Failure to Launch
Over five year ago the Town of Mooresville, NC built a skateboard park. There is much debate on how much money was allocated and appropriated; What the original plans where and why they did not ‘finish’ the skatepark. The stories are just that, stories. I will be writing on this with a bit in my mouth as I try to explain my position and my point of view from a taxpayer and former pro skateboarder/passionate advocate. One of my next steps will be a formal letter requesting the history of funding/planning and what next steps are referencing the Freedom of Information Act. Hopefully that will help us all understand where we are now – and what we can do from here. For now, if you read no further, call your commissioners and mayor to encourage them to right by our children and provide a quality skateboard park.
Link to Town of Mooresville government contact data
For a video tour of the park click here – Mooresville Skatepark – this was taken Saturday the 20th, 2016 – If any parent wants the video taken down due to their kids being in the video I will in a heartbeat – email edwomble@ymail.com And I apologize in advance for any pain or trouble.
How did we get here?
This is where the stories come in. No one seems to really know what happened. There are many stories and viewpoints. What follows is the best I can deduce. Initially there was a plan to build the park in two phases. And then for some unknown reason Phase 2 was never completed. The infrastructure, grading, parking lot, drainage and any electrical work has a tremendous cost. We know that. What we wonder is why there was so much space dedicated to flat concrete. Obviously the Town did not seek council from skateboarders themselves. The stories take over here – the ramps were donated by a local NASCAR team after a demo of sorts. Either way ramps are temporary and not the preferred solution to any state of the art park. Again with the stories – someone in the Parks and Recreation Department had an aversion to the park. Keep in mind Mooresville was building two amazing soccer/baseball facilities at enormous cost. And now they are investing millions into the golf course. But my passion takes over and I get ahead of myself.
So Phase 1 was completed. And Phase 2 has not been done. Attached here is a Google Earth image of the park area.
Skatepark space and fence outline is south of the Police Department
Where we are now.
We have a very low grade facility. We have port-a-potty. We have no cold drink machine or hose or anything to drink. We have no bleachers or shade. We have no signage directing people to the park. I asked a parent how he found out about the park, his reply was “I was turning around in the Police Department and saw it out the corner of my eye”. Our park (yes, we own it, it is ours) uses approximately 50% of the space within the fenced area. We have no vertical wall or pool area. We have no street plaza skating area. We have a tremendous flat area which would be better jack hammered up and repoured professionally. Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced all scrape together and skate there because there is nowhere else save Charlotte to go. And the skaters still go because they love to skate.
In the morning the city opens the park, in the evening they lock it. There is no supervision or pay to skate. That is hands down the best part of the park. Skate at your own risk. They do it in Asheville, Charlotte and Raleigh.
In short we have a terrible park. And this tells children and young skaters that the city does not approve of their sport. And skating is HUGE in regards to participation across the nation vs, organized sports. So in a wal we are leading them down a road of self fulfilling profecy. If what I do is frowned upon and I love doing it – I must be a rebel.
Town of Mooresville – Make this a state of the art skatepark!
How we can resolve this.
- Fund the skatepark
- Have open meetings for public opinion on design
- Solicit bids and proposals from reputable concrete free-flowing skateboard park companies only.
- Include demolition of 1/3 – 1/2 of the existing flat concrete.
- Mandate a plaza area for street skaters and an advance vertical pool/bowl element
- Add bleachers with shade
- Add a water fountain
- Take down the fence and put up ‘Skate at your own risk’ signs
- Put up signage directing people to the park
- Hold annual pro contests with cash prizes to bring the big names in.