Residents roll out support for skate park idea
By Judi Brinegar
Staff Writer, The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO - Over 60 parents and children turned out Tuesday night for
a meeting about the new skate park being proposed in Asheboro.
The park will be located at the old National Guard Armory building on
the corner of South Church and Armfield streets.
Asheboro Parks & Recreation director Allen Oliver presented the plans
for the park and then asked for imput from the skaters and many concerned
parents.
"There is a need in Asheboro for a skate park," Oliver said.
"The city gave us $95,000. Then the idea came about to build an indoor-outdoor
park and the armory was a good fit for it."
Currently, there are just preliminary sketch plans for the park. Construction
won't begin until after grant approval is received and bids are taken for
the project. The park is tentatively scheduled to be open in early 2006.
"We know that there is a need for something like this in Asheboro,"
Oliver said. "We want you guys to tell us what you would like to see
in the park, what you like and don't like about it."
Thomas Robertson of Ramseur thinks the idea of a skate park is long overdue.
"It means a lot to us to have it, but it will be hard to wait until
it is done," he said. "For those who are worried about using their
tax money to pay for it, they have to think of the future. This will be
there for their
kids and grandkids to have a good and safe place to skate."
The city earmarked $95,000 in its 2004-05 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 if the grant is awarded by May. 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.
The young people and parents in attendance peppered Oliver with questions
about the park.
When will it be complete? What about fees? Safety precautions? What about
the lights? Will we have to wear helmets and knee pads? What kind of opposition
do you have for the park being built?
Oliver said that those concerns will be addressed after he finds out
if the grant is approved.
"We are just in the first steps of the process," he said. "All
of your concerns will be addressed as soon as we get down the road."
As far as opposition, City Councilman David Smith admitted that there
was some - from people who want the money spent on other projects, like
a recreation center or a new soccer field.
"There is big opposition from some folks," Smith said. "We
can't do everything we want to do and what we are asked to do. This is something
we can do to give these kids an alternative for skating."
Nancy Thompson of Asheboro has a 14-year-old son who skates. She attended
the meeting in support of the park.
"These kids are passionate about skateboarding," she said.
"You can't stop them from doing it. If you build it, it will give them
someplace to go.
"If they have someplace to go skate, we are willing to pay any fees
for them to do it."
Cameron Brown, 19, is an Asheboro skateboarder who is looking forward
to the park being built. The Randolph Community College sophomore also wants
to be actively involved in the process of the park being built.
"We skate around town after hours and at Memorial Park," Brown
said. "This park will mean a lot to us because it will get rid of the
conflict we have with the law enforcement in town.
"People look at us as stereotypical kids out to cause trouble. We
just want to skate and this park will gave us someplace safe to go."
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, which could cost an additional $75,000, 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. That phase will
be done at a later date.
"What are we going to do until it gets built?" wondered an
impatient Justin Mower of Ramseur. "I do like where they are building
it, because it keeps our hopes up that they are doing this for us."
***
For more information on the skateboard park, call the Asheboro Parks
& Recreation Department at 626-1240.
Copyright 2002, Stephens Media Group
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