Innisfil's first concrete skatepark is located in a new subdivision, right between two homes.
There's a lot to unpack here from placement to design/construction choices.
BTW - I had a good time.
One design choice I thought was odd was the placement of the entire park and the way the bowl faces away from the road. I was expecting to find graffiti in the hidden section of the bowl.
One side of the park features a Little QP with a ride on ledge and bank to QP.
The Little QP could be great for learning but...
...the coping protrudes well more than the standard.
In contrast, the coping on the large QP and Bowl section had very little reveal.
The seam at the bottom of the large QP is deep and wide. I lost traction any time I tried to carve the QP with speed.
The Flat Bar is a surprisingly high 20 inches (16" is standard)
Between the seam at the bottom of the Large QP and the lumpy bank, Popping onto the 20" high rail was really difficult. Another experienced skater was at the park that day and we both had challenges due to the construction of the park.
Fantastic Ledge/Manny Pad Feature but I've seen them constructed better. The sloped surface of the flats (so water drains) made the tall ledge an inch shorter where it meets the Manny Pad.
Middle section with the A frame, ride-on, rails and hubba.
Big Step-up gap with wonky hubba and it's hard to get enough speed dropping in from the Large QP. I carved the QP or rolled in to get enough speed for tricks in that direction.
I thought this hubba looked wonky and when I measured it, it was. It leans to the right side.
The volcano end of the mini-bowl is ok. I feel like any other company would have finished the edge differently, either with coping (metal or hand formed) or at least blended it into the coping.
What a nice view of the park.
Sike! it's right next to a house. While skateparks belong in neighbourhoods, this is too close. Additionally, the out rails are a Sack Tapping 30" high!
This 'seam' is really a caulked crack.
Gotta love all the fine touches.
Another deep seam in front of the A-frame.
Big step-up
I was hoping that the sidewalk was either in place before the build or put in by a GC after the park was finished, but no. They built a step into the skatepark.
Guess the guy in the wheelchair is outta luck.
Given the space available, I wonder why there wasn't a playground or splash pad where the skatepark is located & the skatepark could be placed behind where it would still be visible but further from the 2 homes. What do I know anyways? *Cough* 525 skateparks *Cough*
I had the pleasure of consulting with the local Optimist Club on this project. They were eager to get a skatepark on budget and on a quick timeline. CRC delivered a previously designed park to waive design cost.
That's when I inserted myself. I reached out to the Optimist Club with my 'resume' of Skatepark Companies best & worst projects.
I was asked for my opinion on the design. I made some suggestions. The bank and QP were originally free floating with no decks. I recommended adding decks on both as well as a flat ledge.
Construction began and soon after the grand opening I found myself near Milverton while visiting a friend so we checked it out.
I was pleasantly surprised. While it isn't perfect, it does show an improvement in the crews concrete work.
Final Concept
Nice bank to Rail (16" high rail... this will make sense later)
This flat bank has a bit of a bow to it. Not much of an issue on this feature but when you're trying to pop off a bank, imperfections in the surface are a hinderance.
The Importance of Skatepark User Directed, Designed and Built Skateparks.
Before I begin, I have dug as deep as I'm going to. Some sources have asked to remain anonymous. There is some speculation on my part but I mostly critique the construction and the park as I found it.
Tamworth held the Grand Opening of their Skatepark on September 16th 2023. I visited 10 days later. A friend who skated the opening told me to check it out before the winter.
Locals worked hard, fundraising and applying for grants and funds for over 2 years.
A designer/builder was hired (a great one) but the Town fired him, and a partially new design was created. I'm told the Town refused Geo-Technicial studies and went with a local concrete contractor to finish the project.
Wide shot photos of the park look good enough but something felt 'off' about the project. From the Grand Opening poster, it appeared the park had no flat bar.
Alright, I thought. The ledge on the curb cut obstacle could be used like a flat bar. For some reason, the image in the poster was flipped.
Here's the whole park. I'll break down the highlights & issues obstacle by obstacle.
This Bank with a Barrier Extension is built pretty well.
Here's a similar feature in Ilderton.
The top of the barrier was finished with 1" round finishing trowel. I've seen other barriers finished this way as well as Square Steel, Round Steel and Pool Block. The Steel is the most solid and stands up to impact. There was also this glob of dry concrete on the top.
This Curb Cut is a neat feature I haven't seen much in Ontario. They have also been completed with recycled hydrants in other skateparks. The ledge has no steel edging and the edges are beveled, making grinds very challenging. The surface was littered with dried concrete spray. I spent a bit of time chiseling off excess concrete to make a smooth surface for the locals.
Practically the same feature in Newmarket used as a garden planter.
A great Curb Cut feature in St Hubert, QC.
This round finishing is all over the park. It may be standard for driveways and sidewalks but it is hazardous in a skatepark. These gaps are big enough to catch a wheel and would have been filled with Bondo in the streets. I would not try to learn Nose Manny's here.
It really was everywhere. At the top of banks.
At the bottom of the quarter pipe.
Under the coping on the quarter pipe.
And it was done twice on this wall.
The Pyramid wasn't terrible but had some some issues. The ledge on the front has a section where the concrete is above the metal.
I'm still not sure what the purpose of these 'ramps' are. They are narrow, broom finished and don't reach the flat.
Both sides of the park have stair sets. The one on the QP side is flared. Neither are well set up as skate obstacles. The one on the other side has a bit more run up. A missed opportunity is the with the retaining wall. It could have been a great 'out ledge'.
Most of the coping has very poor reveal (BONK) and the sections that have reveal are hindered by the rounded finish.
This section of QP was covered in rough, dried concrete flecks. My best guess is that while broom finishing the steps, the crew didn't lay down a tarp and concrete came off the bristles and wasn't cleaned up.
There were pieces of dried concrete everywhere.
This 'China Banks Style' feature had the most construction issues.
From the back, it appears the feature required several concrete pours. An experienced company likely would have done it in two pours, building the ledge first and the banked wall around it.
The face and the top were finished with the round trowel.
The ledge was originally finished with the coping in line with the base of the wall. This would have been fine although slightly more challenging. Rather than remove and replace the ledge, an extension was poured in front and the top finished with a thin layer of concrete. This layer has separated and was crumbling.
A similar feature in Mt Albert. This ledge was cut back to add more challenge to the feature.
Three sections meeting at an uneven joint.
The end looks as though it was finished with a concrete saw.
The shade structure is cool. There's lots of seating and a nice mature tree for afternoon shade.
There is a water station at the soccer field, but only one garbage can.
The best poured concrete.
Not Convinced? Here's a video Walkthrough.
While I wouldn't recommend this park, I had some fun. Then I went to a better park.
Looks like a rail and some improvements to the ledge have been made (June '24)
