Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Carter Burkman and Dale Belanger (behind the wheel) of the Houghton Department of Public Works work on the Houghton Skate park site Friday. A grand opening is expected in the next two to three weeks, said City Manager Eric Waara.

HOUGHTON — Houghton’s skate park could have its official opening by the end of the month.

Concrete work was completed this spring, while landscaping is being finished, said City Manager Eric Waara.

“It was such a tough spring with snow and everything else, and now it’s at the point where it’s like, ‘We have leaves, we should be able to do landscaping,'” he said.

There has been some trial and error in getting the landscaping worked out, Waara said. The use of rocks covering the dirt behind the western ramp drew criticism from parents who said skaters could fall and injure themselves, said Department of Public Works employee Dale Belanger, who was working at the site Friday. As a result, they will pull the rocks out, put down mulch and add a wildflower garden along the backside.

“It’s maintenance-free, as far as growing grass or anything like that,” he said.

A wall will go on each corner of the ramp, cut into the slope, Belanger said.

The Houghton Beautification Committee will also put in a garden next to the running trail.

A volunteer group raised more than $208,000 since forming in 2015, including a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation. That allowed them to combine two phases of construction into one.

California-based skate park company Spohn Ranch designed the park, acting on design guidelines developed by the city and local skaters. They also visited the site to oversee concrete pouring.

The park’s grand opening should come in the next two to three weeks, Waara said.