In this rendering of the skatepark, the South Portland Community Center is across the street, to the top of the image, and the high school is to the right. Contributed / Pillar Design Studios

South Portland broke ground on its long-awaited skatepark Monday and it is scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving.

The city’s Skatepark Committee has been working on the project since 2017 by holding fundraising events, big and small, to hiring the American Ramp Company to build the park at the location off Evans Street.

“It’s a bit surreal,” Anthony Johnson, the city’s recreation operation manager and committee chairperson, said in an email to The Forecaster. “There has been a tremendous amount of work over these past few years done by our skatepark committee, and it’s extremely exciting to be seeing this project actually come to fruition.”

The 10,000-square-foot project was originally estimated to cost $450,000, but with inflation, it wound up costing over $500,000.

“Through city-performed work and savings on mobilization, we were able to negotiate the low bid price by American Ramp Company of $545,000 to $512,200,” Johnson said.

The committee, with the support of local businesses, organizations and residents, was able to raise $140,000 for the project.

Johnson believes the skatepark will have something to offer for the whole community, whether they skate or not.

“The park is designed for all wheeled sports enthusiasts, not just skateboarders,” Johnson wrote. “Scooter riders, in-line skaters, etc. will all be welcome. In addition, the park is in such a highly visible area being next to the Community Center and high school, that we hope it will attract the occasional spectator to come to watch the skaters as they work to perfect their craft.”