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Riverhead Town shrinks skate park; adding pickleball court

skatepark

Town officials are tweaking repair work plans at Stotzky Memorial Park in Riverhead.

Instead of finishing renovation work currently underway at the skate park, the town has decided to add a pickleball court, according to town recreation department superintendent Ray Coyne.

During Thursday’s Town Board meeting, Mr. Coyne said the town has already spent $50,000 on repairs at the skate park, which has been closed for more than a year because it is in disrepair.

However, in order to complete the project, the town would need to spend $72,000 more to finish the repair work, Mr. Coyne said.

The top level of the skate park has already been repaired. Instead of spending additional money to renovate the other half of the skate park, the town plans to install a pickleball court at the lower level.

The temporary pickleball courts currently set up at the hockey rink would relocated there, Mr. Coyne added.

“It doesn’t cost us any money,” he said. “We already have the purchase.”

About $9,655 of saved money would then go toward the Horton Avenue basketball court to have it fixed in time for the annual Stop the Violence tournament this year.

Mr. Coyne said savings will fund the hockey rink project to replace the concrete rink with a new material, as well as pay for building a $30,000 playground at Veterans Park.

Mr. Coyne said the town’s decision to “stretch [the money] out” means more people — especially seniors who have been asking for pickleball space — can be served at once.

“We can satisfy four groups instead of just one group with the skate park,” he said, adding the pickleball court could be installed as early as this week. “This way everyone gets a piece of the pie.”

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