SCRANTON — Large mounds of gravel provide a rough outline for a skatepark under construction at Weston Field.
In June 2024, Scranton City Council authorized the city to enter into an $850,000 contract, using American Rescue Plan Act funds, with Artisan Skateparks to build the recreational facility.
Construction on the skatepark began May 22 with crews performing demolition and initial site work, said Steven Heintz, the city’s parks and recreation director.
“The contractor will be out at the end of June to start really hammering at it, and they said they should be done by the end of the summer,” Heintz said.
The skatepark — featuring graded concrete, flatwork, railings and a mix of street and traditional-style terrain — will accommodate skateboarders, scooters and BMX riders, he added.
“We wanted to have as many activities as we could on it,” Heintz said.
City officials solicited feedback from the community throughout the design process, he said.
“When we had the initial public meeting for the skatepark in October 2024, there were about 60 people there so we know the demand is out there,” Heintz said. “Public input has been a very big part of this project — even while the contractor was working through the designs, we were having public meetings and the Bazaar Skateshop guys call me all the time to discuss progress.”
As part of the design, the skatepark will feature railroad tracks — to pay homage to the city’s history — which will serve as a rain garden to help with stormwater runoff, Heintz said. Additionally, there will be several rails for grinding, he said.
“The rain garden piece has a really nice sustainability element to it,” Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said. “We’re trying to make sure what we’re doing is sustainable from an environmental perspective and also from a city maintenance perspective.”
Cognetti feels the skatepark will represent a valuable addition to the city’s park system for people of various ages.
“We’ve been excited about this for four years,” Cognetti said. “The skatepark has been part of the Rescue Plan vision since the beginning of the funding. In 2021, when we put together the initial finance plans, the skatepark has always been its own line item. We have a skatepark on Jackson (Street) which is great and we’ve been able to add some amenities with the help of the Bazaar Skateshop guys and some others, but it’s a hybrid of a basketball and the skatepark, so this will be a true skatepark. It’s a new amenity for the city in addition to the cricket pitch we’re doing at Chic Feldman.
“We’re really proud of being able to add new types of sports to the city for both kids and some courageous adults. I think we’re going to see a lot of multigenerational families coming to the skatepark. Weston Field is kind of the heart of our park system in so many ways.”
Meanwhile, the construction of a new pool and related buildings at Weston Field nears completion and will open this month.
During the summer, the city executed a $3.19 million contract with D&M Construction Unlimited of Dalton for construction of the pool and associated demolition and site work, primarily using American Rescue Plan Act funds. The contract term runs through Jan. 1, 2026.
Demolition started in late June and took about a month to complete. The site then was filled and leveled before new construction began in August.
Cognetti envisions the new Weston Field pool will be an ideal spot for children due to the design and splash pad attractions.
“The way it’s laid out should be user friendly from a family perspective,” she said. “There is no true deep end, which is a positive thing for such a heavily used pool. Not every kid who comes is necessarily a strong swimmer so having the more shallow depths is important from a safety perspective. The folks who want a deep-end pool can head up to Weston Park or Connell — this one should be really good for kids, especially the younger ones. We’re going to be able to have it open all summer, which is really fabulous for not just the neighborhood, but people from all over the city.”
Monday Update
THEN: During the past two years, Scranton city officials announced plans to construct a skatepark at Weston Field and also build a new pool at the complex.
NOW: The new pool will be opening this month and construction of the skatepark is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
A skateboarder is seen utilizing the facility in a rendering of a new skatepark under construction at Weston Field in Scranton. (Courtesy City of Scranton)
A rain garden featuring paying homage to the city’s history will be part of the new skatepark at Weston Field in Scranton. (Courtesy City of Scranton)
A rendering of the planned skatepark at Weston Field in Scranton. (Courtesy City of Scranton)
The future skate park at Weston Field in Scranton on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The new pool at Weston Field in Scranton on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
On-going construction on the new pool at Weston Field in Scranton on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Mayor Paige Cognett checks out the slide at the new pool at Weston Field in Scranton on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)