Rescheduled: Ribbon-cutting scheduled to celebrate new lights at Walker Park skate park

A crew installs lights at the Walker Park skate park. / Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, June 21 Tuesday, June 22 (rescheduled) to celebrate the installation of new LED lighting at Grinders Skate Park at Walker Park in south Fayetteville.

A crew this week is working to install lights atop six 40-foot-tall poles at the skate park, located at the northwest corner of Walker Park.

Once installed, users can turn on the lights by pushing a button. The system is pre-programmed to automatically turn off after two hours, but will blink three times when there are five minutes remaining on the timer. The system will shut down automatically when Walker Park closes at 11 p.m.

Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer

Park users have for years been asking city leaders to add lights to the skate park, which gets crowded at certain times, limiting daytime use for some riders. Winter hours are also cut short in the afternoons due to limited daylight, and the summer heat tends to leave the park empty during the hottest times of the day.

The city in January hired Engineering Elements PLLC, of Fayetteville to design a lighting system for the skate park. Shortly after that, the City Council approved an electrical contract for the installation of the new system. The total budget for the project was $98,000.