Proposed Jackson County skatepark unveiled

13-year-old Keegan Schlotz has been skateboarding for about two years. When he saw the plans for a new skate park in St. Martin, its size caught him off guard. I was shocked. I mean, I expected it to be nice, but not that big and stuff. The proposed park would cover about 20,000 square feet. Jackson County Project Manager Matthew Hosey says that could make it the largest skate park in the state. If it gets built and stays the same size, we would have the biggest one in the state of Mississippi, which we're very proud of and excited about. But the county still needs $2 million to build it. For Coast Skaters like Elias Carrillo, a permanent concrete park would offer something different from the handmade spots they use now. We have our parks that are, you know, they're all put together. It's all handmade. We all put our love and soul into it. But love and soul doesn't give you the pop that smooth concrete does. Gulf Coast Skate Parks Association Vice President Andrew Bieris says the goal goes beyond St. Martin. It's just getting these communities to have these free public use parks. And we go around. We just try to bring community together and make this happen for one another. Bieris hopes the project will encourage more communities across the Gulf Coast to build public skate parks. Reporting for the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center, I'm Justin Glowacki.