Ten years after it first opened, the St. Paul Community Skate Park in Mineola is undergoing a renaissance.

The park has several new features designed and built by park users and typically has several skateboarders daily.

“The interest is still important and needed,” said Demethrius Boyd, pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist.

The park sits on church land at Stone and Front Streets adjacent to church facilities.

It is open to the public and is lighted for evening use.

Boyd said the park has a “new crew” that is supportive and is keeping it maintained, in addition to the new ramps and rails, which they built.

Nathan Witt, a Mineola native, said there has not been as much to do for young people since the bowling alley shut down.

After he returned home last spring from college when schools shut down, he saw the skate park as an opportunity for an outlet, “to get them off their phones for awhile.”

Skateboarding is a great outdoor activity that requires discipline and persistence to learn new tricks, he said.

A trick can require hundreds of repetitions and a few spills. Falling and getting back up is a good lesson, he added.

In addition to replacing some of the older ramps, the group also would like to expand the park.

The next phase would add 15 feet of concrete to the existing slab, to allow for additional ramps and larger structures. It would also give additional space for better safety.

Eventually they would like to see the entire area built out and add concrete structures instead of the wooden ones now in place, which have a life span of around four years.

Concrete structures can last for decades.

Witt already has a schematic of what a built-out park might look like.

In the mean time Witt said having ramp frames made from metal instead of wood would also be an improvement.

Boyd said they also want to bring back the graffiti wall, to appeal to the artistic talents of some park visitors.

A GoFundMe account has been established to accept donations to purchase the concrete, with a goal of raising $2,000.

Boyd said businesses can also sponsor new ramps, which average $300 each, and have their logos prominently displayed.

Any donations to the park would come through the church, Boyd said.

For more information contact Witt at 903-283-1121 or nathansemail11@gmail.com.