New Hanover County recently announced that the Parks Conservancy of New Hanover County was awarded a top grant of $25,000 from the Tony Hawk Foundation. The donation is for the proposed Ogden Skatepark project, according to a news release.
 
“The county is committed to offering diverse parks to meet the needs of all our citizens,” New Hanover County manager Chris Coudriet said in the release. “The Ogden Skatepark is a great example of filling a need for skaters and bikers in the Northern part of our County.”
 
The county commissioners appropriated $265,000 for the project, and the Parks Conservancy has been raising money to complete the funding for the skatepark, the release stated.
 
Hawk is widely considered to be one of the most successful and influential pioneers of modern vertical skateboarding, and he personally called to let the conservancy know it had been awarded the grant, officials said.
 
“This shows the synergy that occurs when a public/private partnership can take a project funded by New Hanover County to the next level,” Jeremy Wilson, chairman of the Parks Conservancy board, said in the release. “Our mission is to support the Parks and Gardens Department of New Hanover County, and we are proud to be a part of the Ogden Skatepark Project.”