FARMINGTON — The Dragon’s Nest Skatepark renovation at Hippach Field is getting a much-needed funding boost from a $110,000 federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The Farmington Select Board voted unanimously Nov. 25 to accept the money and authorized Town Manager Erica E. LaCroix to sign the service contract.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund provides matching support to states and municipalities for developing and improving outdoor recreation facilities.

The Dragon’s Nest holds a unique place in Maine history as the state’s first public skateboard park when it opened in 1991. After falling into disuse and eventually being buried under dirt, the park was revived in 2020 thanks to a volunteer-led effort that uncovered, repaired and restored the original features.

The renewed interest in the space has sparked ongoing work to improve the park and make it more welcoming for the next generation of riders.

LaCroix said former Parks and Recreation Director Matt Foster, who served from June 2015 until October 2024, had applied for the federal funding prior to his departure.

“We were approved, and then the whole thing had to be delayed,” she said. “They pulled all the grants back for 2024, and then they reapproved us for 2025. We just finally got the actual documents, which have been very slow in coming, but we finally have them.”

She said the town has raised about $90,000 toward the project so far. That includes $49,000 already raised, featuring a major $40,000 donation from former professional skateboarder Tobias Parkhurst, now the co-founder of Cushnoc Brewing in Augusta. The town still needs about $20,000 more.

“We are able to offer some in-kind work with Public Works doing demolition and things like that,” LaCroix said.

Board members noted the renovation aligns with planned work on Prescott Street and the new parking area. LaCroix said the town hopes to coordinate the skatepark construction with that project.

“We were trying to tie that together and have them occur at the same time so that if everybody’s all there, any work that we do have to have done should be a little less expensive,” she said.

In a follow-up email, LaCroix said the town is aiming to “capitalize on cost savings that would come from already having an excavation company mobilized for the Main Street project,” which is the project Prescott Street is included with. She added that the town is also constructing a new brick wall for Hippach Field along Main Street, creating a “comprehensive facility upgrade.”

Selectman Scott Landry asked whether the town still had staff in place “to administer it once it’s completed to (Foster)’s dream.” LaCroix replied, “I’m not sure what Matt’s dream was,” though the board was assured the volunteer skatepark committee is still active.

According to Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Savage, the committee does not have a chair.

“This is a volunteer group, there is not a designated chairperson,” she wrote. “This committee is simply interested and excited to help the project come to life.”

LaCroix noted during the meeting that the committee could not issue a request for proposals until funding was secured.

Michelle Dowd, assistant director of Parks and Recreation, who attended in place of Savage, told LaCroix that they’ve been working on the engineering and design for the project.

“I do want to say thank you for your support and of course (Land and Water Conservation Fund) as well,” Dowd said. “Because I do feel like the award is more of an investment into our community and the youth and their kind of creativity and enthusiasm for the skate park, and it’ll be a vibrant park I think, and just want to thank you for helping us bring the vision to reality.”