FAIRFIELD — A skateboard park shared by this Butler County community and the city of Hamilton should be ready this fall, following a Tristate trend.

        The design for the 10,000-square foot park, which includes a street element with bowls, ledges and rails, is expected to be finalized soon.

        Construction should start by the end of the summer at Joyce Park in south Hamilton, which borders Fairfield off River Road on Forest Lake Lane.

        The City of Hamilton donated the land for the park, and the city of Fairfield gave $100,000, officials said. That was matched with another $100,000 from the Hamilton Community Foundation. The cities commissioned a feasibility study from Mel Durand of Suburban Rails in Athens, Ohio, a nationally known skate park designer.

        As more youth skateboard, community leaders are realizing they must provide safe places for them to skate, Mr. Durand said.

        “The demand for these parks is very high,” he said. “Cities have found skate parks are one of the most used facilities they have. It's not really even a seasonal sport. You can skate year round. A lot of skaters carry snow shovels in the backs of their cars.”

        Dennis O'Connor of Fairfield sometimes skates outside the Lane Public Library in Village Green, Fairfield's new downtown, because there is nowhere else to go.

        “I come here when I can find a hit real quick before the cops are called,” Mr. O'Connor, 28, said as he skateboarded at the library on an evening. “They should open a public skate park around here so we wouldn't have to worry about the cops, and it would keep the kids out of trouble.”

        Tristate interest in public skate parks has been fueled in the past few years by factors including aggressive lobbying by skaters and their parents.

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