The basis for this type of park is to deliver a skater to the handrail, stair set or Hubba ledge so that they can ollie or grind it... but here's the problem... we spend 70% of the budget just getting kids two feet off the ground and up to the handrail!! The noise and the ridiculous redundancy of the park, channeling all users into one common area and the fact that this type of park is generally a ghost town in two years should be reasons enough to stop the insanity...
Watch this video for a depiction of the wasted money just delivering the kid to the stair set-
Two quarter pipes that the kids have to clamor up on top of, drop in, cheat death with oncoming traffic (since EVERY skater needs to use the quarter pipe) make it up the disastrous kink on the middle section, go up, across the flat then hopefully ollie up on to the rail or ollie the stairs.... hoping that no one is doing the same thing in the opposite direction. SO, if you follow my logic not only have we spent approximately $10,000 on quarter pipes just to give kids enough speed to navigate a kinked flat ramp and arrive at an elevation 24" above the original elevation we've put them in danger of collision with the other skaters or bikers doing the same thing!! I'm confused and I just wrote this so don't feel bad.
Bottom line? Why not spend the money on a proper concrete deck at elevation 24" or 36", put a nice set of stairs, handrail, Hubba, Pier 7 ledge and let the kids skate the elements the way they skate them in the street?
So, by a show of hands? $35,000 for this (including slab)
Or this for about $40,000
A simple Poured in Place concrete Plaza is quiet, cost-effective and will last for many years and is what kids really want to skate. Plazas can be built on any tennis court or parking lot and require only about 2,500 to 4,000 square feet.
