There will likely be an uptick in ollies, kickflips, heelflips and shove-its in the Westwood neighborhood this summer. The $2.7 million skatepark project there officially opens this Friday.
The mostly concrete Kentucky & Irving Park -- at Kentucky Avenue and Irving Street, about a block west of Federal Boulevard -- is hosting an opening on April 5 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. this Friday with the help of Westwood’s D3 Arts, Trust for Public Land, Denver Parks & Recreation and District 3 City Councilmember Jamie Torres.
There will be free food by Oaxacan food truck La Reyna del Sur, as well as skate lessons and demos, break dancers and an Aztec and Mexica dance presentation.
Public outreach and design began as early as 2018 and construction began last winter.
Located adjacent to the Kepner Beacon Middle School campus, the park features the skate area, a half-court basketball area, green infrastructure, custom shade structure with integrated benches and a public art mural.
The pocket park aimed at older youth is connected to the “Via Verde” greenway project, a three-mile neighborhood greenway project that connects existing and future community amenities and green spaces, as a way of offering more recreational space for the Westwood neighborhood.
"I'm thrilled to see this park location finally open in Westwood, it's been in development for so long," Torres said. "This is the perfect example of how decommissioned infrastructure space can be turned around for community benefit. Soon we will begin working with community on an effort to give this park a name as well."
