NEW MEADOWS, Idaho — Rory Mehen had a longtime dream of building a skatepark for the kids in New Meadows.
That dream is now closer to becoming reality, with the community in the homestretch of fundraising for the Mehen Memorial Skatepark.
What's currently an empty lot new the New Meadows K-12 school is full of healing for the town - and the future location that will honor the local couple.
The park will carry their name and their legacy.
"I just think Rory is going to be so excited and so proud," Mehen Memorial Skatepark board member Molly Johnson said. "And so stoked to have his his skatepark dream come true."
A dream that can finally come true for the people that loved the couple, and believed in them.
Rory and his wife Sara, a beloved couple in New Meadows were shot in killed in 2022 at the inn they owned in town.
Rory had actually started fundraising to build the skatepark several years ago. A number of community members and Rory's family are making sure that dream lives on.
"When the accident happened, we decided to pick up where he left off and go full force," Johnson said. "It just gave us more drive and power and healing to make it happen."
The park will be built for people at all skating levels, with a focus on the kids of New Meadows - giving them something safe to do after school.
"This is a rural town, kids don't have anything to do after school," Johnson said. "You know, they can go piddle around, they can get in trouble - but this actually gives them somewhere to gather."
The community has held several fundraisers to help reach their $600,000 goal to make the part a reality. That support has continued, with $520,000 raised so far for the Mehen Memorial Skatepark.
"Every time I come to skate here, I know I'm going to think about them," board member Garrett St. Pierre said. "The stoke is gonna be high. It's gonna be one of the best feelings to first put a skateboard down on the ground here. Scooter, bike, whatever you do - they'll be with us every time."
Organizers say the skatepark could be built as early as fall of this year.
You can help get the Mehen Memorial Skatepark built by donating online on the skatepark's website.
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