The Tosa Skatepark was an overnight success when it opened in 2015, so much that within a few years its local supporters had raised enough money to expand the facility's footprint at Hart Park.
Now the City of Wauwatosa is considering plans to add lights to the facility, so its many users can take better advantage of the park's nighttime hours on their skateboards, scooters and bikes.
Funding for the project, estimated to cost $180,000, is included in the city's five-year capital improvement plan, which was recommended this week by the Common Council's Finance Committee and will be considered for adoption, along with the city's 2026 budget, at the Nov. 18 meeting of the full council. City leaders said the cost of adding lights to the Tosa Skatepark would be split evenly between city taxpayers and private fundraising efforts, each contributing $90,000.
"I know that skate park is used endlessly by many of our residents," Public Works Director David Simpson said at the Nov. 4 Finance Committee meeting. "Lights have been a desire of the community for many years."
Construction could get underway as early as next year if the fundraising comes through. Tosa Skateboarders United, which led efforts to create and open the skate park in 2015, plans to kick off its new fundraising campaign to add the lights at a "flash mob" event at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at the park.
Supporters of the project are encouraged to come with their flashlights or phone lights as they collectively "light it up at the Tosa Skatepark." Refreshments will follow at Leff's Lucky Town.
The event is "a celebration of 10 years and awareness of the community efforts it took to build the skate park," Judy Doyle, president of Tosa Skateboarders United, told Tosa Forward News.
Doyle and her husband, Mike Doyle, have continued to support the organization in memory of their son Jack, an avid skateboarder, who died in 2006. They hope to build on his legacy by raising the money needed to illuminate the skate park for users of all ages.
"The lights are something we've always wanted to do," she said, and it will be a significant improvement during fall months when the early sunset often leaves skaters in the dark. With lights, they will be able to continue enjoying the facility until Hart Park closes at 10 p.m.
"I think our timing is good," Doyle said of the new fundraising efforts.
