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By Diana Bowley - Bangor Daily News - DEXTER — Several years ago Nathan Wyman, 14, raffled off a bicycle he won in a promotion and gave the proceeds to a local family whose son had an inoperable tumor. Today, he plans to raise $30,000 for a skate park to provide youth in the area a safe place to participate in the sport. Wyman’s proposal received the endorsement of the Town Council last week. Town Manager Judy Doore said she was impressed with the work Wyman had done to present the proposal to the council. "He has certainly educated us on the fact that this is the fastest growing sport in America and he has convinced us that it is certainly time to provide a location for these skateboarders," Doore said this week. Wyman, a Dexter Regional High School student, said he plans to apply for a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation through the local recreation department and to secure a matching grant from the state. The foundation, a charitable trust, tries to promote high-quality, public skate parks in low-income areas throughout the United States. Local fundraising efforts may include a skate competition, he said. Doore said a public hearing must be held if Wyman is successful with the grants. An avid skateboarder, Wyman said he "pretty much sticks" to his driveway to skateboard but he said other local youth use the sidewalks in the village, a move frowned on by local businesses and the police. "The nearest skate park is Bangor or Skowhegan, a long ride not to mention extremely hard and or impossible for a skateboarder lacking a license to get there," Wyman said this week. Two possible locations have been identified by Wyman for the skate park: the municipal ice skating rink or the old tennis courts next to the bus garage. The location, however, will be the decision of the Town Council. Wyman said the location selected would be paved and ramps placed on the surface. If the rink was used, he said the ramps would be removed in the winter for ice skating. "I really am into it a lot and I really think it can be done so I’m going to try really hard to get it done," Wyman said of the
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