Planning a Skater’s Paradise

Stephanie M. Mangino (The Winchester Star, Winchester, VA) -- 3/8/2004

Excitement is the key to bringing a top-notch skate park to Winchester.

That’s the opinion of John Bracken, a Front Royal native and Winchester resident involved in both localities’ efforts to build skate parks.

The Front Royal/Warren County project has caught fire, but the Winchester one needs more time to become a reality, according to the Winchester Skate Park Committee.

That group has asked for three more years to raise money for a 10,000-square-foot concrete facility in Jim Barnett Park. The Parks and Recreation Board recently endorsed the extension, but City Council has yet to vote on the move.

“Everyone in Warren County is excited about this park,” said Bracken, 39, explaining the Front Royal facility, which is also slated to be 13,000 to 15,000 square feet of concrete, has received financial support from the Warren County Board of Supervisors as well as the private community.

That park’s price may come in anywhere from $291,000 to $336,000, according to the effort’s Web site.

The original plan for the Winchester park called for modular equipment placed on a concrete pad, but opinions heard by the Skate Park Committee changed the concept.

The city is putting up a fence around the park, and a local company has agreed to donate the concrete pad.

But concrete is the way to go for the entire park, according to skater Mark Rief, who attended a committee meeting at the beginning of this month. “That’s what all the skaters want.”

Bracken, who as a sound engineer travels around the world and tries skate parks everywhere he goes, said modular parks aren’t a good value, because they need far more maintenance than concrete and often only satisfy beginning skaters.

The park wouldn’t just feature bowl structures, either, said Bracken and committee Chairman Brian Patrick.

“There will be plenty of ledges for you to toss your board on, don’t worry,” Bracken said.

The idea is to feature wavy areas and grooves, ledges and hand rails, transitions and bowl-type structures in the park, said Patrick, 29.

“You can advance through that park,” he added.

Bracken and other members of the committee have suggested the concrete for the pad could be donated for the entire park, and the cost of a concrete park — which could be significantly more than $100,000 — could drop drastically if materials and equipment are donated to the effort.

Concrete, rebar, lumber, concrete pumps, and food and lodging for workers could all be donated to the cause along with money, said Bracken, committee members, and Kent Dahlgren, part of the crew of Oregon’s Dreamland Skateparks company.

The committee’s ultimate wish is for Dreamland to build Winchester’s park.

Dreamland was created by skaters, Dahlgren said, and none of them get rich off their work. He holds down another job in addition to his work with the skate park company.

Dreamland’s first concrete park, which is similar to the one sought in Winchester, appeared in 1990 in Portland, Ore.

That facility, called Burnside Skatepark, has been featured in the top-selling “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” video game, and the skating legend considers it one of his top five favorite parks.

If materials are donated, the only money Dreamland charges to build a skate park is for labor.

Bracken and Dahlgren added that a good park will not just suit the community, but also attract visiting skaters and skaters’ families.

Oregon is now home to 95 skate parks, which have become tourist attractions in themselves, Dahlgren said.

The money for Winchester’s park will come, he said. “It’s literally not that hard for a community to get that together.”

Dahlgren pointed out that $100,000 equals 100 donations of $1,000 from people or businesses.

Winchester’s effort has raised about $7,000 so far, and the committee plans on holding an April 25 all-ages, alcohol-free concert at Sweet Caroline’s nightclub to benefit the effort.

Patrick said grants are also being sought, and the group is selling $10 chances to win a $1,000 Simon gift card for Apple Blossom Mall, with that drawing to the first weekend in May. Donation jars also may start appearing in local convenience stores.

Additionally, Patrick said he is refreshing contacts with potential donors and civic organizations.

Winchester’s Skate Park Committee meets once a month at the War Memorial Building in Jim Barnett Park. All donations, marked specifically for the skate park, may be sent to the Winchester Parks Foundation, P.O. Box 3012, Winchester 22604.