RedScare Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So, did I read that right, that the proposed Houston park will be triple the size of the Austin park? That's pretty impressive, if true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwatra Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Aren't you there already? Like y'all care where you can or cannot skate. I don't think it will be the 20 something inline skatersyeah, they are there already, skating through parks and garages downtown. maybe if we build a place designated and designed for skating, it would cut down on the illegal skating. though skating backwards away from fat parking garage rent-a-cops as they chase you is a lot of fun and may keep them coming to garages, not that i ever did that. and when i used to skate downtown, i was with a bunch of normal, 20-something skaters who were just looking for a place to skate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 The park size is approximately 40,000 sqft. It will be one of the largest and most exciting skateparks in the country. This park will truely be a destination worth traveling to from out of town/state/and country. Austin currently draws about 50-100 continuous riders throughout the day - the basketball courts are completely empty in the same park.The city Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwatra Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 ^well good luck, and keep us updated with progress reports here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 (edited) In all honesty. I am all for the kids to have a place, skating is great fun. I am worried that there will just be some stupid people crying out loud saying "look what the city has done to my son !" What happened to The Van's skatepark ? There is a place still in Stafford also, isn't there ? The Grafitti and stuff won't bother me at all, I am just being Devil's Advocate here. Edited January 23, 2006 by TJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwatra Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I am just being Devil's Advocate here.No prob, that's actually necessary in order to have a good discussion. you just came out blasting on a brand new member, so i was just defending what i think looks like a great project. but they can obviously handle it on their own. Van's has since closed i believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 No prob, that's actually necessary in order to have a good discussion. you just came out blasting on a brand new member, so i was just defending what i think looks like a great project. but they can obviously handle it on their own. Van's has since closed i believe.You are right, I was a little hard on our new guy, not my intention, again playing Devil's Advocate. I whole heartedly believe what I said is exactly what we are going to see, and the news media will have a field day saying, what is the police and mayor going to do about it ? I cringe at the very thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 neatthey should build one in The Woodlands....but people would be mad about it for one reason or the other ;-0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 (edited) neatthey should build one in The Woodlands....but people would be mad about it for one reason or the other ;-0I could see one reason being because there aren't enough trees for the kiddos to fly into. Have to have that "green area" you know. Edited January 23, 2006 by TJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CE_ugh Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 yeah, they are there already, skating through parks and garages downtown. maybe if we build a place designated and designed for skating, it would cut down on the illegal skating. though skating backwards away from fat parking garage rent-a-cops as they chase you is a lot of fun and may keep them coming to garages, not that i ever did that. and when i used to skate downtown, i was with a bunch of normal, 20-something skaters who were just looking for a place to skate.Hey I NEVER did that! Honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstngoal Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 You are right, I was a little hard on our new guy, not my intention, again playing Devil's Advocate. I whole heartedly believe what I said is exactly what we are going to see, and the news media will have a field day saying, what is the police and mayor going to do about it ? I cringe at the very thought.Don't cringe... just consider the source. Houston's media is about the worst I've seen! Let them have a field day all they want... no one takes them seriously. Btw, the mayor is all for this project anyway... and the police have much bigger fish to fry.I was just in Denver and saw their large skate park near downtown. It is an area that I would say is comparable to the Buffalo Bayou site in Houston. It is really nice... well landscaped, graffiti-free, lots of lighting. It was a very festive atmosphere. I'm happy Houston is on the right track with this project - and I support it unconditionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 No problem on the string of tough questions. A lot of the questions/issues which have been brought up here are the same ones being brought up in meetings with city, foundation, and corporation officials. It Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewMND Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Won't they fill up with water during rain storms? Or is that kinda the point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 The skatepark will serve as a retention basin during high waters on Buffalo Bayou. It only alleviates about a million gallons during overflow conditions; Harris County Flood Control can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 What is the status of this project? Is it still in a planning stage? Where will the money come from to build it? Will the City Parks department maintain the skatepark if it is built?For the record:I think it's a great idea and I would love to see this built tommorrow.Dream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantstoprolling Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Hello everyone I am an aggressive inline skater. With the Wrekshop Skate Crew, for many years we have been skating downtown, and for many years we have had to leave downtown for Law purposes. I like the fact that this whole project is in play I have been in the skate scean for some time now. For many skaters this is a DREAM come true. Just remeber if your against somthing positive, you are likely to ruine somones dreams no matter what it is. So people stay positive, and Live Life because we are not ment to last forever . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double L Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 How deep are the inclines in this park? If they're deeper than they look in the rendering than I can't think of a park in Houston that can compete with this one.Good project for downtown and for the city. You want these kids to be going into a planned skate park instead of whatever random area they may find on the street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 The Downtown Skatepark Project is moving forward (slowly but surely) thanks to groups such as the Huffington Foundation, El Paso Energy, and Soundwaves. Keep spreading the word and check out one of the PUSH meetings and/or events if you have a chance - www.pushhouston.com for more info. FYI - Austin just completed their second public skatepark (Lakeway). Here's some pictures of Mabel Davis and Lakeway. Both were built by Grindline. This is the same company we are working with for the downtown park. If your community is looking to build a public skatepark, Grindline is a good choice to start with - www.grindline.com. Additionally, PUSH will be premiering GUSTO (film by some of the guys at Grindline) at Deans this Monday (June 12th) at 8PM. The event is open to anyone interesting in cool AC and movies about skateboarding and surfing. Lakeway, TX: Construction Overview Mable Davis: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantstoprolling Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Wow A Frosty Bowl brings back memories when I worked at Vans. The Old School Skaters loved that thang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantstoprolling Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 I hope they put some type of Monster Energy Drink vending machines, by the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomic Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Don't want to knock the skate park, I do like the idea, but... I was watching the tube, and saw a skate park under a freeway, I don't know what city? It was elevated just like 59 or 45. That was so perfect. It's in the shade, out of the rain, didn't pave any green and just really seemed like a good idea to me. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Honestly, I think they should make parts of SOME off the retention ponds so they could also serve as recreation areas. Just have to point out that by skating at the park, they release the city of all liability in case they brake a few bones or something.An excellent example of a dual use basin is located by BW8 on Fallbrook. A subdivision made a HUGE basin which has an extensive playground in it. While talking to a resident I made a comment about the playground and she interrupted me by saying it was the dumbest thing she's ever seen. That it's unusuable when it rains!My response was, "Umm..you let kids play during a rain or flood?"she kinda' shut up at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 30, 2006 Author Share Posted June 30, 2006 Don't want to knock the skate park, I do like the idea, but... I was watching the tube, and saw a skate park under a freeway, I don't know what city? It was elevated just like 59 or 45. That was so perfect. It's in the shade, out of the rain, didn't pave any green and just really seemed like a good idea to me. Any thoughts?That's really not a bad idea. The areas under freeways are almost always underutilized and become dead zones. Using them for skate parks would help a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 There are several public skateparks which reside under freeways. One of the first public skateparks was Burnside in Portland, Oregon. The area was infested with junkies and prostitutes before a group of skaters came in and started building concrete skate structures. Now Burnside is one of the most highly regarded skateparks out there. Here's a little documentary put together about Burnside (scroll down the About page on the PUSH site to the Quicktime video) - http://www.pushhouston.com/P_About/P_About.htm One of the reasons Houston doesn't have plans for building public skateparks like these is that there is an issue with using TXDOT property instead of city owned property. Working with TXDOT to build a public skatepark means more delays and added approval tasks for the project. Most of the the skateparks that have been built under freeways have been DIY and somewhat renegade endeavors (its usually a neglicted area not monitored very often and skate terrain is quietly built - by the time city officials catch wind of the project they see the benefits of the skatepark and decide to keep it instead of demolish it). This isn't to say that all these types of projects are successful. There have been a couple of projects where much effort is put into building a place to skate and city officials decided they did not want to have a skatepark located there. A well planned, TXDOT approved, skatepark project for under a freeway would be great. Boston is in the process of doing this same type of project right now. Here are a photo of the location and a rendering of the planned skatepark from http://www.charlesriverconservancy.org/projects/Skatepark/ : Canada has embraced the idea of building public skateparks under freeways. Here's one of their ventures in Vancouver (for more info, visit http://www.newlineskateparks.com/home.php : The Downtown Skatepark Project is moving full steam ahead. Although this skatepark may not utilize voided space such as that under freeways, it will be ever bit as good as those that do. Maybe the next public skatepark project in Houston (there will be more....soon) will incorporate the areas under freeways that no one seems to know what to use for. That's one of the benefits of skateparks; add quality of life and maintain low overhead expenditures. Here's some more photos of "freeway" skateparks: Burnside - Portland, Oregon Channel Street - San Pedro, California Washington Shreet - San Diego, California Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winesmith Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Just curious about the timeline for this project, how close to breaking ground are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 (edited) The timeline for this project is centered around fundraising. The land is secured (~2-3 million $) and one quarter of construction costs are accounted for (500K/2 million). The sooner ground is broke the better. It would be excellent to give Houston's youth better quality of life by Summer '07. Let's not repeat another static and boring summer like this one.... it just makes everyone bicker about future light rail too much . Edited July 24, 2006 by push_00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I like that skatepark-under-the-freeway idea. Can't think of anything else that land would be used for, and the atmosphere under there just seems right. Would that be a part of the Houston plans, or is it in undeveloped green? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 (edited) Building new skateparks under some of Houston's freeways is currently not on any official City of Houston plans. If there were a "master plan" for a Houston skatepark system, locating future public skateparks under freeways would be a good way to complement the Downtown Skatepark.One issue however, that would inevitably come up is what would happen to a skatepark built under a freeway when the freeway gets rebuilt. Building a skatepark under inner-loop I-45 would be nice but there are a lot of unknowns about that freeway's future. It would be very disapointing, after five to ten years, to have to tear down a place that provides improved quality of life for Houston's youth. Until the ambivalent plans are sorted out for I-45, maybe under I-10 east of Studewood TXDOT stores construction equipment? If TXDOT ever moves out of that location, it will just be another post-freeway-construction wasteland. There are already mounds of dirt favoring skatepark terrain. Why not replace this freeway construction mess with a new skatepark? Edited July 29, 2006 by push_00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ18 Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 am all for it I love skating and no The Woodlands shouldn't get one like it because skating is an urban sport not a cookie cutter sport LMAO but by the time it gets build (if it does) ill be 100 years old LMAO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
push_00 Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Speaking of the Woodlands, three years after a public design meeting for the Bear Branch facility, the first true concrete public skatepark for the Houston Area is in the construction phase. Nothing close to the size of the Downtown Skatepark but definitely a step in the right direction.1 year or 100 years, if you're helping out the cause you're doing a good thing for current and future generations of Houstonians. It's kinda hard to look scores of years ahead and realize that the public skateparks built today will host thousands of skaters not even born yet but that's the best way to plan these parks. The Downtown Skatepark Project would have never made it this far without past efforts and shared knowledge from skaters of earlier generations (50s,60s,70s, & 80s). This project is not just about getting a major public skatepark in Houston, it's also about communicating the need to improve quality of life in Houston and focusing on effective ways to keep this city's youth active. As you may have noticed, even though the majority population of Houston is under twenty, there is a minimal amount of infrastructure for this demographic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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