Nolan Fonda, MLA '25, a landscape architect with GZA Geo Environmental, a nationally recognized engineering firm specializing in geotechnical, environmental, water, ecology, and construction management, led the design efforts of a new skate and all-wheels park in Easthampton, MA.
The push for the new skate park, called the Easthampton Skate Park Initiative, is a collaboration between the City of Easthampton, the skatepark committee, and the Parks and Recreation Department. In 2005, Easthampton’s previous skate park was removed, much to the surprise of many residents. Advocacy for a new skatepark continued through the years and progressed in 2025 thanks to a $250,000 contribution from the Community Preservation Act Committee, which helped leverage a $425,000 grant from the state Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities program.
"This project is the direct effort of a passionate group of individuals who wanted to see change in their community and didn’t give up for almost seven years," said Fonda, a skateboarder and landscape architect in Western Massachusetts. "Skateparks may not mean much to some, but to others, they’re the glue that holds the community together," he added.
As a Master of Landscape Architecture student at UMass Amherst, Fonda took a strong interest in alternative recreational planning and urban skateboarding environments. In spring 2024, Fonda collaborated with peers on the "Envisioning Neighborhood Investment in Springfield, MA" Graduate Urban Design Studio project, taught by Professor Frank Sleegers. Students in the class partnered with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) under a contract with the City of Springfield to develop Neighborhood Investment Plans for Springfield's North End, South End, and Metro Center. In his final year at UMass, Fonda completed a landscape architecture thesis project, "Skate Integration: Creating Alternative Recreational Spaces on The UMass Amherst Campus" which explored how skatepark landscapes can be designed to integrate recreation into the urban fabric, creating opportunities for expression, creativity, and gathering.
Earlier this year, Fonda and the team at GZA completed their designs for the Easthampton Skatepark with an aim with make the park accessible to everyone.
"The goal of this project was to create a space that could be used by all, regardless of skill level," said Fonda. "Due to site constraints such as poorly draining soils and proximity to a protected wetland resource, we worked with a smaller skatepark footprint but focused on getting the obstacles sized and arranged as a cohesive design that also worked well within the surrounding park space. It was a lot of fun working with some of my best friends to create a design we all felt would benefit the Western Mass skatepark milieu," he added.
Construction of the long-awaited Easthampton Skatepark is set to begin this fall at the city's Millside Park thanks to fundraising efforts by the Easthampton Skatepark Committee. Leading into the summer, the group hoped to raise the final $85,000 needed to bring the project to life — it surpassed that amount, raising approximately $88,000.
"What really excites me about this new skatepark is that it’s something I was a part of prior to grad school as a skateboarder in the area, and then to be able to fully design it as part of my job is still hard for me to wrap my head around," said Fonda. "Not only that, it’s something my friends and I will use for years to come once constructed."
Learn more about the Easthampton Skatepark project in this Daily Hampshire Gazette article.
Skatepark design rendering looking south
Skatepark design rendering looking northwest
