Q: Why does the park cost so much?
In order to provide a modern, world class, safe, and long lasting skate park with unique obstacles and a smooth riding surface, the course needs to be made out of concrete and constructed by professional skate park builders. The majority of a skate park’s expenses come from design, building materials, and labor. On average, a finished concrete skate park costs an estimated $40 per square foot. The concrete addition that we would like to create would be around 8,000 sq. ft., which on average would put our cost at $320,000. This is a very common size and cost for other communities that have completed their concrete skate park projects all over the world. See some examples here. We have been working with Grindline, our design/build team, to come up with our $250,000 price tag, which is $70,000 less than the average.
Q: Why is concrete the preferred building material over other prefabricated materials?
When constructed correctly, concrete offers a very smooth and seamless riding surface. Concrete is very versatile when it comes to forming street style obstacles, and shaping transitions. Concrete also lasts longer, it can withstand our harsh Wisconsin weather better, and in the long run, costs less to maintain than modular skate parks.
Modular, prefabricated skate parks may seem like a good solution at first, but over time they start to peel in the areas where riding happens most, which can cause a very dangerous environment. They can also be noisy, and are very expensive to repair over the years. The damage that occurs to these parks is very discouraging and users loose interest in their park, leaving it to be a forgotten eyesore.
Concrete skate parks offer a long term solution, where young skaters can grow happily into older skaters, and pass that healthy lifestyle on to the generations to come.
Q: Is the park only being designed for skateboarders?
No, the skate park is being designed with rollerbladers in mind as well. Ultimately though, the design will be determined by the input received from the public by our committee. If there is something that you would like to see included in the park, please use our website, or come to meetings to express your opinions.
Q: Why is it taking so long?
Our committee is made up of a small group of dedicated people who are volunteering their free time to work on this project. This is the first time any of us have worked on a skate park project, and we are doing our best to work though issues that are presented to us. Over the last couple of years we have done a lot to set ourselves up with the tools that we are hoping will continue to raise awareness about our efforts to the community. We are now focusing our efforts on becoming a non profit entity for the purpose of fund raising.
We have always known that this project would not happen over night, and things are moving forward. We are very excited to see and share the progression that is surely unfolding.
Q: Who is the Sun Prairie Skate Park Committee?
The Committee is made of of Skateboard enthusiasts, local youth, parents and leaders in our community.
Q: Is the SPSPC a city committee?
Yes, we are a committee. At this point we are working on gaining our non profit status in order to apply for grants, hold official raffles, and remain as an established committee while seeing this project through and after it is completed.
Q: Why doesn’t the city just pay for the addition?
The Sun Prairie Skate Park Committee works very closely with the Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation, and Forestry department. Although they are in full support of our project, and have designated our space, their budget does not allow them to pay for the entire project. They also need to see the support from our community to fulfill the need for this addition.
Q: Is the SPSPC a non-profit?
At this point we are not, but we are currently working on that as one of our top priorities. We expect that we will be established as a non-profit organization as early as spring of 2011.
Q: Who is designing the park?
The design has been a combined effort of the S.P.S.P.C., Grindline Skate Parks and input from interested skaters. The schematic design and 3D images have been provided entirely by Grindline Skate Parks.
Q: Who has a say in what is going to be part of the park and what was not going to be part of the park?
As we are re-evaluating our current design we are trying to encourage any future participants of the skate park to offer their input if they are interested in doing so. This is going to be our park and we would like to try and include want you want, so please make yourself heard.
Q: Why do we need an addition to the skate park?
Back in 1997 when the first park was completed, the skate community was very small and the completed project seemed to be what was needed at the time. Since then, interest in action sports all over has risen significantly, and the way skate parks are built has improved drastically as well. The space that the current skate park occupies just isn’t large enough for the amount of users in our immediate area, and it also doesn’t provide the desired obstacles needed to practice safely and progress while doing so. We would like to take what other communities have done, and provide a larger more modern skate park, to set an example for other under developed skate scenes in our area, and to provide a legal and safe sacred space…
Q: Where is the money going to come from?
We currently are accepting cash donations from private citizens and business leaders in our community. We have gift bricks for sale to raise funds. The gift bricks can be engraved with a special message and will be placed at the park upon completion. We hold several fundraiser events throughout the year. At these events we have skate competitions, bands, raffles, food beverages and more. The committee has also applied for several grants and will continue to apply until the park is completed.
