project, including Roger Berti, and several of our teens from Vizion. Thanks to everyone who has helped!

Here are some pictures of the addition now. It’s to a point where students last weekend were able to use the area, but it will undergo more work before unveiling it this summer. Part of the plan is to build a “low-box,” a bank near the back wall to ride in on, and a wall to separate the addition from the rock wall area. I also need someone who is skilled in electrical wiring to help install the new lights that were donated for the addition. Please call 814-444-9500 if you’d like to help finish the skatepark project. Thanks and God-bless you!!

-Joel G