Prairie Grove is getting a skate park
I remember praying (literally) for news of a skate park when I was a teenager growing up in Fayetteville. Now there’s a beautiful city-owned skate park here at Walker park and according to the NWA Times, another is on the way in nearby Prairie Grove.
In a move that probably seems too good to be true to skaters around here, it looks like an $83,000+ skate park is actually in the works. It seems as though the last remaining questions are who to buy the ramps from and what the design will be. Answers could come as early as this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. when the city’s park advisory board meets.
I’ve always liked Prairie Grove for various reasons but it just got a whole lot cooler if you ask me. In fact, the mayor was even quoted as saying, “There’s kids that don’t have anywhere to go to skate. And if you don’t have a skate park in your city, then your city’s a skate park.” Wow.
Those might be the smartest words I’ve never heard from an elected official. Congratulations Prairie Grove. And congratulations local skaters. Here’s hoping your new skate park doesn’t hit any speed bumps along the way.
Comments
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sg
January 28, 2008
That rules. Very forward-thinking of a small town.
Lant
January 30, 2008
Get Grindline or Dreamland – best in the biz – see Eureka Springs’ & North Little Rock’s skateparks for examples. PLease don’t use the monorail salesmen that built the Fayetteville park.
Lant
January 31, 2008
I lived up there at the time the Fayetteville park was conceived/built , and was involved in every step of it’s coming into being. the company that built it was not interested in any critical feedback – only atta-boys. 1st of all, there are several dead-ends – walls – WTF?! you cannot skate an 8ft wall. The thing is made of concrete, there is no excuse for walls, or any non-skateable surface anywhere within it’s parameters. The design was a mis-mash of the collective wishes from several public meetings. Their intentions were good – trying to please everyone as much as possible, but, I’m sorry, 8-yr olds who have never even been to a concrete skatepark should not have THAT MUCH input into the design of a permanent $1/2 million + $ project. The design lacks cohesion, or lines. This is where NLR & Eureka’s parks excell – Built and designed by Grindline and Dreamland, who are widely considered the best concrete designers/builders in the world(!), who actually SKATE.
Basically Fayetteville payed Cadillac price for a Geo Metro. It goes from point A to B, but as a car dude(read:skater), it is kinda embarrasing to be seen in your driveway.
Lant
February 1, 2008
Smaller towns usually go with the cheaper, modular parks.
Not great, but better than an empty parking lot that you still get busted for skating. Nice article & eMag – keep it up.