Largest Skatepark in North America Opens in Greenspoint

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Largest Skatepark in North America Opens in Greenspoint

by Syd Kearney

The following selection, which appeared in the August 14, 2014, edition of the Houston Chronicle, informs readers about the opening of the largest skatepark in North America.

Years of work caught air Thursday. Hundreds of skateboarders rolled in for opening day at Spring Skatepark, a football-field-seized concrete jungle dotted with bowls and gnarly obstacles. It’s crowned by a 360-degree pipe.

The sprawling park is the largest in North America. It imitates a city environment with its stairs, handrails, and benches. Included in the design are a 12-foot vertical ramp, a 10 foot deep bowl, a Texas-shaped bowl, and a “lazy river” –style pathway accessible to even the most inexperienced skateboarders. Shredders as young as 6 showed up for the opening.

“We're going to draw skateboarders from all over the world,” predicted Sally Bradford, executive director of the Greenspoint Redevelopment Authority, as they watched a young skateboarder slide his deck along a low-slung rail. “It absolutely is a huge amenity for the city. We now have two world-class skate parks just 25 miles apart. The parks are meant to work together.”

With its 78,000 square feet of skate surface, the admission-free Spring Skatepark is one of the largest in the world. It was designed by Grindline. The Seattle firm also designed the 25,000-square-foot Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark just west of downtown Houston. “Houston now is Skateboard City, Texas,” skateboard supporter and investment banker Barry Blumenthal said.

‘Great entry to sports’

“This park is going to change the way people look at Houston,” said Blumenthal. He plans to skate the Greenspoint-area park Saturday. A boarder since the age of 10, Blumenthal predicts the park will be a boost for tourism and a spark for neighborhood development.

“Skateboarding is a great entry to a lifetime of sports,” Blumenthal said. “The barriers are so low. All you need is a board and a helmet. Neither has to be new or expensive. Skateboarding is a game-changer for at-risk kids. It gets them off the streets. This is really cool. People will come from all over.”

Luring visitors

The park already has lured at least one person to Houston.

Doug Lejeune, 44, said he recently moved to Houston so that he could skate at the new park daily. His new home is just blocks from the park.

“You can sit on the couch or you can live your life,” said Lejeune. “This is an amazing place to skate. It’s where I want to be.”

The birth of the park was a discussion with students at nearby Aldine High School. The redevelopment group was looking to fill a recreational void in the area.

“I asked, ‘If we could build something for you, what would you want?’” Bradford said. “I was surprised. The overwhelming response was the need for a skatepark.”

The Greater Greenspoint Redevelopment Authority owns and operates the park. Its creation was approved by the Houston City Council.

The 10-acre island sits in the middle of vacant lots and scattered businesses-a gas station, drugstore and doughnut shop – off Interstate 45.

The park’s first morning attracted as many experienced boarders as young people. Within the first hour, more than 100 skaters were spread over the park. By midday more than 400 skateboarders had checked in.

Max Peterson, 15, skateboard every day, even if just in his driveway. The Lamar High School student was among the first to try the 10-foot-deep, keyhole-shaped bowl.

Peterson gave the feature a thumbs up. He said, “The park is enormous. There’s so much to try.”

Moses Garza, 47, was one of the first to skate a pool style bowl at the park’s north corner. “This is awesome,” he said. “It’s something Houston definitely needed.”

Catching his breath after a run, Garza said he was trying to ride every feature before “I tire out.”

Chad Fesler, 43, said he was surprised at the challenge of some of the park’s features.

“There are some small things to skate,” he said, “but some of these are very intimidating. I didn’t expect that.”

Biker protests

While skateboarders tested their new playground, about a dozen protesters who object to the park’s ban on bicycles gathered outside its gates.

“We even asked for just one night for bikers. A bike night,” said Sean Redden, a member of Houston United BMXers. “The answer: ‘The powers who be said no.’ Who are the ‘powers who be’?”

Bradford said the new space was designed strictly with skateboarders in mind. “We have to follow the city rules. The city bans bikes from its skateparks,” she said.

All is not lost for the bikers, however. The Greenspoint Redevelopment Authority is already in discussion about constructing a neighboring 15-acre bike-centric park, Bradford said.

“We want to work with the bikers. We want their help in designing a premier bike park.”

6.
The author organizes the selection by –

stating the facts and statistics of skateparks across the country

describing the features, amenities, and offers of the skatepark

comparing the skatepark with other amusement ideas

identifying the possible problems that can occur in the skatepark