Westmoreland Park Skate Park renderings. Courtesy of the City of Dallas.
The Westmoreland Skate Park is $25,000 closer to reality, thanks to a donation by Dallas business duo Monty Bennett and Sarah Zubiate Bennett. The contribution is the largest single donation the skate park has received, said city council member Chad West.
Monty Bennett is the founder and CEO of Ashford Inc. hospitality real estate company and the publisher of The Dallas Express. The Bennett’s donation was made after Sarah interviewed West for The Dallas Express podcast, where he discussed fundraising efforts for the park.
The $25,000 donation brings the fundraiser to just under $100,000, nearly a quarter of the total goal.
“Monty and Sarah Bennett’s generous contribution helps us shred previous fundraising records for this amenity,” West said. “(We) will grassroots donations all the way until opening day.”
The first phase of the park is estimated to cost $800,000, and the Dallas Parks & Recreation department will match up to $400,000 raised. Advocates for the park are now looking for a naming sponsor to “help us close the final (funding) gap and kick off the construction timeline.”
The second park phase will bring the cost to just over $1.7 million. There is currently $1 million earmarked in the 2024 bond for the Westmoreland Skate Park, but due to the slow nature of bond funding roll outs, Clinton Haley, founder of Skate Parks for Dallas, said the funds would better serve to supplement the second park phase build.
“It sure would be nice to get that $400,000 funded and matched so we can go ahead and get phase one underway,” Haley told the Advocate. “This donation is a huge step in the right direction … I love the fact that people are seeing the benefit of (a skate park) and see it as a worthy investment.”
Currently, Dallas has one skate park located at Lakeland Hills Park in East Dallas, and one skate park under design at Bachman Lake Park. The proposed Westmoreland Skate Park would be the first in Southern Dallas, and the first paid for a public-private fundraising match, West said.
West said he hopes District 14 residents might consider supporting the Westmoreland Skate Park amenity, now that plans for a Glencoe Skate Park are squashed after months of community debate.
$500,000 was earmarked in the bond for the Glencoe Skate Park, but Haley said it has not been determined if that money will be reallocated towards Westmoreland.
“I believe there is an interest, citywide, by residents in helping skateboarders find safe, fun places to skate in the City of Dallas,” West said. “My hope is that both supporters and opponents of the Glencoe Skate Park will financially support the private raise for the Westmoreland Skate Park, as community support in Oak Cliff is strong for skateboarders in this part of town.”
