About Town

i like parks 1 and 2

but not 3

park 3 is hard for both bikers and skateboarders

to use numbers 1 and 2 have a good place to lern

i messed up on voting so i accdentally said park

3 instead of 1 so plese change a vote from 3 to 1

plese and thank you.

yo but in park 3 the rails are all dounward

and there hard to do. flat rails are easier in park 1 i like # 1

If they put some kind of cover over these, it would extend the usability by months each year.

Don't worry too much about particular rails or small details at this point. We are really only laying out the footprint and getting a reaction to the obstacles as a whole, how they flow and the levels of difficulty. Also how bikes and skaters think they are going to coexist in the park is key too. Keep the comments coming.

-tom

#3#3#3#3#3#3#3#3

Niccce!

if your going to appeal to bikers your going to have to put some jumps in there.

tabletops? spines? halfpipe?

i like #3

number 3 fosho its a street skaters dream (or biker.. i geuss)

1 baby

vote #1!!!

Damn son. park 3 is so dope. deff. park three man.

1 rules

u no it

VOTE FOR PARK 3!!!! its by far the best one

In other place (The Who Blog), people have stated that they want a park with legit "street" skating. Now that there are three parks to look at and think about, many people are leaning towards 1 and 2. These parks seems very cookie-cutter, back-and-forth parks. 3, I think, offers what most people are looking for in a skate-plaza type park while still offering something for people that want to skate bowls.

And as for making things that are "easy to skate"...will this actually help people progress or just make them stagnate? Look at how kids are skating all those crazy Dreamland parks. At one time people thought they were too much. But they have clearly shaped a new generation of skateboarders that are amazing (see And Now).

1 will have the fun

PARK 3. ADD A FLATBAR/BOX AND A PYRAMID AND ITS PERFECT

probably number 3 but they all look good to me as long as theres gonna be a skate park

skate park number three is the best... plus i am not "a pussy that loves the weiner"

man i want three cuz theres three stair sets and 4 grass gaps an ddeffinatly keep the bowl. because its a clover bowl and not that many parks have a clover bowl in maine so please please.

all three are F%#K weak You need a bigger bowl w/humps,drops,and alot more curves look at skate parks out in northwest or as close as stamford ct that park kicks some hardcore s@#t

Skatepark 3 is the one to build.I would like to see a 3ft or 4ft mini ramp halfpipe that is easy to skate rather than a 5ft or 6ft halfpipe.also like a snakerun path that you could just curve ride down all the way would be really fun too!The idea is to make the whole park flow with lots of curves, rounded imbankments,bumps,pools, that you can just ride around in and have fun.

Park # 3 is the BEST

Park 3 gets my vote.  Maybe some more transitions like a snake run and a mini (3-4 ft.)  Regardless of what happens PLEASE AVOID USING BRICK!!!  Frost heaves, small wheels, and chipped bricks are going to get people hurt if brick is used and brick isn't going to last as long as concrete.  Also grass is nice but it takes up space that could otherwise be used for skate surface like hips and spines.

My vote is for park number three. just put a copy of the box from westbrook into the flat area of park #3 and its the illest of them all

So far #1 seems to have the most diverse options for actually being skated on.  #3 has the pool labeled as "optional"? Does that mean it's not a sure thing or requiring extra money?  Without that #3 is a big footprint will little in the way of obstacles.

Still, why can't New England ever seem to pull from successful design features seen further west?  Our parks never seem to compare.

if u vote for 3 then i wil donate 1 buck to the town

love them all!!!!but i think number 3 would be da best!!!!XD im 13 and my younger sister and brother love to skate...i occasionaly do....but im sure they would love it if i brought them....!!!

Brian,

Yes, it is my understanding that Lewi was built for around $260,000 but I don't think it's a stretch to say that the cost of EVERYTHING has gone up 20% or more and I don't think anyone, including sam, would sign up for that job for under $320,000 (or more) today let alone next spring or further in to the future. We need to be very conservative or this thing will never get built as too many projects like the Charles River job spend years chasing their fundraising tail, watching costs go up and income stay the same. If this project takes 12-14 months to fund this thing could cost another 20-25% on top of what we are planning now. But again, if everyone wants 1/3 or 1/2 the budget spent on a pool then that's the opinion that needs to be voiced. No one is saying what is and what is not going to be built, these desgins simply reflect the loudest opinions voiced at all of the meetings, just like in Hyde Park, Mass. There is no arguing that the largest number of skaters want urban and are afraid of or can't skate transition and this is reflected in the designs popping up all over the country.

I personlly don't see Brunwick or Scituate in any of these designs but that's just me. As far as Boston, forums like this did not happen there and a conservative city who feared everything imposed rules which dictated the skatepark. Had the complaints which came after the fact been vocalized BEFORE the park was built, or during the design phase, things would have gone very differently. Instead, too many people sat back and let the parents and Mayors office take the lead and that's what they ended up with. Now, everyone complains but it's too late.

I'm happy to discuss this project all the way to the final meeting so let's get this out in the open.

-tom

we could all settle for the park one, just not made of bricks and we are all happy

As a photographer, I think that Park 1 is ideal.

design 3 is very original, has big shit and little jibs, plus its got tranny, flat banks and ledges so everyone can get down! the only thing i don't like seeing in a park are stair sets cause its a waste of space. euros are a better use of space in a park, and more fun. stairs are for climbing. i really can't complain though because it's been too long without any kind of park here in the city and Tom designs and builds good stuff so props to him for that! that 3-hip pool alone would keep me stoked! there seems to be a good mix of elemets in #3 for the dudes that like to blast airs and for those that hang out on the coping. also, just like to say thanks to Tom and the whole skaepark crew for listening to bmx riders and even offering to build proper dirt jumps. that is rare and really awesome!

Your question is spot on but let me explain the situation, both good and bad-  The good is that part of my job is to carefully detail the plans so that if ANYTHING is lost in the 'translation', meaning that what's built is different than what's in the plans, it comes out. We have succesfully done this before and I have no concern that we can do it here. There are a lot of qualified contractors who will do a great job with the park if it comes down to it. In short, the park will be EXACTLY what we design when it hits the ground. Bridges and other complicated construction projects are succesfully built every day by firms who have never built a similar project before. The reason this is possible is proper plans and engineering. And yes, the more basic designs employed are allowing more park to be built by limiting the necessity for more expensive builders.

The bad is that the City will have to put this out to bid and yes, there is a chance that a less-than-reputable contractor might take a stab at it but it is very unlikely that they would be able to pull the bid from the bigger guys. The plans will be incredibly detailed and it will be made very clear that proper care needs to be given to ensure that they are followed to the T. Prequalification of bidders will ensure that only those companies with proper experience can submit bids and many local contractors will not have those qualifications, but the better ones will. If a skatepark-specific contractor wins the bid it is probable that a great deal of the job including survey, excavation, paving, landscaping and some of the concrete work will all be subbed out to locals keeping more of the money in the local economy. This scenario happens every day across the country and I know of 6 complicated skateparks right now where the contractor has never built a park before but the park will be perfect. 90% of the guys on the site every day do not skate and never will. They have no idea what they're building but hey have a great set of plans to follow.

I hope this makes sense. We will not let this park go out to just anyone but at the same time procurement laws do dictate a great deal of projects like this. To answer your question whether or not the bikers and skaters will have a say in who bulids the park, the answer is probably no. By the time the park goes to bid our job will be mostly done so stay vocal now.

Tom

Tom,

Good to hear your responses. There IS alot of money, design, and opinion juggling that goes on with any new skatepark...and I think the serious skaters (and other riders) know this. I am sure you will put the best interest of ALL levels of riders into consideration while chosing the final design for the new park. I personaly think a nice ramp would get alot of use.....it seemed to on Marginal Way. And with the tight budget... would it be out of the question to have a bit more sk8lite involved?

Thanks,

Chris M    

Glad to hear a design's been chosen. Just a couple questions: any chance of adding a halfpipe to design 3? And given our weather, any possibility of adding cover over any of the areas?

Let's get rolling!

Hello,

I read all the posts above. I will try to suggest improvements for the design I like and describe what I do not like.

First of all, I am a skateboarder since 1987 and have a great respect for BMX as well. I think a lot of the animosity we experience can be cured with a good park design.

It's important that the park is no so open concept that a runaway board gets under bike wheels. It's also important that there be enough separate areas to avoid collisions. Large open areas have a way of getting cluttered up with the less experienced kids that don't understand the 'lines' in a park. A large area of flat is not what I go to a park for. There's plenty of tennis and basketball courts and street around for that.

'Flow' should exists in a few areas so several people can let loose at once. I enjoy the Lewiston Park because of it's great flow but it is a collision course if you run it through on a busy day.

With that said: Here's my take on the current designs offered:

I don't like #1. A mini is always a staple feature but near a square bowl, its shape is redundant.

I don't see a need for the covered shelters. They simply attract homeless folks and other behavior. A completely covered park would be useful... but an umbrella in the corner is pointless IMO. Lots of open space here. I expect a lot of crashing and spoiled approaches.

Not a huge fan of #2 but it's better. I'd swap the bank features at the opposite end of the bowl, make the center portion flat to create a cooler gap. The figure 8 bowl is cool but many will miss the mini ramp shape. The overall flow is just back and forth and pretty stock.

So me, I'm a fan of concept #3. In theory anyhow. I like the high ground in the middle and three or four possible directions. The clover bowl is cool IMO because it essentially provides both a left and right hand kidney as well as the mini-ramp shape and hips. I'd drop the park benches in favor of concrete benches (with and without backs) and probably kill the shelter too. Might be nice to add in some more trannies like a spine and a box would do well for the bikers. Is that supposed to have plush green grass and pretty landscaping? I'm not sure that's such a great idea. I like how the overall shape is 'crop-circle-ish'. It's creative and creativity has always been a big driver of our sports. Take a look at the outer circle at the bottom of the stairs. Seems to me you could carry a lot of speed from the center, take a couple of optional routes past a couple of rails and stairs to get there. Then it's sort of a dead end. Why not grow a quarter bowl there that tapers to the ground at both sides.

After you've just put down a nice line of tricks, whip around or turn back rather than heading home.

This off the top of my head. Perhaps it will at least spark some additional, constructive commentary.

if the city wants to keep skateboarders off the city streets, it is only logical that they would build a street park, or better yet a skate plaza with ledges manual pads in general things you see skateboarders skating in the city, the designers should sit down and watch some new york or any street vids and study the spots they skate, then use those ideas to design a park. No one wants to skate basicaly the same park you see everywhere thoughout the county, this is a chance to be creative a make something truely special, and original.

Ive been skating for nearly half my life now and honestly skateboarding is all i know. ive seen things come and go in skateboarding. and ive come to realize that skateboarders are the same in the sence that we are all striving for something new and original. we need something to test our creativity. what im getting at is that park 1 and 2 can be found at any city or town across the world. skateboarding started in the streets and it only makes sence to have some thing resemble it. with park three kids could learn tricks get comfortable enough and then take it to the streets. another added bonus is that sence skateboarder rollerbladers bikers or whatever you may do, flock to new things and  the city of portland could stand to actually profit from people coming just to skate the park. Park 3 is an all around better. pick park 1 and 2 is just like anyother park you go to, im not saying they arent great designs, i just think theyre a dime a dozen and after a couples people will loss interest. give  the skater a chance to test there creativity, and make something worth having. park 3 easily the best pick

#3 is where its at real street design is where its at!

I like number one the best becuase there is enough room to just sk8 around and then use the rails and the bowl is big enough for a lot of people