"Do not consider it proof just because it is written in books, for a liar who will deceive with his tongue will not hesitate to do the same with his pen." Maimonides
The time has come- the time to tell your city that temporary steel ramps are for kids and the salesmen are full of crap. The Tony Hawk Foundation has eliminated ALL funding for prefab or precast parks with kickplates, Skaters for Public Skateparks and SPAUSA have declared open season on any rattle-trap installations and even going back to 2004 many had already began to question the reality of a 20 year warranty and such easy setup... and for good reason.
I know, I know- we've all heard the prefab guys whining because they claim we're targeting them and falsely slandering their product, I've even been threatened with a lawsuit as have many in the industry. But he truth is actually pretty easy to grasp; Mareketing money and slick brochures have had their way with our industry for long enough
So let's get down to brass tacks with our top 10 picks of untruths spun by the prefab industry-
- Prefab has a 20 year warranty
- Your climate is too cold for concrete
- Your soils won't support a concrete skatepark
- Your budget is too small for concrete
- You can move the park if it's not successful- well, this is only half of a lie. The fact is you WILL remove the park WHEN it fails if you buy prefab
- You can't move a concrete park around- again, this is actually true but if your park is designed by professionals not posers with beepers and acid-washed jeans then you won't NEED to move it around
- Prefab is quicker and the kids will be skating sooner
- Prefab isn't noisy but in case you want it "we offer a noise-reducing package for $$$"
- Prefab is cheaper
- prefab designs are FREE... not
Simple fact is that prefab is an archaic and unwanted type of skatepark and we need to band together to help usher in the new-normal where all kids are given an opportunity at a great park, no matter the size.
Help us in our fight for all public skateparks to be concrete- designed by skaters, built by skaters and used by skaters.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Friday, September 2, 2011
What does a sawdust burger have to do with skateparks?
ring-ring... ring-ring... “hello, City of Anytown, how can I help you?”
“I have some questions regarding he skatepark bid, who might I speak with?”
“That would be Jeremiah, please hold”
“Hello, this is Jeremiah”
“Hi Jeremiah, I was reading the bid and was curious why you would be building a temporary steel park rather than a permanent, professionally-built concrete one?”
“Simple- warranty and cost. Concrete isn’t warranted and it costs three times as much as steel”.
Awkward silence...
“Well, then can you tell me why the bid spec for the ramps is written by the vendor and eliminates anyone else form bidding?"
"Because”, Jeremiah offered, “it’s just the industry standard...”
More awkward silence...
In the 30 minutes that followed Jeremiah grew more and more angry at the fact that this company, whom they had chosen to lead the skatepark design process with their community, had actually abused that trust and used it as an opportunity to create a no-bid sale of their product- despite the fact that the project is funded entirely by tax-generated funds- your and my hard-earned tax dollars.
The process has become more and more common in our industry with one company working tirelessly to create a list of requirements- from insurance limits to warranties to the use of copyrighted names to put themselves at the top of some self-invented heap in a game of marketing at the expense of quality. So the question begs- does a copyrighted name that only one vendor has the right to use make a better product? How about upping the length of your warranty to more than twice the length of time your company has ben in business and 5 times that of a Mercedes? In my opinion, none of this makes shit for a difference when the time comes to skating... and we are building a skatepark, right?
Proprietary Specs and the abuse of trust
There are many ways to gain the trust of a client- reputation, history of quality and timeliness, length of time in business, etc. There may even be religious values that draw you to a particular company over another or, gasp, their brochure just looked real good and had LOTS of completed projects and quotes... but why anyone trusts a particular salesman and chooses a particular product isn’t the real issue, we are discussing what someone does with that trust.
Skateparks are strange, abstract little beasts and to the non-skater, which the vast majority of city officials responsible for buying one are, it can be a very scary endeavor. That said, once a the aforementioned official develops a level of trust with the salesman things can move along pretty quickly. And now we arrive at the problem- when the salesman abuses that trust and pigeon-holes their product in to the process.
Development of product and competition, it has been said, is the cornerstone of creativity. But what about the development of specifications and procedures which don’t create a better product but simply serve to create a monopoly. And what happens when that monopoly is presented in such a way that those who don’t offer the same product are somehow inferior? Seriously? Because every restaurant in America isn’t willing to cook up sawdust burgers the one who does is the automatic winner? “Well, our sawdust burger is the best in the world and we’re the only ones doing it!” Do you see a problem here, Clem? Your burger isn’t the best... as a matter of fact it isn’t even any good at all but with enough marketing dollars and a little help from above even a sawdust burger can burst on to the scene and lead the industry for a while.
Of course all good (or bad) things must come to an end and so it will go for Clem’s sawdust burger- but I’m sure by then Clem will have bought another restaurant and try and find a way to create something else that no one really wants, like sawdust dog food or sawdust pillows...
“I have some questions regarding he skatepark bid, who might I speak with?”
“That would be Jeremiah, please hold”
“Hello, this is Jeremiah”
“Hi Jeremiah, I was reading the bid and was curious why you would be building a temporary steel park rather than a permanent, professionally-built concrete one?”
“Simple- warranty and cost. Concrete isn’t warranted and it costs three times as much as steel”.
Awkward silence...
“Well, then can you tell me why the bid spec for the ramps is written by the vendor and eliminates anyone else form bidding?"
"Because”, Jeremiah offered, “it’s just the industry standard...”
More awkward silence...
In the 30 minutes that followed Jeremiah grew more and more angry at the fact that this company, whom they had chosen to lead the skatepark design process with their community, had actually abused that trust and used it as an opportunity to create a no-bid sale of their product- despite the fact that the project is funded entirely by tax-generated funds- your and my hard-earned tax dollars.
The process has become more and more common in our industry with one company working tirelessly to create a list of requirements- from insurance limits to warranties to the use of copyrighted names to put themselves at the top of some self-invented heap in a game of marketing at the expense of quality. So the question begs- does a copyrighted name that only one vendor has the right to use make a better product? How about upping the length of your warranty to more than twice the length of time your company has ben in business and 5 times that of a Mercedes? In my opinion, none of this makes shit for a difference when the time comes to skating... and we are building a skatepark, right?
Proprietary Specs and the abuse of trust
There are many ways to gain the trust of a client- reputation, history of quality and timeliness, length of time in business, etc. There may even be religious values that draw you to a particular company over another or, gasp, their brochure just looked real good and had LOTS of completed projects and quotes... but why anyone trusts a particular salesman and chooses a particular product isn’t the real issue, we are discussing what someone does with that trust.
Skateparks are strange, abstract little beasts and to the non-skater, which the vast majority of city officials responsible for buying one are, it can be a very scary endeavor. That said, once a the aforementioned official develops a level of trust with the salesman things can move along pretty quickly. And now we arrive at the problem- when the salesman abuses that trust and pigeon-holes their product in to the process.
Development of product and competition, it has been said, is the cornerstone of creativity. But what about the development of specifications and procedures which don’t create a better product but simply serve to create a monopoly. And what happens when that monopoly is presented in such a way that those who don’t offer the same product are somehow inferior? Seriously? Because every restaurant in America isn’t willing to cook up sawdust burgers the one who does is the automatic winner? “Well, our sawdust burger is the best in the world and we’re the only ones doing it!” Do you see a problem here, Clem? Your burger isn’t the best... as a matter of fact it isn’t even any good at all but with enough marketing dollars and a little help from above even a sawdust burger can burst on to the scene and lead the industry for a while.
Of course all good (or bad) things must come to an end and so it will go for Clem’s sawdust burger- but I’m sure by then Clem will have bought another restaurant and try and find a way to create something else that no one really wants, like sawdust dog food or sawdust pillows...
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Fair is fair, it's time for a new look at public recreation...
I want to know why, in most case, baseball diamonds have been built and maintained, without complaint, by taxpayers for decades. When is the last time you saw a trash receptacle tipped over or overflowing at a baseball field after a big game? It's a pretty common site where I'm from. Do the residents complain that the baseball players are belligerent, disrespectful punks and the field should be shut down? No, the taxpayer-funded DPW walks out there like they always do and clean it up... So, why is it that news articles pop up every day regarding fences, monitors and "punishment" closings at skateparks for the same things? I can see the headline now "SKATEPARK CLOSED BECAUSE OF TRASH PROBLEMS"... "we decided to close the skatepark until these kids can learn to respect it and pick up after themselves"... yea, just like the baseball players, right!!!
Now, simple math gives us another look at this- three DPW employees in two trucks for approximately 2 hours totals about $400 out of the coffers every time the field needs to be picked up. Multiply that by 15 weeks and you get what, $6,000 in trash pickup alone for one baseball diamond? Seriously? And let's not forget the public space necessary for a baseball diamond. When a skatepark committee is fighting for 3,000 or 4,000 square feet for a skatepark the ball fields take up more than ten times that... Baseball diamonds don't get crammed in behind the police station, they don't get an old40 year old tennis court (because the Town is spending $90,000 on a new one to replace the bad one) and they don't a tiny sliver of land next to the new dog park... baseball diamonds get the prime land, they get all the funds and they get all the exposure- all so that a bunch of kids can play the Nations pastime for two months... now, I love baseball as much as the next guy (not really but it sounded good) but when is fair fair?
Oh, and when was the last time you heard anyone complain about a baseball diamond being mowed two or three times a week at the taxpayers expense? The average public ball field or city park costs $9,000 per year to mow and maintain, without figuring in the cost of the $30,000 mower...
Skateparks are becoming a necessary element in towns across America and it's time public officials start recognizing the need for at least ONE skatepark in town- especially when there are already multiple tennis, baseball, football, basketball and running facilities.
Over and out...
Friday, August 19, 2011
Why do City officials think our kids need supervision in skateparks?
It's been a while since I last ranted but it's been a busy summer. Today I'd like to get to the bottom of why the hell city officials and parents think skateaprks need to be monitored... and to a greater extent why public money should be spent on skateparks to begin with... so here we go-
First, people need to realize that the sports we recognized as "normal" are changing as fast as the times. Kids are less interested in tennis, basketball, baseball and other sports (with multiple places to practice in most towns) and more interested in the sports they see on MTV, video games and other age-specific programming. When's the last time your kid wanted to run to Best buy to buy BORIS BECKERS PRO TENNIS PLAYER or TIGER'S PRO GOLFER? Tony Hawks pro Skater is one of the top selling games of all time for a reason, stop making these kids feel like outcasts because they don't want to participate in your idea of "proper sports"... municipalities need to adjust with the times and provide kids with the outlets they need instead of building more tennis courts when there are already a dozen in most towns.
Next, the type of facility will dictate what type of use it gets. Buying prefab ramps from a catalog and plunking them on a tennis court is NOT a skatepark. This type of park results in more trash, less traffic and a much more limited user base than a professionally-designed concrete park designed for all ages- yes, adults do skate and create a structured atmosphere with constant mentoring- remove the adults and you have immediate problems.... Steel skateparks are like paving a baseball diamond or building a tennis court on a hillside, it's just wrong.
And lastly, why does everyone always assume a skatepark needs supervision? Are skaters genetically predisposed to trouble and does putting them inside a fenced area with some intern shouting at them going to suddenly set them straight? No... it won't, that's called school. A skatepark should be cutting edge and attract users of all ages and abilities. And, just like your publicly-funded playgrounds on public land, It should NOT be fenced. It should be designed as an integral part of the landscape and disappear to most passers-by if there are no skaters there. Picture a beautiful little park-inside-a-park with trees and benches that was designed to be skated- there is no noise, no circus show... now picture a fenced tennis court with noisy steel ramps and a gate- it's noisy, looks like an MMA fighting ring and sounds like an elementary school band practicing inside of a steel drum...
SO, do your research, open your minds and stop thinking that skaters are any different than any other athlete. But also give some real consideration to your own prejudices about them... if your neighbors kid was a star football player you'd wave and say what a good kid he is but change his clothes and put a skateboard under his arm and you'd be locking your doors at night... and that's just wrong.
Oh yea, I still have questions- I do have to ask if the local playgrounds, ball fields and such are supervised in your town? Can kids go to a local park and play soccer without a supervisor keeping them safe? Are the basketball courts monitored? Can kids toss a frisbee in a public park? Is there a monitor at the local tot-lot or is the supervision of all of these facilities at the parents risk? I think the problem lies in fears that skating should be treated differently than other sports. If a group of teens can go to a basketball court and play barefoot, drink out of glass containers and not wear eye protection than kids should be able to enjoy a skatepark without "the man" watching... RESPECTFULLY submitted, I appreciate the points of view.
First, people need to realize that the sports we recognized as "normal" are changing as fast as the times. Kids are less interested in tennis, basketball, baseball and other sports (with multiple places to practice in most towns) and more interested in the sports they see on MTV, video games and other age-specific programming. When's the last time your kid wanted to run to Best buy to buy BORIS BECKERS PRO TENNIS PLAYER or TIGER'S PRO GOLFER? Tony Hawks pro Skater is one of the top selling games of all time for a reason, stop making these kids feel like outcasts because they don't want to participate in your idea of "proper sports"... municipalities need to adjust with the times and provide kids with the outlets they need instead of building more tennis courts when there are already a dozen in most towns.
Next, the type of facility will dictate what type of use it gets. Buying prefab ramps from a catalog and plunking them on a tennis court is NOT a skatepark. This type of park results in more trash, less traffic and a much more limited user base than a professionally-designed concrete park designed for all ages- yes, adults do skate and create a structured atmosphere with constant mentoring- remove the adults and you have immediate problems.... Steel skateparks are like paving a baseball diamond or building a tennis court on a hillside, it's just wrong.
And lastly, why does everyone always assume a skatepark needs supervision? Are skaters genetically predisposed to trouble and does putting them inside a fenced area with some intern shouting at them going to suddenly set them straight? No... it won't, that's called school. A skatepark should be cutting edge and attract users of all ages and abilities. And, just like your publicly-funded playgrounds on public land, It should NOT be fenced. It should be designed as an integral part of the landscape and disappear to most passers-by if there are no skaters there. Picture a beautiful little park-inside-a-park with trees and benches that was designed to be skated- there is no noise, no circus show... now picture a fenced tennis court with noisy steel ramps and a gate- it's noisy, looks like an MMA fighting ring and sounds like an elementary school band practicing inside of a steel drum...
SO, do your research, open your minds and stop thinking that skaters are any different than any other athlete. But also give some real consideration to your own prejudices about them... if your neighbors kid was a star football player you'd wave and say what a good kid he is but change his clothes and put a skateboard under his arm and you'd be locking your doors at night... and that's just wrong.
Oh yea, I still have questions- I do have to ask if the local playgrounds, ball fields and such are supervised in your town? Can kids go to a local park and play soccer without a supervisor keeping them safe? Are the basketball courts monitored? Can kids toss a frisbee in a public park? Is there a monitor at the local tot-lot or is the supervision of all of these facilities at the parents risk? I think the problem lies in fears that skating should be treated differently than other sports. If a group of teens can go to a basketball court and play barefoot, drink out of glass containers and not wear eye protection than kids should be able to enjoy a skatepark without "the man" watching... RESPECTFULLY submitted, I appreciate the points of view.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Skatepark Warranty- is the devil in the detials?
This is a repost from February 2010 but I feel it is as important today as ever.
Skatepark warranties- too good to be true? Only if you actually skate your park, it seems.
For years I've questioned the promise of 15 and 20 year warranties offered by some companies and, I have to say, they are too good to be true. Seriously, can anyone really expect any product built from concrete or steel to last 15 or 20 years, let alone have a realistic expectation that same product will have a warranty that long? Police cars, fire trucks, computers, electric generators, water lines or even the very building in which you are probably sitting right now... are any of them covered for 20 years? 15? Maybe 10? How about 5? In short, no they're not... and neither is your skatepark.
Can customers really believe this promise? These prefab steel parks have a history of 3-5 year effective lifespans after which time they are typically either removed, replaced or refurbished. So what, you say? After performing the necessary maintenance to keep one of these items viable and safe- or moving the ramp within the same park or to another location- the warranty is VOID.... period, done like dinner, it's all on you now. It's hard to imagine that moving a ramp across the lot (remember all the promises of being able to reconfigure the park to keep it interesting?) can some how be responsible for the steel walls rusting but it must be true, otherwise why would they write it?
Below is a copy of the warranty from a prefab steel and precast concrete ramp manufacturer. When a promise of a 15 or 20 year warranty is qualified by saying "installation of replacement parts... not covered under this warranty and freight is to be PREPAID by purchaser" I think the "purchaser" should be scared. Can you imagine not only paying twice for an item but prepaying for shipping on 10,000 pounds of prefab concrete? Then, once the item arrives at your site you have to remove the old ramp with a crane and dispose of it, install the new one with a crane and perform the necessary repairs to the surrounding site. Do we see a problem here?
Here's how I read this warranty-
* warranty is at the discretion of manufacturer
* warranty does not cover normal wear and tear (it is a skatepark, remember)
* warranty does not cover acts of God (such as freeze and thaw cycles?)
* if a purchaser does not follow the daily, weekly and monthly maintenance recommendations the warranty is void
In my opinion, these promises are misleading and intended to offer nothing more than an empty one-up to the competition in a selfish game of sales wars. And as long as "purchasers" hang their hats on the number of years the product is (supposedly) covered our industry will remain stagnant and the skaters will lose.
Seriously, isn't using a warranty written by the vendor like asking the fox to guard the hen house? WRITE YOUR OWN WARRANTY!!!
Companies like Who Skates do not hide behind caveats but rather clearly and honestly spell out what we will and will not cover and for how long. Cities and Towns should write the warranties as Exhibits to the contract and remove all of the wiggling and fine print... force builders to make the commitment to no-fine-print warranties covering EVERYTHING in their contract, give them little or no wiggle room and go for the jugular if they leave you hanging... in a test of only the strong (or experienced) survive you will be doing a service to the taxpayers and the skaters.
Oh, and make sure shipping is included...
Skatepark warranties- too good to be true? Only if you actually skate your park, it seems.
For years I've questioned the promise of 15 and 20 year warranties offered by some companies and, I have to say, they are too good to be true. Seriously, can anyone really expect any product built from concrete or steel to last 15 or 20 years, let alone have a realistic expectation that same product will have a warranty that long? Police cars, fire trucks, computers, electric generators, water lines or even the very building in which you are probably sitting right now... are any of them covered for 20 years? 15? Maybe 10? How about 5? In short, no they're not... and neither is your skatepark.
Can customers really believe this promise? These prefab steel parks have a history of 3-5 year effective lifespans after which time they are typically either removed, replaced or refurbished. So what, you say? After performing the necessary maintenance to keep one of these items viable and safe- or moving the ramp within the same park or to another location- the warranty is VOID.... period, done like dinner, it's all on you now. It's hard to imagine that moving a ramp across the lot (remember all the promises of being able to reconfigure the park to keep it interesting?) can some how be responsible for the steel walls rusting but it must be true, otherwise why would they write it?
Below is a copy of the warranty from a prefab steel and precast concrete ramp manufacturer. When a promise of a 15 or 20 year warranty is qualified by saying "installation of replacement parts... not covered under this warranty and freight is to be PREPAID by purchaser" I think the "purchaser" should be scared. Can you imagine not only paying twice for an item but prepaying for shipping on 10,000 pounds of prefab concrete? Then, once the item arrives at your site you have to remove the old ramp with a crane and dispose of it, install the new one with a crane and perform the necessary repairs to the surrounding site. Do we see a problem here?
Here's how I read this warranty-
* warranty is at the discretion of manufacturer
* warranty does not cover normal wear and tear (it is a skatepark, remember)
* warranty does not cover acts of God (such as freeze and thaw cycles?)
* if a purchaser does not follow the daily, weekly and monthly maintenance recommendations the warranty is void
In my opinion, these promises are misleading and intended to offer nothing more than an empty one-up to the competition in a selfish game of sales wars. And as long as "purchasers" hang their hats on the number of years the product is (supposedly) covered our industry will remain stagnant and the skaters will lose.
Seriously, isn't using a warranty written by the vendor like asking the fox to guard the hen house? WRITE YOUR OWN WARRANTY!!!
Companies like Who Skates do not hide behind caveats but rather clearly and honestly spell out what we will and will not cover and for how long. Cities and Towns should write the warranties as Exhibits to the contract and remove all of the wiggling and fine print... force builders to make the commitment to no-fine-print warranties covering EVERYTHING in their contract, give them little or no wiggle room and go for the jugular if they leave you hanging... in a test of only the strong (or experienced) survive you will be doing a service to the taxpayers and the skaters.
Oh, and make sure shipping is included...
I got it honest...
Now you ain't looking at some dude
That was born with a Silver spoon in his mouth
And I might seem like some kind of low-life
To that high-falutin' crowd
But I'm plain spoken, straight talkin'
And damn proud of what I have acomplished
Some folks appreciate that and some don't
But, I got it honest Aaron Tippin
For over 23 years now Who Skates has been helping to develop the dream of skateparks, skateboards and the lifestyle that we all know as our own. 23 years is a long time and to be sure some of you have had your chances to talk shit, speak praise or just talk in general to us or about us for some reason or another. We've made some mistakes, had more than a few successes and turned more than a few kids on to skating...
We run an open ship here at Who Skates. We proudly discuss our previous projects with clients and skaters and you can damn sure bet I'll defend anything anyone wants to say, especially if they have the huevos to sign their name to it. Whether anyone wants to realize it or not I have always been the one on the other end of the phone, driving through the night coming home from an 8:00 meeting somewhere no one ever heard of, sitting at a computer all night to get some City enough info for their council meeting the next night for approval of their park and on and on. I've always been here and always will be. I will always sign my name to the contract, always answer the phone and always be the one responsible when we make a mistake.
So, what's my point? My point is that we did it ourselves... we started Who Skates in 1987 in a former hardware store in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Everything we ever built, we built ourselves. Everything we messed up, we messed up ourselves. I started Who Skates and it has been my only job since I was 21 years old. I didn't work for 7 other companies and then claim what I did there as my own... I didn't buy other companies and try to convince clients that just because I own it that I built it. Where I come from that's called a POSER...
So, in a day when it's easier to just buy what we need how many companies do you know that have nearly the original staff? Still owned by the original owners? Where every contract and reference, good or bad, was signed by the founder? Think hard...
SO, if you've made it this far without falling asleep, thank you. We are proud of the fact that we are one company, one name, one set of references and two owners- my wife Sandy and I... but here's the real reason for today's rant- do your research before you drink the KoolAid. The biggest "this", the glossiest "that". Before you commit to entrusting the future of your skaters (and tax money) to some wannabe company who has bought everything they claim (including their Facebook friends- true story) rather than building it themselves, decide if you would buy a house from that info-mercial dude Billy Mays or the SHAM-WOW!! dude...
You wanna claim somethin' then you better be willing to earn it... and I did.
TTFN,
Tom Noble
That was born with a Silver spoon in his mouth
And I might seem like some kind of low-life
To that high-falutin' crowd
But I'm plain spoken, straight talkin'
And damn proud of what I have acomplished
Some folks appreciate that and some don't
But, I got it honest Aaron Tippin
For over 23 years now Who Skates has been helping to develop the dream of skateparks, skateboards and the lifestyle that we all know as our own. 23 years is a long time and to be sure some of you have had your chances to talk shit, speak praise or just talk in general to us or about us for some reason or another. We've made some mistakes, had more than a few successes and turned more than a few kids on to skating...
We run an open ship here at Who Skates. We proudly discuss our previous projects with clients and skaters and you can damn sure bet I'll defend anything anyone wants to say, especially if they have the huevos to sign their name to it. Whether anyone wants to realize it or not I have always been the one on the other end of the phone, driving through the night coming home from an 8:00 meeting somewhere no one ever heard of, sitting at a computer all night to get some City enough info for their council meeting the next night for approval of their park and on and on. I've always been here and always will be. I will always sign my name to the contract, always answer the phone and always be the one responsible when we make a mistake.
So, what's my point? My point is that we did it ourselves... we started Who Skates in 1987 in a former hardware store in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Everything we ever built, we built ourselves. Everything we messed up, we messed up ourselves. I started Who Skates and it has been my only job since I was 21 years old. I didn't work for 7 other companies and then claim what I did there as my own... I didn't buy other companies and try to convince clients that just because I own it that I built it. Where I come from that's called a POSER...
So, in a day when it's easier to just buy what we need how many companies do you know that have nearly the original staff? Still owned by the original owners? Where every contract and reference, good or bad, was signed by the founder? Think hard...
SO, if you've made it this far without falling asleep, thank you. We are proud of the fact that we are one company, one name, one set of references and two owners- my wife Sandy and I... but here's the real reason for today's rant- do your research before you drink the KoolAid. The biggest "this", the glossiest "that". Before you commit to entrusting the future of your skaters (and tax money) to some wannabe company who has bought everything they claim (including their Facebook friends- true story) rather than building it themselves, decide if you would buy a house from that info-mercial dude Billy Mays or the SHAM-WOW!! dude...
You wanna claim somethin' then you better be willing to earn it... and I did.
TTFN,
Tom Noble
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Fundraising is getting tough, do we hold out or build now?
We are working with a lot of cities right now who are questioning their fundraising efforts and whether or not they aimed too high- Should we build in phases? Hold out for more money and do it all at once?
Here is a quote form a 2010 client who didn't wait-
When we had 1/2 of the amount of money that we thought we needed, Tom (Noble) recommended that we go ahead and build something.... just to get us started. We did just that, and the positive response that we recieved from the community (and the naysayers) was really overwhelming. Now that we have a visible demonstration of the popularity of this facility, it seems easier to move ahead with additional fundraising efforts.
Director, Standish Parks and Recreation
Standish, ME
Here's what Standish got for their $40,000 Phase 1
In short, get 'em skating!!!
Here is a quote form a 2010 client who didn't wait-
When we had 1/2 of the amount of money that we thought we needed, Tom (Noble) recommended that we go ahead and build something.... just to get us started. We did just that, and the positive response that we recieved from the community (and the naysayers) was really overwhelming. Now that we have a visible demonstration of the popularity of this facility, it seems easier to move ahead with additional fundraising efforts.
Director, Standish Parks and Recreation
Standish, ME
Here's what Standish got for their $40,000 Phase 1
In short, get 'em skating!!!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Breaking Ground Skateparks purchased and disbanded
This is a very cold day for New England Skating. After 10 years of creating concrete skate terrain in new England and beyond, Breaking Ground has sold out to American Ramp Company, the prefab steel ramp builder out of Missouri. The fact that the sale took place isn't noteworthy but the fact that ARC took this company, developed a new logo and is now touting alllll of those parks built under the BG name as their own. The staff is gone and the leadership now placed in the hands of some office guys somewhere in the Midwest.
If ARC or Hardcore Skateparks are in your town claiming an almost unbelievable amount of work completed in the last ten years then maybe you need to read THIS ARTICLE where they admit they have only been pouring concrete since 2009 and even then only because they bought the equally bad Solo precast ramp company out of Canada.
Beware y'all.
If ARC or Hardcore Skateparks are in your town claiming an almost unbelievable amount of work completed in the last ten years then maybe you need to read THIS ARTICLE where they admit they have only been pouring concrete since 2009 and even then only because they bought the equally bad Solo precast ramp company out of Canada.
Beware y'all.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Ladies and Gentlemen, THE NEW PORTLAND SKATEPARK!!!
At first glance, the new skatepark in Portland, Maine is awesome to look at... if you don't skate...
But upon further inspection, the place is already falling apart. Cracking and incredibly poor quality are evident in every corner of this park. Cold joints seem to be open 1/8" to 1/4" already and the caulking is already falling out of the ones that are sealed (NOTE: you shouldn't caulk joints in a skatepark).
In short, this is what happens when office dudes take on work they can't handle and then hire unqualified workers to build their parks!!! If we wanted a company from Auburn to build our park we wouldn't have had experience criteria in the bids.
These photos were taken on December 20th, 2010. This date happens to be 30 days after the park was complete!!! 30 days and it looks like this? Can you imagine what 3 years is going to do to it!?! Puddles 1" deep, cracking, a bowl with perfect "noping", more caulking falling out than staying in and rough finish everywhere... and then there's the Ardex Hubba. This is embarrassing people!!
Thanks ARC for building us such a great park and thanks City or Portland for letting it happen... NEXT!!!
But upon further inspection, the place is already falling apart. Cracking and incredibly poor quality are evident in every corner of this park. Cold joints seem to be open 1/8" to 1/4" already and the caulking is already falling out of the ones that are sealed (NOTE: you shouldn't caulk joints in a skatepark).
In short, this is what happens when office dudes take on work they can't handle and then hire unqualified workers to build their parks!!! If we wanted a company from Auburn to build our park we wouldn't have had experience criteria in the bids.
These photos were taken on December 20th, 2010. This date happens to be 30 days after the park was complete!!! 30 days and it looks like this? Can you imagine what 3 years is going to do to it!?! Puddles 1" deep, cracking, a bowl with perfect "noping", more caulking falling out than staying in and rough finish everywhere... and then there's the Ardex Hubba. This is embarrassing people!!
Thanks ARC for building us such a great park and thanks City or Portland for letting it happen... NEXT!!!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Desgin Fail- form has truly overtaken fnction
Here is my opinion- some designers are going sooooo far out of their way to create parks which look AWESOME from a helicopter (or to make the sale easier) that function is going out the door. Again, I am presenting this as my opinion but as a 35 year skater I see some flaws.
In the design below, the necessity for a cool aesthetic has created a park with duplicate items, dangerous intersections and road blocks where a skater will have to jump off their board if they land a trick. Sure, this represents true street skating but creating skateparks is supposed bring the BONUSES of street skating but leave the NEGATIVES behind.
1.) 2 one-sided Hubbas at a cost of over $5,000 each when one two-sided version does EXACTLY the same thing.
2.) A grass gap that leads directly to a long ledge, which is a great feature by itself, forcing a skater to stop abruptly if they land the gap ollie. Wouldn't a little 2' tall jersey barrier/ quarter pipe be a better idea there?
3.) A Pier 7 ledge which is only feet away from a grindable ledge where skaters travel in perpendicular paths. Whether a skater or their board goes in to the lower area a hazard occurs.
4.) Same as 3 (above) the other side of the park features a handrail.
5.) Absolutely NO way to skate back to the top of the park forcing kids to walk back up the stairs. Again, in the street this is fine but we're spending good money to better the sport and walking up stairs is foolish.
6.) No tranny at all in the park except for a poorly-placed volcano. Sure, plaza's are very efficient uses of space but a park this size without any quarter pipes or any way to gain speed (other than ollying gaps or kicking) is, in my opinion, silly.
Form has indeed overtaken function... flame suit on...
In the design below, the necessity for a cool aesthetic has created a park with duplicate items, dangerous intersections and road blocks where a skater will have to jump off their board if they land a trick. Sure, this represents true street skating but creating skateparks is supposed bring the BONUSES of street skating but leave the NEGATIVES behind.
1.) 2 one-sided Hubbas at a cost of over $5,000 each when one two-sided version does EXACTLY the same thing.
2.) A grass gap that leads directly to a long ledge, which is a great feature by itself, forcing a skater to stop abruptly if they land the gap ollie. Wouldn't a little 2' tall jersey barrier/ quarter pipe be a better idea there?
3.) A Pier 7 ledge which is only feet away from a grindable ledge where skaters travel in perpendicular paths. Whether a skater or their board goes in to the lower area a hazard occurs.
4.) Same as 3 (above) the other side of the park features a handrail.
5.) Absolutely NO way to skate back to the top of the park forcing kids to walk back up the stairs. Again, in the street this is fine but we're spending good money to better the sport and walking up stairs is foolish.
6.) No tranny at all in the park except for a poorly-placed volcano. Sure, plaza's are very efficient uses of space but a park this size without any quarter pipes or any way to gain speed (other than ollying gaps or kicking) is, in my opinion, silly.
Form has indeed overtaken function... flame suit on...
Friday, September 24, 2010
Lee Mass Plaza
$50,000 donated from the Kiwanis gives these kids an awesome concrete park. Price included all design, site work, labor and materials
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