Help Stop Newcastle from Blowing It!
Newcastle Community Park is in the planning stage & the Town is proposing 3 modular skatepark designs and are taking feedback.
My advice.
Step 1) Don't go Modular.
Step 2) Don't go Modular.
Step 3) Concrete is the way to go.
Info Here
Survey Here
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFJT58S?fbclid=IwAR3q52ZRaN3GW9aTE1G1wkV9wKBe9LaMixwFQTujIe8jX3Sm_HsC1rsLGCA
The Concepts
Number 4). While the obstacle shown appears to be a single unit, my experience tells me that it is more likely made up of 2 or more parts and assembled on site like the ledge below.
The two joints on this ledge show one side did not connect properly and was filled while the second joint did meet but was not welded very well.
These large, heavy items often have lift points that are patched on site. The ledge below shows how the patch has held up after only a few months and again at one year after installation.
The Concepts
While the concepts are exciting to see, anyone who has been to a lot of skateparks know that the finished product is not always as great as the concept when it comes to modular parks.
A sort of Open Letter To Newcastle Staff
I am not opposed to any of the concepts but I am more in favor of a poured in place concrete skatepark. PIP Skateparks are now the industry standard. The Tony Hawk Foundation considers modular skateparks as temporary skateparks & does not provide grant money towards them. It is becoming more and more common to replace modular skateparks with PIP concrete as was the case in London and Welland.
I've identified 4 elements in the concepts that have real world issues.
Number 1. The double length low ledge/manny pad. One of these obstacles was included in the update of Smithfield Park in Etobicoke.
The gap in middle prevents riders from grinding the whole ledge. Anyone attempting the grind the whole gets thrown as their skateboard comes to an abrupt stop. The metal edge is also soft and not great for attempting grinds.
Number 2. The transition between the ramp and supporting surface is a high impact area. Besides creating a lot of noise, the metal ramps often bend. This will result in an unsafe ramp for the skatepark users.
Here you can see how a warped ramp can stop a wheel and throw a rider into the ramp
Number 3. Poured in Place (PIP) concrete parks take drainage into account. Modular parks frequently are placed on flat surfaces with poor drainage, resulting in pooling on the park.
Water trapped under the ramps deteriorates the concrete underneath.
When skaters are not consulted in the development of their own skatepark, bad things can happen and obvious things can be overlooked. The skatepark below was moved onto a fresh concrete pad but the contractor finished the concrete with a broom finish (Rough, really rough) that runs perpendicular to the flow of the park.
I hope you have found this information useful and I do look forward to Newcastle having a skatepark.
Also check out
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EDITS & UPDATES
The town responded positively to the letter (above) and requested the names of the suppliers of the obstacles. Another local has created an online petition calling for more skater consultation regarding skateparks in Clarington.
The amount of hate this project is getting online is crazy but this one takes the prize.
Note how I cut off the profile picture and removed the name.
Well guy, when Dominos becomes an Olympic event, then you deserve your stadium.
