To Skate or Not to Skate?
New East Valley skate park sparks controversy among skaters
by Hayley
Ringle
State Press Magazine
After five years of planning and designing, 383 square yards of concrete and more than $300,000, skaters now have an east-side spot to legally ride their boards or blades and execute 'sic' tricks.
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In April, Scottsdale's Eldorado Park opened at 2311 North Miller Road. The infamous "Wedge" marks the spot of Phoenix's newest skate park for skateboarders and in-line skaters.
"I like (the park)," said Scott Pauly, a 33-year-old skateboarder and Phoenix firefighter. "This is more convenient. It's just as good as the Desert West park but it's not as big. It's got everything I need."
With concrete quarter pipes, sloped banks, a pyramid-shaped concrete obstacle and a large amoebae-shaped bowl to play on, skaters should be skating to their hearts' content.
But concerns of slippery concrete and a general distaste by some of the skateboarders for how the park was planned taint Eldorado's short history. Many skaters still trek across town to West Phoenix's Desert West Park, located at 67th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard, where a park has been open since May of 1997.
"It (building the park) was a good idea, but I think there was a lot of wasted funds," said Jeff Seliga, an ASU supply chain management junior and a member of the AZP skate team. "The coping doesn't stick out, there are no transitions and the park is extremely slick. The park doesn't flow well."
However, Karen Rumore, recreation coordinator for Eldorado Park, said several open houses were held for input on what the park should look like.
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Eldorado Skate Park 2311
N. Miller Road, Features Pipes, bowles and obstacles for skateboarders and in-line skaters |
"We wanted something everyone would like," Rumore said. "We wanted the community to get involved so it would feel like their park."
And the architect group that finalized the park's design, Lionakis Beaumont Design Group, Inc., had previous experience designing skate parks in California, said Doug Nesselroad, manager in community maintenance and recreation for Scottsdale.
But many members of the skate community don't feel that the city is trying to include them, but instead is trying to appease them with token gestures.
"They (the City of Scottsdale) want to make (the skaters) small, 'pacifier' parks," said Mark Carroll, a 25-year-old skateboarder and member of the AZP Skate Team, who added that he believed the park was built just to tide over the skaters so they couldn't complain anymore that they didn't have anywhere to skate.
But City recreation manager Nesselroad said that the planners relied on input from the skate community. At one meeting, sand was brought in so the skaters could build their own sand skate park replica and actually show the amenities they wanted.
About 15 to 20 skateboarders and in-line skaters attended the meetings and gave their input on the design, park coordinator Rumore said.
The Eldorado Park is available for skateboarders as well as in-line skaters. Though most skaters have not expressed any animosity among the two groups, some skateboarders feel that having a park for both types of skaters was the only way the park would get built.
"They (the in-line skaters) don't pay attention as much as the skateboarders do," Seliga said. "A multi-user friendly park is the only way (a park) will get built."
But City officials see it differently.
"Everybody (skateboarders and in-line skaters) have a lot of respect for each other," Rumore said. "These kids now have a legal place to go...The skate community is happy."
But how happy are they? The AZP skate team, based in Tempe, with 20 members, will skate the Desert West skate park about five times a week.
The team will only skate the Scottsdale park about twice a month, said Dennis Strieter, co-owner of Tempe skateboard shop AZP. They will travel to the west side park even though most of the AZP members live on the east side of town.
"It's so much easier to skate here (at the Scottsdale park)," said team skater Seliga, who lives in Tempe. "But I like skating at Desert West better."
Another of the concerns about the park is how slippery some of the skaters feel the surface is.
"Some parts of the park are like an ice rink," AZP-owner Strieter said.
The slipperiness is most likely due to an anti-graffiti sealant that was added to the concrete then dried down into the pavement about three to four inches, park officials said. This sealant keeps paint and ink from seeping too far into the concrete. It was added so graffiti and stickers that may appear on the park can be easily removed and to avoid that "two-tone look" seen around the Valley when graffiti is covered up.
Many myths about the anti-graffiti sealant arose among some of the skaters, who described the sealant as a "Teflon-based coating that bakes into the concrete like a glazed donut on a hot day," Strieter said.
Another question among some of the skaters was the park's three-times-the-estimated cost.
"For the amount of money they spent they could have made a really good park," said AZP team skater Carroll, who is also an Intel computer technician. "I've seen (parks) that are bigger and better, and much cheaper."
But, according to City officials, though costs did exceed the anticipated $108,000, the final cost was adequate for the amount of work that was needed to finish the park.
Because Eldorado park was built in the Indian Bend Wash, hydrology tests had to be completed to make sure the concrete would not wash away when water fills the wash.
Builders needed to use more expensive type of concrete to sustain the water--a type similar to what is found in a swimming pool, Rumore said.
With the rebar reinforcements inside the concrete bowls and slopes, everything adds up. The concrete is also very thick, with the smallest thickness six inches deep.
"We needed something that wouldn't wash away," Rumore said. "With the hydrology test, the price for the architect, the more expensive concrete, and the extra rebar-- that's where the cost came in."
You can't please everyone. And that seems to be the case with the new skate park. Most agree that it's great that there is a free and public park, but still have some concerns to address.
Others are just happy to have a legal place to skate and practice their tricks.
"I like it. It's great," said Boyd Baumgartner, a 26-year-old in-line skater. "They could improve, but you have to start somewhere."