A group of youth have come together to voice their concerns about the state of the Barrhead skate park, and are seeking solutions to the deterioration of the facility.
About 10-15 individuals use the park regularly, but numbers can reach up to 20-25 people on a busy day. Youths aged six to 17, and occasionally individuals in their early 20’s, come to skateboard, bike, rollerblade, and scooter around the facility.
Shelby Westman has used the facility for about seven years now, and said the small park has certainly seen better days.
“I skated this skate park when it was over where the splash park was. I was really young when it first opened,” he said. “This place has definitely fallen apart since then, dramatically.”
As the park’s condition continues to worsen, many youths have gathered to try and come up with a solution. Best case scenario, said Westman, park users would like to see a better facility put in.
After hearing news that the skate park could possibly be moved to where the old tennis courts are now, Westman said he wanted to jump on the opportunity to express the need for an improved facility. If a new park was done right, this could be a very exciting time for park users.
“I’d be interested in meeting with the Town and showing the different types of parks available,” he said. “I have many ideas.”
Westman said modular ramps like those of the Barrhead skate park are only good for so long. As the facility remained outdoors during every season, it has become weathered and run down over the years.
“I’m imagining if some of this actually got taken off through the wintertime and stored, it might have lasted longer,” said Westman. “But it’s been outside in the elements for such a long time that it’s reaching the end of its life period.”
The type of concrete, essentially the same as the parking lot, is also damaging to skateboards. The rough material leaves scuffs, and takes chips out of the wooden boards.
“All this stuff doesn’t come cheap,” said Westman. “We would appreciate it if we would keep out equipment for as long as we can.”
Although they are making due with that’s there, many of the regular users agreed a lot of the facility has become rather unsafe.
One of the broken ramps has been dismantled and left at the side of the park, as no one is able to use it. Bolts and screws have disappeared, leaving sharp metal edges sticking out. Pieces of the facility that were once held together now have widening gaps, presenting risk for wheels to become caught.
“I’ve come here and put in a few screws, bought stuff from the hardware store, took some bolts apart and screwed it back together trying to keep this place kind of updated,” said Westman. “But nuts and bolts only go so far.”
A small group of users also work to keep the area clean by sweeping up broken glass and picking up garbage. These individuals are concerned about the lack of respect the skate park has from other members of the community.
“They see a place that’s old and beat up, then people start breaking glass because they realize nobody cares,” said Westman. “I want to show them that’s not right. We care, and this is still a facility for us.”
In order to make the place more visually appealing, some of the youth brought in a professional graffiti artist to cover offensive messages and images others had scribbled. The artist’s display showed cartoon bombs and logos of Skullcandy, a popular brand of headphones. Unfortunately most of the artwork has since been ruined.
The group has also been kicking around the idea of collaborating with some of the art savvy students at BCHS.
“We were going to try and go to the school and get a project going with the art class, and see if we could get some people over here with some paint,” said Westman. “Some of the good artists, to do something creative.”
In addition to an improvement of the physical state of the park, many of its users are longing for a more challenging facility.
“You go to Westlock and all the skaters are so much better simply because they have a better park,” said skateboarder Austin Acres. “The more stuff you have to use, the easier it is to get better.”
Aaron Wharton, who has been using the park since he moved to Barrhead last year, explained many skateboard parks have a variety of levels to choose from. There are easy, medium, and hard areas to skate, so users can choose their challenge.
“Here they have a lot of beginner stuff. There’s not a lot that’s challenging,” said Wharton. “Once you can do the basics there’s nothing really more that you can do.”
As the group works towards a solution, many of them are urging the community to take their requests seriously. Westman said they feel as though they’re up against the a negative stereotype associated with skateboarders and bikers.
“A lot of the public tends to think that us skateboarders are up to no good. I think they need to sit down and actually get to know who we are as people, instead of going with stereotypes,” said Westman. “If someone just came to look at the place and survey what’s damaged here, they’ll realize exactly what we’re dealing with.”
