The Estes Valley Recreation and Park District (EVRPD) will be holding a public design meeting with representatives of the American Ramp Company and Progressive Bike Ramps of Joplin, Mo., to discuss designs for a new and improved skate park and a pump track at Stanley Park. The meeting will take place on Monday, Nov. 24, from 7 to 9 p.m at the Town of Estes Park Municipal Building. If you have ideas or opinions, this is the time to come and join the discussion.
Users of the skate park have noticed the absence of a few pieces of equipment in recent months. These pieces were manufactured using steel, wood, and Skatelite skating surface. Unfortunately, wooden components have deteriorated over the past 12 years in Estes Park’s harsh mountain climate. Rebuilding and replacing damaged wooden components is a temporary fix at best, extending the life of outdated and potentially hazardous equipment. Insurance companies do not want to continue covering outdoor wooden skate ramps. This creates a serious liability risk for EVRPD. Without improvements, the whole park will eventually close completely.
The Lawson Skate Park was completed in 2003 through a successful partnership between EVRPD and the Town of Estes Park, with funds from the Sunrise Rotary, the Coleman Foundation of Chicago, and GOCO. It is a well-loved, heavily used facility that has been maintained over the years by EVRPD with help from local community volunteers including boy scout troops. It is one of very few facilities in Estes Park specifically serving tweens and teens. A skate park is an unique and important space for exercise, socializing, and self-expression. “It’s never a bad day to skate,” one local sixth grader recently observed.
Read more at http://www.eptrail.com/estes-park-sports/ci_26976931/public-design-input-meeting-new-skate-park-and
