FAIRHOPE, Ala. - Funds were approved Monday to obtain new design plans for the Fairhope Skate Plaza to make it more challenging for local skateboard enthusiasts.

City Councilwoman Debbie Quinn, who helped secure the initial grant funding for the design and construction of the current skate park, requested additional funding at Monday’s council meeting to complete the project.

The council approved $5,000 for an enhanced design at the park, which will be matched by a grant administered by a state agency, she said.

The total of $10,000 will be used to obtain a new plans from a firm that specializes in skateboard parks, she said.

That design can then be used to help secure additional funding to have the construction done, Quinn said.

She also said funding for the additional construction is still available under the original grant.

Financing of the original project ran into snags during administration of the grant due to federal legal and ethical requirements regarding procurement issues, according to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, which refused to reimburse some of the expenses under the initial grant.

Quinn helped get an extension on the troubled project funding to next June in order to complete the project, she said.

Editor’s note: For additional reporting on this subject, see an upcoming article in the print edition of The Fairhope Courier.