Wheels turning on skateboard park
By Judi Brinegar
Staff Writer, The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO - The terms "halfpipe," "concrete bowl"
and "top ledge" may be unfamiliar to the majority of folks in
Randolph County. But if you are a skateboarder, you know exactly what they
mean.
Skateboarders spend most afternoons cruising areas of the county looking
for places they can test their skills on their boards. There aren't many.
Soon, they will have a facility dedicated to this fast-growing sport - the
old armory site on South Church Street in Asheboro.
Scheduled to be open in early 2006, the park is long-awaited by skaters
and parents alike.
A public information meeting about the park is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday
at the Asheboro City Hall, 146 N. Church St., Asheboro.
Parks and Recreation director Allen Oliver will share preliminary sketch
plans for the park and ask for public input, pro and con, during the meeting.
"We know that there is a need for something like this in Asheboro,"
Oliver said. "We want to get some input from the community. We want
them to tell us what they would like to see in the park, what they like
about the plan and what they don't like about it. We really encourage skateboarders
to come out to this meeting as well as their families. We want to hear from
everyone who has an interest in what we are doing."
The city budgeted $95,000 into its 2004-2005 budget for the park. Oliver
asked for an additional $5,000 from the city and will also apply for a $100,000
matching grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. He is exploring
possible funding from the Tony Hawk Foundation as well. Hawk is a professional
skateboarder.
The grant application must be filed by Jan. 31 and Oliver said he would
know by May if the grant is awarded. If the grant is approved, Oliver will
move forward with cost estimates and mapping for the park. Once work begins,
the park could be complete in as little as six months.
"We'll be ready to start as soon as the grant is approved,"
he said, "and I am cautiously optimistic that the grant will get approved."
The park will be constructed in three phases and have a similar look
to the Streetscape project recently completed in downtown Asheboro, Oliver
said.
Phase One of the project includes an indoor ramp (called a halfpipe)
and a check-in area. There will be an additional room inside available to
rent for birthday parties. Phase Two will be an outdoor concrete plaza with
curved ledges, rails of various heights, angled ledges, a 4-foot banked
area, a manual pad with banked transitions and more.
Phase Three will consist of construction of an outdoor concrete bowl
with a banked section, a 2-foot high extension and a 12-inch high top ledge/manual
pad.
Oliver noted that, due to liability insurance, all skaters who use the
facility will be required to wear helmets and knee and elbow pads.
"Once we get it built, we'll work out the hours of operation, fees
and regulations (rules) for skating there," he added.
Copyright 2002, Stephens Media Group
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