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Conway Parks outline Autism Acceptance Month events and skatepark proposal; council signals support
Summary
Parks staff and community groups described April Autism Acceptance Month programming and a local group advocated for a concrete skatepark. Council members praised the outreach and said a parks master‑plan grant has the proposal on the city's radar.
Conway Parks staff and community organizers told the City Council about planned Autism Acceptance Month events in April and heard a pitch from Skate Conway for a concrete skatepark.
Patsy Baker of Conway Parks and Recreation and Veronica Ricardo of the Commons Sports and Fitness Center described a month of sensory‑friendly activities, including an art exhibit in the sports center hallway, a social‑skills workshop on April 5, an Easter egg hunt with a separate sensory area and a movie night with sensory options. Ricardo said the center will “make every event sensory friendly with options and make sure that they get the social skills, communication, relationships, and self regulation skills that is needed to become outstanding individuals.”
Ricardo said flags recognizing Autism Acceptance Month were ordered and will be displayed downtown to signal a welcoming community. She described a culminating sensory‑friendly wrestling event and said organizers will post event details online and provide tools such as noise‑reducing headphones and a zipper activity table for attendees.
Separately, a member of Skate Conway urged the council to authorize construction of a concrete, emission‑free skatepark for skateboarding, scooters, inline and quad skating, BMX and wheelchair use. The presenter said the nearest concrete parks are in Myrtle Beach and Florence and called a local skatepark “a safe and close place for [residents] to call their own.”
Council members expressed support for both efforts. Councilman Goldfinch noted that a previous grant funded a parks master plan and suggested the skatepark idea is already “on our radar.” Several council members welcomed expanding recreational options and recommended that Skate Conway continue to coordinate with Parks staff as the master‑plan work advances.
Parks staff said they will incorporate these community requests into ongoing master‑plan work and return to council with any specific funding or site recommendations.
