North Little Rock ready to get rolling on first-rate skate park

Jake Sandlin (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock, AR) -- 12/23/2003

When North Little Rock officials decided to build a park for skateboarders, enthusiasts such as Oby Berry wanted to see it evolve into something more than just a hangout for local teens.

Design it right and put enough money behind such a park, Berry and other skaters said, then watch as skateboard-toting vacationers, professional skaters and televised competitions roll into North Little Rock to pay back the investment.

"A lot of cities are doing that, just basically hiring companies that are not skater-run and the cities are spending too much money for what are called modular ramps, or ramps that are just placed there for the time being," said Berry, a 26-year-old mathematics teacher at Magnet Cove High School. "That’s OK, but a skater-designed and built park is so much better.

"If you’re going to do it, do it right and reap the benefits."

To North Little Rock’s credit, Berry said, doing it right is just what the city plans with a $500,000 skate park near the Arkansas River.

City officials have selected for the job Dreamland Skateparks of Lincoln City, Ore., a skate-park design and construction team composed of "highly proficient skateboarders," according to the company’s Web site.

The company will design and build the 24,000-square-foot, inground, concrete skate park in phases at Riverview Park. Two Riverview Park sites are being considered for the skate park, both near the Millennium bike trail along River Road.

The North Little Rock City Council last week approved plans for the first phase to be built with $100,000 set aside from this year’s 1 percent city sales tax revenue. The remaining phases will be completed as funding is available, probably through grants.

The first phase is to open next summer. City officials began more than a year ago trying to create a new, bigger skate park after a tiny area off Main Street reserved for skaters closed because of downtown construction. In doing so, the city formed a committee of skaters to gather input.

The city and committee agreed to move the planned park from a vacant, city-owned spot on the south end of Pike Avenue to a more permanent location in Riverview Park. They also agreed that it should be an inground concrete park rather than a more temporary modular park.

"This makes it a more permanent fixture," city Parks and Recreation Director Bob Rhoads said. "Before we would pour a slab and use wood and metal and attach ramps and so on. This has a concrete bowl and ramps, a hard surface. [Riverview] is a large park, so there’s ample space."

Steve Nawojczyk, the city’s juvenile services coordinator, said the plans show that city officials took seriously the input received from the committee.

"The skaters say that concrete is by far and away the best way to go," Nawojczyk said. "We want this to be the premier park for central Arkansas. We want it to give us the opportunity for professional skaters to come here."

Making the concept a regional park — in terms of the South and Southwest, not just the central Arkansas region — is what skaters aimed for, said Berry, who offered his input when he heard North Little Rock’s plans last year.

"They were all sensitive to what we want," Berry said. "That’s just awesome. It’s going to attract so much for North Little Rock, even commerce."

Selecting Dreamland Skatepark to design the park will make it a destination for skaters from all over, Rhoads said.

"[Dreamland] is considered by skateboard people as one of the top two in the nation in building skate parks," Rhoads said. "And the concrete concept will be able to attract vacationers. This is what some people do on their vacation [visit the best skate parks]. So it’s also a tourist draw."

It’s not unusual for skaters to travel long distances to try out a superior park because there are so few really unique ones, Berry said. He and friends went to Phoenix last spring to try a skate park there, he said.

"There are going to be people coming here," he said. "They’ll come to North Little Rock to stay and eat."

Before Dreamland finishes a design for the North Little Rock park, designers will host a public hearing in the city for local skaters to get their thoughts on what’s needed, then return for another meeting to hear modifications to its plans, Rhoads said, continuing the city’s promise to listen to what skaters want.

"This type of park will meet the needs of anyone who wants to come ride," Berry said.

"And honestly, it is what we want, but we’re also thinking about the community. There are going to be people coming here for this. The recognition North Little Rock will get will be unbelievable."