Image caption: Senior staff at Meredith Village Savings Bank, Meredith Parks and Recreation and the Friends of Meredith Parks and Recreation pose for a photo to mark the bank’s $25,000 donation to a skate park in Meredith. Photo courtesy of Meredith Village Savings Bank

Meredith Village Savings Bank has announced a contribution of $25,000 to the Hart Family Memorial Skate Park. The gift will go toward the rehabilitation and renovation of the Skate Park, formerly known as the Glenn Hart Memorial Skate Park.

Glenn Hart, a beloved member of the Lakes Region community and former co-owner of Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant in Meredith, passed away in 1998. Construction for the original Skate Park completed in 2003 from the memorial fund that was created in his honor. Although it has contributed many years of joy to the community, the passing of time has not been kind to the park. Its current condition compelled Brendan Hart, Hart’s son, to begin fundraising efforts in 2017 for massive repairs and renovations.

“My brothers and I grew up at that skate park,” Brendan Hart wrote on the project’s initial Go Fund Me post. “Today, the skate park has fallen apart. This wood-and-sheet-metal park has not aged handsomely. For us, and many others, it’s heartbreaking. All of the money from this campaign will go toward renovating my dad’s park.”

Plans for the new skate park incorporate all-concrete construction, which will require little maintenance and upkeep.

Linda Hart-Buuck, Brendan Hart’s mother, was the president of the Friends of Meredith Parks and Recreation and assisted fundraising efforts until her sudden passing on Jan. 9. Peter Thorndike became the nonprofit’s new president and has been working with Brendan to finish the project, which they renamed to honor Linda as well as Glenn.

After the Tony Hawk Foundation announced a $25,000 donation to the Hart Family Memorial Skate Park, local service organizations began following suit. The entire project is seeking to surpass its fundraising goal of $232,000.

“We’re very grateful to Meredith Village Savings Bank and their generous contribution to re-build the Hart Family Memorial Skate Park,” Thorndike said in a statement. “The bank’s gift is sure to have a lasting impact on community members and visitors for generations to come.”

“MVSB is happy to do all we can to support the Hart Family Memorial Skate Park,” MVSB President Rick Wyman said in a statement. “It has been popular with the youth and families of our area and we are proud to support the efforts to renovate and improve safety. The park offers an opportunity for something fun and different from traditional organized sports. This way, even the youth less inclined to participate in organized sports are able to get fresh air, challenge themselves and build their coordination and physical skills.”

Donations can be mailed to Friends of Meredith Parks and Recreation at 1 Circle Drive, Meredith, NH, 03253, with “Skate Park” noted in the memo field.