City looking to relocate skate park
September 7, 2019 at 4:54 a.m.
By David [email protected]
The relocation would be on the west end of Frasier Field area on East Market Street next to the Dollar General Store.
On Friday, the Board of Public Works and Safety approved a contract with American Ramp Co. for $7,500 for a concept design for the skate park relocation.
Recreation Director Sheila Wieringa told the board American Ramp was the company that put the ramps in at Mantis Skate Park and serviced them almost 20 years ago.
“They’re very responsive to any needs we have. We’re very happy with them, so we would like them to do this conceptual design,” she said.
Wieringa reminded the board that moving the skate park closer to downtown was part of the Stellar project a few years ago. It also is in the five-year master plan for the Park Department.
“This is the plan we’re looking at doing in 2021, and this is the first step to being able to start securing some funding for this project,” she said.
Mayor Joe Thallemer asked her to elaborate on the discussions the board had on the skate park’s relocation and potential accessibility improvement.
“Just looking at the map alone, I feel like if you look at the Boggs area – and, yes, there’s quite a few houses out there that it could service or that it does service – but if you then look at moving that to the Market Street area and the homes and the children or the people in general that you could impact in that area, it’s huge,” she said.
“If you think about people from the Market Street area now that might want to use that park that may not have the transportation to get over there (to Boggs), that’s quite a walk or ride, whichever. The sidewalks on that end of town aren’t the best. Is it a safe way to go? There might be, through different routes. But when you move that (skate park) to the Market Street area, think of the modes of transportation you have to that area. The sidewalks they’re putting in. I just feel like it’s a much safer area, as far as transportation goes, to that park,” she continued.
Thallemer asked her what the plans were for the existing skate park. Wieringa said that was to be determined as the Parks Department was looking for alternatives.
Thallemer suggested “some type of recreational alternative for the kids and families that are out there.”
The basketball courts will remain at Boggs Industrial Park.
“Yeah, we don’t want to take anything from that area and that community out there without replacing it with something. And those conversations have been had, just no definite answers as of yet,” Wieringa said.
The relocation would be on the west end of Frasier Field area on East Market Street next to the Dollar General Store.
On Friday, the Board of Public Works and Safety approved a contract with American Ramp Co. for $7,500 for a concept design for the skate park relocation.
Recreation Director Sheila Wieringa told the board American Ramp was the company that put the ramps in at Mantis Skate Park and serviced them almost 20 years ago.
“They’re very responsive to any needs we have. We’re very happy with them, so we would like them to do this conceptual design,” she said.
Wieringa reminded the board that moving the skate park closer to downtown was part of the Stellar project a few years ago. It also is in the five-year master plan for the Park Department.
“This is the plan we’re looking at doing in 2021, and this is the first step to being able to start securing some funding for this project,” she said.
Mayor Joe Thallemer asked her to elaborate on the discussions the board had on the skate park’s relocation and potential accessibility improvement.
“Just looking at the map alone, I feel like if you look at the Boggs area – and, yes, there’s quite a few houses out there that it could service or that it does service – but if you then look at moving that to the Market Street area and the homes and the children or the people in general that you could impact in that area, it’s huge,” she said.
“If you think about people from the Market Street area now that might want to use that park that may not have the transportation to get over there (to Boggs), that’s quite a walk or ride, whichever. The sidewalks on that end of town aren’t the best. Is it a safe way to go? There might be, through different routes. But when you move that (skate park) to the Market Street area, think of the modes of transportation you have to that area. The sidewalks they’re putting in. I just feel like it’s a much safer area, as far as transportation goes, to that park,” she continued.
Thallemer asked her what the plans were for the existing skate park. Wieringa said that was to be determined as the Parks Department was looking for alternatives.
Thallemer suggested “some type of recreational alternative for the kids and families that are out there.”
The basketball courts will remain at Boggs Industrial Park.
“Yeah, we don’t want to take anything from that area and that community out there without replacing it with something. And those conversations have been had, just no definite answers as of yet,” Wieringa said.
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