A skater performs a tailslide at an Evergreen skatepark in Belding, Mich. | Photo via Evergreen Skateparks Facebook page
Planners working on Ferndale’s much-awaited outdoor skatepark have settled on Geary Park as the preferred location, with construction set to kick off as early as April if the City Council approves the plan Feb. 11.
Construction is expected to take up to 120 days, meaning the skatepark could be open for use by August or early September if all goes according to plan with the timeline. Planners want to locate the skatepark along Pinecrest on Geary Park’s northeastern side, just north of a planned community gathering space, said LaReina Wheeler, Ferndale’s Parks and Recreation director.
A skatepark committee also looked at locating the facility at Wilson and Martin Road parks and collected input from residents. But the Parks & Rec Department, Department of Public Works, Hamilton Anderson Associates and park contractor Evergreen Skateparks all helped hone in on Geary as the preferred location.
A drone view of Detroit’s Ride It Sculpture Park.
In a letter to the Parks and Recreation Commission, Wheeler notes that Geary is already set to undergo redevelopment this summer as part of a newly completed master concept plan. The park also benefits from good drainage, existing infrastructure including bathrooms and water fountains, existing trees that can be incorporated into the skatepark design and its central location, among other factors weighing in its favor.
The $500,000 park will be between 8,000 and 11,000 square feet in size and will be designed and built by Portand, Ore.-based Evergreen, which has also built skateparks in Belding, Clawson, Frankfort, Sterling Heights and the Ride It Sculpture Park in Detroit. The cost is to be split equally between a matching grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation and Ralph C Wilson Jr. Foundation, and money from the city’s roads and parks bond fund.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Commission will consider the proposal this week. If it approves the recommendation, it would go to the City Council for final approval Feb. 11.
This is such a bad location for this type of development, it’s simply too small a venue to add a destination attraction like this. I live on the corner of Geary park. and they intend to put this 11,000 sqft skate park a mere 45′ from my fence line and 60′ from the entire length of my home. I’m truly disappointed by the irresponsibility of the city council in they quest for a $250k grant. smh
Where would you rather have seen it go?
You bought your home directly adjacent to an empty park in a flourishing city. It is your fault if you don’t like what you see. Caveat emptor has never been so clear.