Fri 7 Dec 2007
Skateboarders and BMXers rallied two years ago and successfully lobbied the City to include $1.3 million in Austin’s last bond package for the purpose of building a skatepark and BMX park. The voters approved it and a year later the city has set the wheels in motion to begin this project.
Wanna tell the city how to design the next skatepark to be built in Austin? Come to the public input meeting to be held December 12th at the Austin Recreation Center (ARC) at 7:00 PM. The current plan is to incorporate both skateboarding and BMX in the facility to be built in place of the current house park ramps-on-a-slab facility. Canadian skatepark designer / builder, Newline, will be in attendance and gathering suggestions for the design of this dual-use skatepark.
December 8th, 2007 at 9:21 am
wow Newline can build skateparks, just by seeing their website. but they are all in canada, IF they do get the austin contract, i hope those kanooks dont die in the texas heat.
December 9th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Arrgh!!
I wish I could be there but I am going out of town on a business trip. PLEASE DO NOT LET CERTAIN SKATESHOP OWNERS TRY TO SNUFF OUT ANY PLANS FOR VERT / BOWLS in the new skatepark facility — thanks!!!
ML
December 11th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I looking for an excuse to raise some money and this lokks like a good cause. let me know if its needed on this project or any other.
email: tuckersci@aol.com
December 11th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Please only build vert trannys…with a min. of 5 vert per wall. i like carving vert!
December 12th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
First off, I think that we must DEMAND MORE SPACE. Denver is 50,000 sq. ft. The new Houston park is supposed to be like 100,000 or something(?)
We cannot agree to be squeezed into another Round Rock or Mable Davis sized area. With all that money we should be able to build everything. pure street, bowls, vert, BMX-sized stuff, whatever.
If this thing goes the pure skate plaza route (and the park is banks, ledges, and stairs only) then the least that could be done is build some steel/wood ramps right next to the cement park.
December 12th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
P.S. is anyone looking for bromance?
December 13th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
This was a great meeting! Thanks to all the folks who showed up and gave input. Next big moment will be in February when the draft design is brought out for feedback.
December 14th, 2007 at 1:02 am
the meeting was good. i’m glad the bowls were included in the plans or else i would have been f-ing livid. as for the street stuff…. i am okay with integrate banks, tranny, rails, rad incline ledges…. but when people start talking about a plaza with flat planters and whatnot, we are entering the realm of the ludicrous. $1.2 million to replicate an f-ing manual pad ??? open space to play S-K-A-T-E ? are you f-ing serious ? that’s what parking lots are for ! a “skatepark” should never be just flat ground. that’s what makes it different and special from the everyday. “less is more” might be true in modernist architecture. but sometimes less is just less!!! head out of asses please!!
December 14th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
You don’t have to pretend to be me to get yr bromance on! Don’t be ashamed dude.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
the post below is a bulletin from TEKGNAR on myspace. according to them the park will be a “Skate Plaza” design… and any bowl will be for bmx’ers…
Ok everybody…we are finally truly moving forward with this project. New Line has been contracted to build our new, state-of-the-art skate park located at the ARC at 1301 Shoal Creek in the heart of beautiful downtown Austin! We are getting about 30,000 square feet of street-style plaza and a specially designed bowl for the BMX guys. It will be about 20% for the BMX part and the rest will be skate plaza-style. It will incorporate art from local artists and landscaping unique to Austin. This park WILL be incomparable! It will be completely unique in concept and design from start to finish and will make a statement to the rest of the world that Austin matters in the skate and BMX world. WE WILL be considered one of the top spots to skate. This park will be amazing!
Next step is the design stage. New Line will have their concept and design ready for you to see about the end of Feb to first of March. There will be an open meeting to discuss the design then. We will keep you posted on this.
Next will be finalization of design and permits and then we expect to break ground in June-July.
Thank you for your patience and support! This is going to be great!
December 14th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Why don’t you wait until you see the actual design before you go hating on it? I seriously don’t think it’s just gonna be some big open flat ground spot.
I think that some people just wanted to make sure it will not be overwhelmingly crowded with obstacles, so we are’t constantly running into shit.
You also need to look at the Austin skateboard community as a whole and not just yourself. Believe it or not but most of the skateboarders in Austin are excited about this project and are looking forward to it.
Keep in mind that there is still Mabel Davis, Lakeway, and Round Rock. And who is to say this is the last park Austin is gonna get. Seriously, try to keep an open mind and wait until we see the design in January. You might actually like it. Who knows?
December 14th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
On a exciting note, rumor has it that New Line is working out a deal with Jeff Grosso to go out to all the opening of their parks on ribbon cutting day to do demos in the bowl areas and Rob Dyrdek to do demos in the skate plaza areas. In addition to both of those well known pros, New Line will be bringing out none other than Henry Rollins to do poetry readings and tell comical stories on “extreme” living from a first hand point of view.
I think it’s pretty cool of New Line to shell out the dough to have a big kick off for their parks on opening days, but I’m just not sure how well it will work with “older” pros such as Grosso and Dyrdek. Both great pros in their prime, but I’m just not sure how relevant they are these days.
That said, bringing out a timeless artist such as Rollins is a great idea. Not only does he come from an extreme background(remember that Independent Truck Co. ad anyone?) and can communicate to the “kids” on their level, but, as a major label recording artist, he also has experience with communicating to society at large.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on Grosso or Dyrdek. I’ll be stoked if they show up to the ARC park on opening day. But if New Line is really able to rope in Rollins, I know where me and my season 1 box set of the Henry Rollins show will be: In line to meet the godfather of extreme.
December 15th, 2007 at 1:43 am
just saw Grosso on the Hosoi documentary DVD ‘Rising Son.’ highly recommend it.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Canadians
havent yall watched south park before
come on
yanks
December 16th, 2007 at 10:53 am
“It will incorporate art from local artists and landscaping unique to Austin…”
I’m loving it to hear this. If it’s one thing I hate about every skatepark I’ve ever been too, (with the exception of Washington Street in San Diego which was DIY built by skaters), it’s the complete lack of any aesthetic value. Skaters by and large are incredibly artistic folks, and yet skateparks by and large are cold, bland, and colorless designs. WTF? Let’s get some art and texture in there. This is fricken Austin after all.
December 16th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
word