New Lakeland Hills skate park grand opening on June 9

DC, says:

This is great. Who grew up to realize kids want skate parks and baseball diamonds, well not so much?

eastside, says:

I wonder if they are going to put lights up? ain't nothing like a good skate at night!

kmckeague, says:

Lights aren't currently in the "Stars" so to speak, however, Susan W. with the Lakeland Hills Crime Watch and I will be working on some fundraising events to pay for lights and other necessities, like benches!

eastside, says:

there were a bunch of posers out there this morning. probably taking pictures for their myspace page LOL.

as far as lights goes. that would be nice. but I bet the people that live next to the park wouldn't like them to be on past 10:00pm

username, says:

skatersforpublicskateparks is really "skaters for public CONCRETE skateparks" - a real shame that they preach only their kind of skate environment & not skating as a whole...

there is room in the world for a variety of types of skateparks, & municipal budgets strictly dictate that they do the best w/ what they have...& in this case, this park rocks!! - Allen & Irving were able to spend 5 to 10 (or more) times what Dallas spent here...but neighborhood parks are a winning idea - give ALL the skaters of ALL levels a lot of places to go...not just ONE destination lobbied for by people who only want what they want (& the safety scare-tactic is misinformation) – Dallas is not behind, but ahead...as concrete parks have been around for 30 years – even the best out there (Wally Hollyday, California Skateparks, etc.) will tell you that a skatepark at any level is a good thing

some skaters need to be less snobbish & more tolerant - this IS a REAL park, engineered & built by a professional skatepark company & designed by professional skaters

if you are interested in helping Dallas w/ skateparks (whether they get on the map or not), get involved in any way you can, learn about different types of parks available, & promote the sport as a whole (not just one special interest group)

TWeller, says:

I visted the site about 1 week ago & was informed by a lage Hispanic lady that this was approved by the council,& when I protested that this park is "not exactly up to par" I was informed that "this Is a low income neighborhood". But of course, what was i thinking,I am under the misconception that Dallas actually has to spend my tax dollars prudently, instead of installing something that will fall apart in 6 months.

steveflusche, says:

I am 39. A resident of Dallas. I skateboard. My kids skateboard. We love Allen. We love Irving. This Dallas park is a slap in the face to the residents of Dallas who skateboard. Prefab playground equipment companies do no make good skateparks PERIOD. They don't understand skateboarding at all. They are not fun. This park is lame. This park WILL FALL APART in short time. There will be sharp edges. Loose screws, etc. This park is a complete waste of everyone's money. How much cement did they waste pouring the slab that garbage sits on. There could have been a little cement park which would have some of the same lame elements I have seen in the photos. Cement parks have flow, they are fun and spark creativity, they don't fall apart and they don't have to cost a lot. Do your research. Have you ever touched metal that has been baking in the hot Texas sun all day. It will BURN you. This make me so mad. I thought Parks and Rec had been show the light. What happened? Who do I call? This is a travesty. Just to be transparent. How much $ did the city of Dallas waste on this? I know from researching this topic it was probably too much and is usually akin to buying a $700.00 hammer. I will be at the grand opening and I will give any "official" my opinion on route to a real skatepark.

krustyskater, says:

My name is Jeff Bower. I managed the first skatepark ever built in the state of Texas. It was called Holly Hills, located in Corpus Christi. It was concrete and the year was 1976. Many privately owned parks were built around the state from 1976 to 1980, but they were closed down and bulldozed due to liability reasons. When the liability laws were changed a few years ago, freeing municipalities to build parks, I was absolutely delighted because for the past 25 years we have had to skateboard in less than ideal places. Plus, short of deliberatly demolishing them, concrete skateparks are a thing of permanence. I have been skateboarding with my son since he was 11. He's now 31 and I'm 52. He lives in Allen and I travel up there from Burleson at least once a week and we ride our skateboards with much enthusiasm. We are now meeting in Irving and skating that park, too. We skated there night before last. It is awesome. We look forward to introducing my grand children to the sport. We will never travel to the skatepark in Dallas that is mentioned in this discussion because it is not worthy. The person who is remaining anonymous is misleading the people of Dallas and I suspect that Mr. Stubbs is correct in identifying him as someone who will gain financially from promoting prefab ramps. The same elements that the prefab companies are selling to the city of Dallas are incorporated into the skateparks in Allen and Irving, with one difference. They will still be there when my grandchildren become grandparents. The reason is because they are built of concrete, not plywood. For comparison, our freeway system is still in great condition because it built of concrete, not wood products and sheet metal. Those materials, at best can build a temporary pseudo skate terrain, best kept to people's back yards and impovershed cities in third world countries. Dallas is a world class city and they just built a skatepark that would have been laughed at back in 1976, and it would have never lasted until 1980. Please reconsider the mistake of building more of these temporary structurers and instead, build something that will endure many years of use. My grand children would really appreciate it. The only snob I've seen in this discussion is the one who is promoting this garbage he calls a skatepark. Please listen to me. I've probably been riding a skateboard a lot longer than Mr. Anonymous has been chasing the quick buck.

username, says:

I do skate & have since the 70's - that is why I am stoked that ANY skateparks are going in...I do not dispute the merits of a concrete environment - flow, bowls, total skateable surface, & loved the few I was able to find as a kid - & they are just going to get more popular

but again, don't be haters ... appreciate what is out there & wake up to the fact that many, many skaters can enjoy this or any other skate environment - no doubt that there are exploiters in the biz & junk is being pedaled...but the negativity is really unseemly considering we have waited all these years for skating to get to the point that cities are accommodating their riders this way

Bill_Helene, says:

Those prefab "better than nothing" skateparks ruin the chance for local kids ever getting a preferred skatepark built with concrete. They are akin to what astroturf mats are for golfers. And kids on any committee would choose concrete over prefab ... I know, I've seen it with my own eyes. These "Political solution" skateparks don't belong in Dallas.

krustyskater, says:

Mr. Anonymous, if you've been skateboarding since the 70's, then I probably know you. What is your name? And are you or are you not affiliated with a prefab ramp company? Because if you are, then YOU are the only special interest group in this discussion. The rest of us are skateboarders with nothing to gain, other than maximizing our chance at having a place to skate that won't fall apart. That's really the only difference between concrete and pre fab. The fact that we're stating a very important point concerning the direction of public skatepark construction has nothing to do with hate. To the contrary, it demonstrates our love of the sport.

TWeller, says:

" no doubt that there are exploiters in the biz & junk is being pedaled...but the negativity is really unseemly" This is a prime example of the junk that is being pedaled , paid for with my tax dollars I have to wonder if you are even a resident of Dallas , & if so why you like many others are not irate at the missuse of (what amounts to)my money! Lets give the "low income" park to the "low income "neighborhood ,I find myself unable & unwilling to endorse this viewpoint!! If this facility is still intact in 6 months,I will eat my words

M_Laird, says:

My name is Mike Laird, and I've been skating continuously since 1977, in skateparks all around the world. The Lakeland Hills "skatepark" is obviously a GIANT STEP BACKWARDS in skatepark development. The year is 2007 (not 1977!) and I am here to attest that that the Lakeland Hills "skatepark" is a terrible WASTE of Dallas taxpayer dollars.

It is quite certain that Mr. ANONYMOUS "Username" is actually a front for a pre-fab skatepark manufacturer; the one which is directly responsible for the waste of taxpayer's money at Lakeland Hills. Mr. ANONYMOUS "Username" asserts that "this park ROCKS!" -- a gross distortion of the facts: the Lakeland Hills facility is a "skatepark" is name only - but it's not really a skatepark, it's a BAD JOKE at taxpayer expense.

Mr. ANONYMOUS "Username" tries to imply that the Lakeland Hills facility gives "ALL the skaters of ALL levels" a place to go. This assertion is ridiculous! NO ONE who skates seriously would ever want to go to Lakeland Hills FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER, whereas Allen and Irving continue to attract attention on an international level. How do I know this? Because the Allen Hilton Hotel has publicly stated that their NUMBER TWO SOURCE OF INCOME FROM FISCAL YEAR 2006 IS FROM OUT-OF-TOWN SKATEBOARDERS WHO VISITED THE ALLEN SKATEPARK. And why do people actually go to Allen Skatepark? Because it was designed and built CORRECTLY. Obviously the Hilton's financial data proves that the Allen community has received a DIRECT financial benefit from building the skatepark CORRECTLY. Would anyone ever want to travel from out-of-town, or even inside Dallas, to go the Lakeland Hills facility? NO!

Mr. ANONYMOUS "Username" suggests that "Dallas is not behind, but ahead" in skatepark building. WRONG AGAIN! When has Dallas EVER had a public skatepark? Never!

The Lakeland Hills facility is NOT a "REAL skatepark" as Mr. ANONYMOUS "Username" claims -- in fact, Lakeland Hills it's a complete and utter nightmare of gross indifference and missed opportunity, once again rendering the Lakeland Hills neighborhood and the City of Dallas ILL SERVED, while the pre-fab contractors laugh all the way to the bank.

Mr. ANONYMOUS "Username" tries to suggest that there is a conspiracy of "special interests" on this bulletin board, but the only "special interest" group I can see is the pre-fab contracting group responsible for this TOTAL WASTE; these contractors and their P.R. lawyers must have recognized that a community backlash was underway. In order to "spin" the situation to their advantage they ANONYMOUSLY posted pleas of sympathy and "understanding." Clearly these people are more despicable than I had previously imagined. How much money did you make off this whole debacle Mr. ANONYMOUS "Username"? It is outrageous that you and your spin-experts would try to justify your actions to the community in this way. Why don't you go somewhere else? Or why don't you unmask your identity so that we know who you are?

Signed,

M. Laird

brete_anderson, says:

The real problem here is, and the pre fab vendors will lie to P&R guys over lunch at the local strip club about this, is concrete is cheaper in the short term and much more so in the long run. Concrete parks don't have to be 10,000 sq ft and cost $100,000+. They can be smaller neighborhood skate spots in neighborhood parks too.

steveflusche, says:

I just got a ball park figure on the cost. Sickening. Let me tell you something for the amount of money I heard. Which includes the slab and the ramps. I NICE little cement park could be sitting there right now.

TWeller, says:

Mike apreciate your honesty ,& belive me that we are not trying to put anyone down here(well possably the company that installed this thing). We heard nothing about this untill it was way too late! I just returned from skating (or trying to)it & it lived up to all my expectations , the mini ramp does not have enough flat bottom & the metal was close to being too hot to touch. Not being a street skater I cant comment on some of the other things,but the level of enthusiasm there was pretty low. How this can be a"beta test" is beond me, I certainly will not be returning nor I think will anyone with the means to go elsewhere. It seems to be a case of "nice try but no cigar" Yours Tracy Weller (Lakewood resident for 10+years)

TWeller, says:

Just got off the phone with a friend that when to the opening to talk t the Parks & Rec. people,& he said it cost around $200,000. For that kind of money a park about half the size of Allen could have been built!

Concretin, says:

As a skater(20 years on board), in a city with one of the top 10 parks in the country, Louisville, KY, that is only 5 years old, I can understand that "something is better than nothing" idea. Concrete parks MUST be done right, or they are just as wasteful as prefab. Right isn't cheap, but it's worth it, even if it means a smaller park. What city officials fail to realize about prefab parks is that they are not, "install and forget it" facilities. Yes, the initial outlay is cheaper on paper (but apparently not in this case), and it can be completed in a month, including the slab... but MAINTENANCE is key! If you do not AT LEAST WEEKLY check and repair this equipment, it becomes even more dangerous. Maintenance takes TIME and MONEY. If the city is willing to make that committment, then yes, prefab parks can be a viable (but not cheaper) option.

Unfortunately, I've never skated a prefab park that is properly maintained. I certainly don't go out of my way to skate them, but there is a Skatewave park in Radcliff, KY that I have skated when in the area. It's something different and I believe makes me a better skater being able to adapt to what's in front of me, but concrete is the way to go. Period. It's not about "hating" the prefab companies. These companies are in it to make money, that's what they do, but they will get out of the ramp business soon, I'm sure of it. Because hopefully, cities will require them to begin maintaining the ramps, and that isn't as profitable as the initial guaranteed sale and collection of government money.

But just reading the article, and the above comments from locals, the city officials simply made an honest mistake here. They thought, "We need a park, here's the spot, our playground company sells ramps, DONE. The skaters will be happy." That's easy to do with a basketball/tennis court or baseball diamond. Those are all the same, everywhere. This understandably (and all too often) happens in small towns, but in Dallas, it's unacceptable, really.

Make your voices heard to the council members, but do it right. Explain the reasons. Are prefabs the devil, no I don't think so. Bad maintenance is the killer, and cities will not maintain them, it just won't happen. A concrete park WILL require some maintenance, but very little and very seldom if done right. And yes, MORE smaller parks are better than one giant park. Spread the skaters, spread the money and make your entire city park system a destination, not just one area. That's my opinion, but I'm just a tourist.

eastside, says:

I had a great time @ the grand opening.. I was wanting to meet the infamous "no-show Leo" Chaney but perhaps another time? all in all I am glad the kids have a place close by to skate prefab, or not. even if we didn't get the cowboys stadium.. at least the city of dallas is trying something new, and looks like they made the right choice!

I was glad to be there representing the Posers who could not make it. w/ the occasional verbal sweets, and niice.. although I didn't get the chance to say that was rad! oh well, i am sure i will get the chance ;)

skate on you crazy diamonds!

WTF, says:

I am here as a representative for Skaters for Public Skateparks. My name is Carter Dennis and I represent skating as a whole. I have been skating for 20 years nonstop. I skate street, I skate ramps, I skate bowls and pretty much anything in front of me. I have helped lobby for concrete street parks and helped in the design of the new San Marcos street park. Plus convinced numerous cities to look at skateparks as long term investments, not short term mistakes.

I am also not a "hater". I have been involved with lobbying for skateparks for almost ten years. In that time, I have skated and researched hundreds of skateparks. Every time I skate a modular park I take pictures of the flaws and they all seem to be similar: warped kickplates, detached kickplates, rusting decks and platforms, sinking platforms, shifting panels, loose screws, delaminating surface, loose coping, damaged Skatelite, worn plastic surface and all around poor design.

I think the modular park at Lakeland Hills is the step in the right direction towards campaigning against future prefab parks.

It's great to see everybody speaking their minds and comical that the person bad mouthing SPS is potentially the modular rep. We are a non-profit group and do this for the love. We are supported by the IASC and the Tony Hawk Foundation.