A skate park for Sweden-area youth is a lot closer to reality after BISCO donated $20,000 to the project last week. The donation makes possible the paving of the skate facility, which will be located at Sweden’s new Redman Road park. Paving should occur during the next few weeks, before asphalt plants shut down for the season, Sweden Supervisor Buddy Lester said.

For a generation, Brockport-Sweden-Clarkson youth have been petitioning their local governments for a place to practice their sport. For years the teens were told that the high cost of liability insurance made a skate park unfeasible. However, during the past few years, other local municipalities like Parma and Ogden have managed to provide skate facilities for their youth.

Things started to fall into place for Sweden youth when the town acquired a 150-plus acre plot from SUNY Brockport and began development plans. A skate park is in the master plan for the park and earlier this year the town board appropriated a million dollars to begin installing infrastructure and recreational facilities.

BISCO, a volunteer organization whose primary fundraiser is the Brockport Summer Arts Festival, has infused tens of thousands of dollars into the community over the past several years. Its goal is to improve the lives of area youth. Much of their efforts have gone to refurbish outdated playgrounds in the Village of Brockport.

Contributing to the skate park was a way for BISCO to help older youth, according to past president George Dahl. "The kids have waited a long time for this," he said.

Indeed, Lester was the chairman of the Brockport/Clarkson/Sweden Joint Recreation Commission several years ago when 100 area youth "came to a meeting looking for a skate park," Lester recalled. "Traditional sports usually find a way to get funding, but non-traditional sports often don’t."

Lester said that area youth will be involved in designing the equipment that is installed at the park.

"This has been a good year for recreation programs," Lester said. "This donation from BISCO is going to make it even better."