Skate park opening delayed

Olney parents, youngsters expected park to be open this summer, but will have to wait until September

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Area youngsters who planned to spend their summer at the Olney Skate Park will likely return to local parking lots to perfect their skating techniques.

Jimena Ryan, president of the Friends of Olney Skatepark, said she recently inquired about plans for a grand opening of the facility that was supposed to open this summer and learned that delays in park construction will force the park to open in September instead.

‘‘Construction is coming along nicely on the site improvements for the skateboard park,” Park and Planning Planner coordinator Ellen Masciocchi said. ‘‘Unfortunately, I am being told the concrete skate surface could take up to three months to pour.”

Masciocchi said that although she is disappointed, she is not surprised by the delay.

‘‘I am used to this because I work with construction, and things constantly change,” she said. ‘‘Plus, pouring concrete is tricky because it’s permanent. If it’s not done right, it’s bad.”

Meanwhile, Ryan said, supporters of the facility are very disappointed about the delay.

‘‘This means yet another summer with kids skating the streets and parking lots of Olney, even after they have lobbied the support, raised the money and had a site⁄design plan approved,” she said. ‘‘God willing, nobody will get hurt this summer.”

Ryan added that many families have altered their summer plans based on the fact that they had been told there would be a skateboard park in Olney by July.

‘‘By now, many camps are full and kids will be bored with no place to skate,” she said.

Quick facts Located at Olney Manor Park Made of concrete Cost is approximately $723,000

Catherine Cryder of Brookeville is one such parent.

‘‘We saved four weeks of our summer so our son Chase could skate there,” she said. ‘‘He was so excited, and has been watching its progress. Now he’s upset and we’re in a pickle.”

Chase Cryder, 10, will instead have to beg his parents to take him to Rockville or Gaithersburg to use the parks there, then return a few hours later to pick him up.

Instead, he will likely spend time skating in his driveway.

Ryan said that during her extensive research of the skating park industry, these facilities are usually turned around in two to three months.

‘‘The financing and contractor are in place, I just can’t imagine why this has to take so long,” she said. ‘‘All the tools were in place to make this happen.”

Ryan said she is encouraging all skaters and their families to push for a summer opening.

‘‘In my opinion, there is really no excuse for having to wait any longer,” she said.

Masciocchi is not optimistic.

‘‘I don’t know if there is any chance that it could happen sooner,” she said. ‘‘I think the answer is no, in all honesty.”

The process dates back to 2002 when Sherwood High School students submitted a petition to the Planning Board requesting that a skateboard park be built in Olney. As a result, Park and Planning staff began to explore the possibility.

Ryan, the parent of a skateboarder, organized the nonprofit Friends of Olney Skateboard Park (FOOS) to advocate such a facility.

FOOS, made up primarily of skaters and their parents, held numerous organizational meetings and organized a petition that resulted in 1,745 signatures, which they presented to the County Council.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission hired a consultant, who developed a concept plan and cost estimate. After the site was chosen with suggestions from the community, the consultant developed a site plan that was presented to the Planning Board in December 2003.

Following a unanimous decision, the Planning Board stipulated that the community needed raise $50,000 towards the facility by the following February. Through the contributions of local businesses and individuals they reached their goal.

In May 2004, the County Council appropriated $350,000 for the project, and local politicians helped secure a matching grant of $350,000 through a state bond bill.

The skateboard park was originally slated to open last July, but the skaters requested a late design change, even if it meant a delay of another year.

In the skating world there is an ongoing debate over the merits of modular parks versus concrete parks.

Modular parks offer flexibility and are less costly to build, while concrete parks offer low-maintenance durability.

The original plans called for a modular park that would have included elements such as ramps and rails that are freestanding, but the skaters lobbied for a concrete facility, which somewhat resembles an empty swimming pool with various elements integrated throughout.

The final design is available at www.sitedesigngroup.com. The user ID is Olney and the password is grind.