The Weare Skatepark Committee is putting out the call for help with fundraising and for increased membership.

A small group met on Thursday, April 30, to get the ball rolling toward its goal – to get new equipment installed at the skatepark located next to Weare Middle School.

“The primary discussion involved fundraising, and several excellent ideas came forth,” said Joe Fiala, who’s helping organize the effort. “Most immediate is a raffle.”

Tim Farmer, of S&W Sports in Concord and a member of the committee, agreed to donate three skateboards – one longboard, a mini board and a regular skateboard.

Fiala said the group hopes to start selling raffle tickets after the next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, May 14, at Weare Middle School. Tickets will be $5 each or three for $10, with a limit of 600 sold.

Other ideas discussed were to make T-shirts, which could be sold along with the raffle tickets, selling concessions at sporting events, placing collection cans at local businesses and creating discount cards.

“We also discussed participating in the Patriotic Celebration parade to raise awareness and set up a booth to raise fund and sell items,” Fiala said.

The town’s original skatepark with concrete ramps had to be moved when the new Weare Middle School was constructed. The equipment was moved to Ineson Field on Quaker Street.

“The move significantly damaged some of the pieces, thus the condition of the park is less than ideal,” Fiala said. “I also consider the location poor due to lack of visibility, a problem for parks in other towns as well.”

A new asphalt pad, already poured and fenced, sits near the entrance to Weare Middle School, ready to be the home of the new skatepark.

Fiala said the pad was put in when the new middle school was being constructed. The money was part of the construction budget, and they also received a donation from a local business.

How much money they need to raise for the new park depends on the type and size of the equipment, and how much of it they buy, Fiala said, which has yet to be decided.

“There are many ways to build them, so I made a point of visiting as many as I could,” he said.

New Boston has high-tech synthetic and steel ramps which are high quality but costly. Fiala said the town paid $30,000 for just a few small pieces of the high-tech equipment.

Hopkinton has large wooden ramps with high-tech materials.

Fiala said last year they spent $15,000 repairing their park. “Because of the durability and cost, I like the concrete ramps. However, wooden ramps are perhaps safer and ride more smoothly,” he said. “I could see using either or both for our park.

“I believe we could construct some nice wooden ramps for $1,000 to $2,000,” Fiala said. “These would only last so long and would be a temporary measure until we had enough money to buy some more permanent fixtures.”

To put a ballpark figure on it, “My guess is $25,000 would get us a nice park,” Fiala said.

To learn more about the project or make donations, visit http://gardenplum.com/skatepark.