Crowdfunding campaign launched for Milford Skatepark

$50,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

LANSING, Mich. – The village of Milford will gain a downtown skatepark through a new crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the village of Milford announced today. The campaign is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by April 12, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/skatemilford.

“Skateparks create a safe space for youth development and offer recreation for all to enjoy,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development Michele Wildman. “We are pleased to bring this space to life by providing resources for this effort through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

This project will complete an ongoing collaborative effort in downtown Milford. The village has worked with local skateboarders to fundraise, advocate and gain public feedback to bring the space to fruition. The skatepark will be accessible to people of all abilities and will be well connected to downtown. The Milford Skatepark will revitalize an underutilized space by building a premier skatepark and adventure space. In addition, the skatepark creates another community amenity to further promote the healthy, active lifestyles of Milford families.

“The completion of a skatepark in the Milford community has been a dream for more than 20 years. The most recent efforts have been primarily driven by a group of passionate kids, teens and their parents,” said Christian Wuerth, village manager of Milford. “The project is close to becoming a reality because of these local efforts. MEDC’s support through the Public Spaces Community Places grant program will help immensely in making this dream happen in 2020.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League and Patronicity, in which residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“Creating inviting, activated public spaces is key to great placemaking,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League. “Given the skatepark’s prime location and community involvement, it is sure to be a popular recreation destination for years to come.”

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of Jan. 31, 2020, MEDC has provided nearly $7.3 million in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 233 projects have been successful in reaching their goal, with $8.4 million raised from 43,159 individual donors.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.