EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available by calling or texting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.
BELCHERTOWN — Instead of the rumble of wheels or slams of landing tricks, only the distant caws of crows fill the silence at the Belchertown Skatepark these days.
Daniel Martinez, who died by suicide last April at age 15, adored those crows — he often begged his mother, Eileen Martinez, to rescue hurt blackbirds on the side of the road. But more than anything, he wanted to see his regular hangout spot filled with skateboarders. The rough, cracked blacktop makes even a slow roll unpleasant, so Eileen often took him to other skate parks in the Valley.
Still, it was one of the few places Eileen saw her son light up during the hardest years of his life.
A year after his death, Eileen is picking up the mantle of Daniel’s dream. With help from close family friends, she launched efforts to refinish the skate park and turn it into a destination for skateboarders, so other youth can find a home in one of her son’s favorite places.
“Given how it was a place for Daniel, I know it’s a place for other kids,” Eileen said. “I wanted to do what I could to make sure it was way more appealing and safe, and do it in his honor.”
Her plan is to raise enough money to resurface the park and add amenities to make it safer for the next generation of skaters.
Fall fundraising efforts will kick off Sunday with the Belchertown Skate Park Jam hosted by Theory Skate Shop. The event, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the skate park at 5 Whitlock Way, will feature a best trick contest, raffle prizes and a memorial mural unveiling. All raffle proceeds and donations will go toward resurfacing the park.
An additional dedication to Daniel will be held during the Lake Wallace Fall Fest on Oct. 3. Individuals or companies that would like to donate to the park can do so through Eileen’s GoFundMe or send checks directly to the Recreation Department.
Dan Dziuban, owner of Theory Skate Shop, remembers installing ramps around the perimeter of the skate park 20 years ago. When he was ready for phase two, Belchertown asked him to wait until the ground could be addressed. The park has remained untouched since, leaving it usable only for bikes or scooters.
“It’s zero fun (there) because the ground doesn’t allow you to have any fun,” Dziuban said.
At minimum, the park needs to be resurfaced with concrete. Eileen has received two quotes between $16,000 and $23,000, a far cry from the $6,000 she raised via crowdfunding.
However, Eileen’s dreams for the park extend beyond basic resurfacing. She also wants to install solar-powered lights, a water fountain, a charging station and bathrooms near the Recreation Department building. Mental health and suicide awareness resources, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number, would be posted on the fence.
It’s an ambitious project, but Melissa Anderson, a close friend of the Martinez family, knows these changes would improve the park’s safety. Her son, who spent hours at the local skate park with Daniel, often crosses the busy Route 202 to charge his phone or use restrooms.
The community has been largely supportive of Eileen’s efforts. Anderson and her daughter Arianna “Ari” Gazaway knocked on the door of every Belchertown business. Most contributed either a raffle prize or a donation. Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, Gazaway and Daniel’s high school, offered to build a shade structure and benches. The memorial mural painted across one of the park’s ramps resulted from the diligent work of Springfield artist Marc Austin.
“I’m impressed with the community and the support they’ve given her [Eileen] during this time, because that’s what community is all about,” Austin said.
Painting on curved surfaces is nothing new to Austin, who got his start as a graffiti artist. His murals around Springfield typically brighten the sides of buildings or inside restaurants, but now his style will add splashes of purple and blue to the grey and beige skate park.
The mural depicts Daniel kickflipping with a pair of angel wings, surrounded by his various passions: his cats, a baseball, a drum and a lighthouse sandwiched between two crows. On the side of the ramp, Austin preserves the original memorial Daniel’s friends and family created after his passing.
“This is my first memorial mural,” Austin said. “It’s a very emotional process.”
Four boys lived on the horseshoe-shaped street where Eileen lives, and Anderson remembers Daniel as the most considerate. He knew all the best tag sale deals and always sat at the dinner table for a meal, something Anderson found her own children rarely did.
“I have two teenage girls. Sometimes boys aren’t nice to the girls, but Daniel was always the nicest,” Anderson said.
Gazaway confirms that Daniel always included her in whatever adventure the boys embarked on, and if she did not want to join, Daniel suggested changes that excited her. They had been at the same school since fifth grade, and hours of music concerts bonded them even closer. They enrolled in Pathfinder together, where Daniel always seemed to be surrounded by friends.
“He was a good kid who lost his way,” Eileen said through tears. Her voice peters out, leaving only the nearby crows to continue the conversation.
