Plans to build a skatepark in the City of Meridian are moving forward after the city council on Tuesday approved a design contract with Grindline Skateparks Inc.

Grindline, a Seattle-based concrete skatepark construction company, previously built skateparks in Oxford and West Point.

Ward 5 Councilwoman Ty Bell Lindsey, who has been leading the council’s efforts to build a skatepark, said the $14,520 conceptual design proposal will include several visits from Grindline to gather community input and design a custom skatepark to meet Meridian’s needs.

Grindline, Lindsey said, will come to Meridian for an initial kickoff event to meet the community and city officials. Then, the company will meet with the local skating community to determine what features are needed for the city’s skatepark.

“The reason you have to meet with the community is because you cannot build a design without the people who are living here,” she said.

After gathering input, Grindline will develop a preliminary design and share it with the community for review, Lindsey said.

Finally, she said, using the feedback from the preliminary design, the company will revise its design and create the final design package that the city can use to estimate costs and raise funds.

“They are doing the full design so we can market that to even get more grants and more funding for this project,” she said.

Ward 2 Councilman Dwayne Davis said he spoke with Grindline about estimated costs for the park’s construction. The company, he said, estimated the cost at about $50-$60 per square foot.

Meridian’s skatepark, Davis said, would likely be about 10,000 square feet, which would carry a minimum price tag of $500,000 to $600,000.

“I know one other thing they’re not responsible for is the bathroom,” he said. “There’s going to have to be bathrooms out there that are handicap accessible. We’re going to have to include all of that into the costs.”

With bathrooms and other support infrastructure, Davis said the cost could reach $1 million.

The council’s approval of the design proposal began the skatepark process, but it also cleared the way for supporters to begin fundraising for the park’s construction.

Community Foundation of East Mississippi Executive Director Leigh Thomas said the foundation was excited to work on another park project.

“The Community Foundation would be very pleased to work with the city on their park development program,” she said. “I think it’s great for the city and great for our citizens to have use of our parks.”

In Tuesday’s meeting, council members, residents and local skaters spoke in support of the skate park and the positive impact the park could have on Meridian’s children. Council members, however, urged the community to join the fundraising effort to find grants and donations that could pay for the park’s construction.

“Your job…is to help raise this money for the city,” Davis said.

Attempts to reach Grindline for comment were unsuccessful at press time.