St. Joseph Skatepark receives $1 million donation, aiming to break ground in Spring 2027

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- From BMX bikes to scooters and skateboards, folks were ripping through St. Joseph Skatepark on Saturday, and thanks to a generous donor, they will soon be putting their wheels down on some brand-new pavement.

Friends of the St. Joseph Skatepark member, Jay Simmons has been one of the people spearheading this project, due to his long-lasting relationship with skating.

“We’ve been working with the city to rethink what this could have been,” Simmons said. “We wanted to design and build a brand new, modern, world class skatepark. I’m extremely passionate about this because I grew up riding BMX and skateboarding since the late 80s.”

People like Simmons were over-the-moon after they heard an announcement towards the end of the event, signaling that fundraising would no longer be needed.

“Thanks to a donation we are pleased to announce that we’ve hit our million-dollar goal,” the event DJ said.

That donation, courtesy of St. Joseph resident Judy Felland, also made a generous donation to help build the playground at Kiwanis Park.

Her message was a very simple one.

“I just like to support Saint Joe, and I’ve tried to be supportive of the community in many ways,” Felland said. “This was just one more thing.”

Thanks to Felland, that one more good favor has sped the whole process up, saving years of time and fundraising.

According to Friends of the St. Joseph Skate Park, they are in the middle of the design phase for the park but hope to start breaking ground as soon as spring 2027.