Atchison approves skate park Phase II after fundraising goal is met

Atchison’s skate park expansion moved from fundraising to formal approval after the Skate High with Hope foundation reached the $150,000 private-donation target needed to unlock city support for Phase II at Reisner Park.

City commissioners approved the project package during the April 6 City Commission meeting after Public Works Director Clinton McNemee told them the fundraising goal had been met. The approved total comes to $350,000, built from $150,000 in private funding and $200,000 from the city’s Capital Improvement Program. The next step will be a design contract with Pillar Design Studio and Artisan Skate Parks, setting the project on a path that has been discussed for years.

The skate park opened in October 2021 and was created as a memorial to Joshua Kinsman, who died in 2018 at age 17. From the beginning, city leaders and project supporters described the facility as a three-phase effort, with the second stage intended to expand the park into a larger and better skating space for the community. With the design contract now approved, that long-planned middle phase can finally move forward.

Pamela Cline, Kinsman’s mother, spoke after the vote and thanked the city and residents for helping make the project possible. She said the community’s donations and support made the process easier through difficult years, a reminder that the skate park has always been about more than concrete and rails. It has functioned as a memorial, a gathering place, and a visible sign of how local fundraising can shape public recreation in Atchison.

McNemee said there was no exact start date at the time of approval, but construction is expected to begin sometime in 2026. For residents near Reisner Park, that likely means more activity later this year as design work advances and the city prepares for another round of improvements. For local skaters, it means a bigger, better facility is finally within reach, and for Atchison, it marks another investment in youth amenities tied to a memorial that has already become part of the city’s civic landscape.