Skate Park Has Been Well Researched

To the Editor:

Two recent letters, “Don’t Waste Money on a “Precast’ Skate Park,” and “The Town Deserves a Better Skate Park,” [Letter Hive, 3/5/10 and 3/12/10] criticized the design of Newtown’s proposed skate park, the company that planned it, and the research Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold did to get the project to this point.

Skate parks come in a variety of models and levels of quality. Although several successful parks have a less-expensive asphalt base with features bolted to the surface, Newtown skaters told Parks and Recreation Commission members that concrete parks skate cooler, faster, and have better transitions. High-end designs are made with poured concrete; skate features and connecting surfaces are made on-site. Newtown skaters chose precast concrete. That means skate features are made in a factory, delivered to the site, and concrete poured to affix the features to the prepared surface. Precast concrete features are denser, contain less water after curing that could later crack, and are three times stronger than regular concrete. The bid specs will require a 15-year warranty.

American Ramp Company has worked with many municipalities to construct more than 1,000 skate parks. At no cost to Newtown, and with no assurance of receiving the bid, ARC President Damon Schuler came to Newtown on January 28 to hear what Newtown skaters wanted. The resulting design is a lovely plaza-style skate park that was approved unanimously by the P&R Commission on March 9. The project will go to bid in April after the budget process. Any qualified company can bid on it.

Jason Stouder, an American Ramp Company representative, said that ARC didn’t build the Texas skate parks to which the letter writers referred. However, ARC purchased the SOLO Company that had built them. ARC then corrected the engineering flaws that had led to the gaps and broken concrete in those parks.

Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold has done her homework. She spoke at length with several skate park company representatives, read books to guide her in the process of developing a skate park, and organized public meetings for skaters and their parents. Neither of the critical letter writers attended. Most importantly, she listened carefully to everyone, including the two gentlemen who wrote the letters mentioned above. She is confident the approved skate park design meets the needs of Newtown skaters at a price the community can afford. The Parks and Recreation Commission stands firmly behind the director.

Over the last several years, Donate to Skate parents have raised more than $18,000. Director of Parks Carl Samuelson is confident that his staff can prepare the surface with materials and equipment already available. If the town approves the $25,000 Parks and Recreation Department request, a donor will match that amount.

By providing a safe place for skates and BMX bikers to practice their sports, the skate park will fill an important need. This project will generate enormous benefits for a relatively modest cost.

 Sincerely,

Parks and Recreation Commission Members

Ed Marks, Chairman

P. J. Yochum, Vice Chairman

Pat Barczak

Maureen Crick Owen

Thomas DiNicola

Vincent Yanni

Jan Lee Brookes

38 Hundred Acres Road, Newtown                         March 17, 2010