After a 6 year battle with cancer and chemotherapy, our brother and friend, Wesley Ackley transcended the earthly realm on January 24th this year. Surgery had left Wes paralyzed from the waist down, but his strength and will fueled his recovery, allowing him to skateboard once again while the cancer was in remission. He would say "I cant feel my feet," but was soon back to beating me in games of S.K.A.T.E – a game where skaters set and repeat each other's tricks. He even filmed tricks for a skate video during that short timeframe, which is no easy feat to begin with. To preserve Wes's legacy, we are continuing his work advocating for the beloved skatepark we grew up skating at together, and raising funds to rebuild it. When we were kids in 2010, Wes took on the town's decision to charge skaters a yearly fee of $100, overturning that decision and eventually making the park free for everyone.
Unfortunately, the skatepark has faced additional challenges. In 2016, much of the skatepark's ramps were removed to make room for pickleball courts that were never built. The resulting swath of vacant cement has sat unused since. Wes, his brother Jake, our friends, and I would muse about the park in its heyday, imagining ways to revitalize our beloved skatepark. Now that the park is being renamed in honor of Wes, it is the perfect time to begin raising funds for this project.
Above: Wes skating Wesley Dean Ackley Skatepark (formerly Riverhead Skatepark) in 2011. Photo by Todd Andrychowski
After speaking with a professional skatepark builder, we came up with a figure of at least $150,000 to renovate the large, vacant space once home to the park's most exciting features. If we hit our goal, we can do something truly amazing, building obstacles for all skill levels. The current pre-fabricated ramps are an uninspired design that caters to upper and mid-level skatepark users. Many of the park's attendees are youngsters, and the current design does not foster a learning environment. Additionally, using cement ramps we would avoid exorbitant upkeep costs. The town would have paid a staggering $120,000 in repairs on the outdated wooden ramps before deciding to remove them instead. Our fundraising will afford us a timeless solution, increasing tourism, and helping to create booming business opportunities. For proof, look at the town of Montauk's newly renovated skatepark which has fueled new, prosperous businesses since its opening less than a year ago.
We have deep gratitude for your attention to this matter, and appreciate any donations toward this noble cause.
Short Version: Wesley Ackley passed away after a 6 year battle with cancer. His hometown skatepark which he helped save with his activism is being renamed "Wesley Dean Ackley Skatepark." After much of the ramps were removed in 2016 due to their state of disrepair, Wes his friends always spoke of the possibilities that can happen to replace the old ramps. We are raising funds to get a new park built as soon as possible, starting with the empty space where the ramps used to be.
