Harrisonburg has begun renovating its 20-year-old skatepark – but many in the skate community say the city is going about it the wrong way. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
[sounds of skateboarding, music]
That's the sound of people skateboarding at Westover Park, shot by Josh Meadows in 2021. But the facilities have been deteriorating. The ramps, boxes, and quarter pipes have been patched and resurfaced multiple times since they were first installed in 2003.
So, many skaters rejoiced when they heard that the city council had allocated $475,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to renovate the skatepark. But that tide of public opinion turned two weeks ago, when the city announced on social media that they'd be replacing the old, wood-and-composite obstacles with steel.
Brandon Payne was one of more than 100 people who commented on the Instagram post, pleading with the city to change course.
BRANDON PAYNE: No steel ramps or obstacles. Absolutely not. Concrete will be way more cost effective in the long run – definitely industry standard.
Even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal for those who aren’t skateboarders, it’s important to those in the skate community. According to a guide published by the Tony Hawk Foundation, both steel and wood require significant maintenance. But, [quote] "steel has a number of qualities that make it unpopular among skaters." [end quote]
Noah Etka, who's originally from Richmond and now lives in Harrisonburg, said one of the parks he grew up riding in Mechanicsville was made of steel.
NOAH ETKA: It's incredibly slippery. … If it's hot, unrideable, because you'll just burn yourself. Sharp edges that are a lot harder to deal with. … Also, since it's all welded, they're not smooth. … And it's incredibly loud.
Mike Johnston is the owner of Manifest Skate Shop in Durham, North Carolina. He lived in Harrisonburg for four years after graduating from James Madison University.
MIKE JOHNSTON: Why would anybody hire a company to put steel ramps anywhere? It's just, it's like no one does it. It's disappointing, honestly, because like I said, Harrisonburg has a thriving, amazing skate community.
He explained why concrete is the industry standard.
JOHNSTON: It's just the best surface to roll on. It's smooth, you can maintain your speed. … It is the most long-lasting thing. Basically, any good skatepark anywhere is built out of concrete.
Michael Parks, Harrisonburg's director of communications, said the city employees know that concrete is the best skatepark material – they just can't afford it.
MICHAEL PARKS: Because of the nature of the deterioration of the skatepark, we were having to look at closing it down, and we knew it was time to move forward on something.
So, they consulted with the American Ramp Company. Parks explained this company was recommended by the national procurement agency Sourcewell, which reviews vendors and helps local governments contract with them.
PARKS: They let us know what some potential options would be, and as I said, they do everything from wood to concrete.
The company offers three above-ground options. The completely steel one that Harrisonburg chose comes with a 20-year warranty.
Through Google searches, I was able to find 17 major skatepark builders that work in multiple states across the country. Of those, only the American Ramp Company offers steel obstacles. When I searched specifically for "steel skatepark ramps," I was able to find one other companyout of Connecticut that does offer a "backyard" line of steel ramps and features.
PAUL SOMERS: Nobody in the community would ask for a metal park.
Paul Somers, owner of the Golden Pony in Harrisonburg, has skated at Westover since it opened, and taught his three kids to skate there. He said that when city council allocated the money for renovations –
SOMERS: It felt like that was a big home run that got handed to Parks and Rec, but then Parks and Rec didn't do their research.
Jesse Hammer, the owner of Wonder skate shop in Harrisonburg, said he tried to talk to city staff. But, he said the employees he spoke with discounted his input as financially unrealistic.
JESSE HAMMER: I hope in the future that they can start to actually understand how important it is to work with the people that are actually in the skateboarding community here when they do these things, and that hopefully we don't end up with a really bad skatepark.
Several of the people I talked to pointed to Charlottesville's skatepark as a local example of excellence, with 33,000 square feet of in-ground concrete. Parks said Harrisonburg just doesn't have the resources to do the same.
According to Charlottesville Tomorrow, their skate park [quote] "cost about $2.1 million and received a $25,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation for its construction." [end quote] That figure did not include the $2.7 million bridge that was constructed to connect the skatepark to the rest of McIntire Park.
Local attorney and skater Grant Penrod argues that it's still not a good choice to spend the ARPA funds now, on steel.
GRANT PENROD: I think overall, you'd want to wait and do it right, and get something that people want, and not spend a half a million dollars on something that the skateboarders are saying, "we don't like this."
TANNER SMITH: I feel like it sounds to people that aren't skateboarders that we sound kind of selfish and ungrateful that they're wanting to redo the park and put in new stuff –
Twenty-two-year-old Staunton resident Tanner Smith has been driving up to Westover since he was a little kid.
SMITH: … That's not the case at all. We're very excited for them to redo the park … but we don't want it to be downgraded, you know?
[sounds of skateboarding, music]
The skatepark is scheduled to reopen with steel features in mid-June. And, in at least one universally applauded decision, the city plans to install lighting later this summer.
