Good crowd gathers for skatepark groundbreaking despite weather

    Nearly 50 adults and students attended the Imperial Skatepark groundbreaking ceremony at Campbell Park, last Friday.
    The ceremony was postponed from the previous week because of a spring blizzard, so last Friday, the groundbreaking took place in spite of a steady rain.
    Mayor Dwight Coleman opened the ceremony with introductions and a brief review of how the skatepark began as a boy’s dream and blossomed into a community-backed reality.
    Following his comments, Coleman invited Trevin Moreno, originator of the skatepark endeavor, to come up and share some comments with the crowd. Moreno then introduced each member of Team Hot Wheels.
    He expressed his excitement that the team was able to be present to witness the culmination of all their hard work raising money for the skatepark.
    Following the opening comments, attendees gathered at the site of the groundbreaking for a photo op.
    Coleman, members of Team Hot Wheels and young supporters, along with city council members posed with their gold shovels to celebrate breaking ground for the skatepark.
    Coleman then invited everyone back to the picnic shelter for cake and refreshments.
    During the opening comments, Coleman gave an account of the original design cost as being $150,000 and a timeline of fundraising events and design changes that eventually raised the total cost of the skatepark to just under $199,000.
    As of last Friday, Coleman said Team Hot Wheels had raised all but $9,000.
    “They hope to have the remainder raised by the middle of May,” he said.
    He mentioned that the purchase of the brick pavers’ deadline was extended to this Friday. The cost is $100 for a 4x8, $200 for a 8x8, $300 for a 12x12 and the addition of any clip art or a logo is an extra $10.
    Forms can be picked up at the City of Imperial office until close of business Friday.
Timeline of dream
set in motion
    In August 2016, nine-year-old Trevin Moreno had a dream.
    He told his mom, Tricia Moreno, that he wanted a skatepark in Imperial.
    “It’s hard to ride my skateboard because of the bumpy roads,” he said.
    Tricia said they discussed how that might be accomplished, and Trevin set out to raise money for it.
    With the help of his grandmother, Marilyn Hust, Moreno  built a lemonade stand and started his own business.
    Eventually, his friends got on board to help raise money for the park, and they became “Team Hot Wheels.”
    At the suggestion of his mother, Moreno went to the city offices and talked to Jo Leyland, City Clerk/Administrator.
    Once she heard his plan and saw how passionate he was, Leyland became a key supporter of Moreno and his skatepark. She advised him on how to proceed, and he took her advice and ran with it, his mom said.
    Moreno and Team Hot Wheels first met with the park board to lay out their plan. They also met with the city council a couple of times, Tricia said.
    “People were very generous when buying their lemonade. Some even paid $20 for a little glass,” she said.
    In October 2016, the team  went mobile and began taking lemonade and treats to downtown businesses.

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