On November 2, the Connecticut skateboarding community came out in full force to support the grand opening of the new Torrington concrete skatepark. This 10,000-square-foot park was built by New Line Skateparks, with concrete provided (and partially donated) by O&G.
Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone and Public Works Director Ray Drew spoke at the skatepark dedication. T.J. Oneglia, Vice President of Materials, also spoke to the crowd, relating his experiences as a young skateboarder growing up in the area and how this new skatepark offers a lasting opportunity for skaters, one that was not available in the 1980s and ’90s. New Line Skateparks construction manager Tony Misiano and skate park designer Christopher Long (a native of Burlington, CT) were also in attendance.
The event also celebrated the life of Chico State Concrete Industry Management intern Dominic Lencioni, who worked all summer long on this skatepark as a paid intern with Skate4Concrete. Dominic passed away at just 19 years old in a jet ski accident shortly after his return to Chico State in September. Skate4Concrete, the crew of New Line Skateparks, and the Connecticut Concrete Promotion Council felt it was fitting to honor Dominic and memorialize his work with a plaque on the skatepark wall.
Visitors had skate shop displays to browse, food and ice cream trucks for fun treats, an O&G concrete mixer truck was on hand, and Skate4Concrete’s Crystal Howard led a concrete mixing and molding activity with children to teach them how concrete is made.
An outpouring of donations of skateboards, wheels, t-shirts, caps, and decks from skate shops across Connecticut were raffled off to the public, and four Grand Prize packages netted some $250+ in donations, which were turned over to Skate4Concrete for the Dominic Lencioni Memorial Skatepark Internship fund.
