Crossville Skatepark Journal

Summer 2008 Skatepark Status Update

2008-07-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

I know you're wondering "Are we ever going to get a skatepark?". The answer is YES! It's just taking the city a little longer than we would hope. I met with the city yesterday for about 2 hours to help them get the request for proposal ready to send to the ramp vendors next week. Once it goes out to the vendors, they'll have a certain period of time to respond (45 days I think) and then we'll start reviewing the proposals with the city. Sooo, long story short, looks like the park will be ready to skate around December 2008. Nice holiday present huh?

You've been so patient up to this point, waiting several years for a skatepark, and we're almost there. Please hang in there. And if you can, help us keep the skate pad area clean by picking up trash and such if you skate that area.

Also, I have a special request. One of our skaters who helped us in the early days had a baby that passed away due to premature birth. If anyone is interested in donating to help her purchase a headstone for the child, please email me or send the donation to Frank McClung, 23 Point Road, Crossville TN 38571 and I'll make sure she gets it.

That's about all on my end. Look for a skatepark meeting notice before school starts in August.

Approved! And other News

2008-05-14T13:57:00.002-05:00

Well, all that hard work finally paid off last night at the city council meeting. The Council voted unanimously to put out a request for proposal for the ramps in the skatepark to the tune of $75,000. That's a lot of car washes! And its up from the initial $50,000 initially proposed. Needless to say, we're very happy. This will be a great start to the skatepark. Please thank Steve Hill at Parks and Rec, Councilmember Kerley & Duer, and Mayor Graham for their continued support.

What's up next? The Council decided to put out a request for proposal rather than use an existing, in place contract to find a skate design company. The good part about this is that we should see more designs and hopefully a better park in the end. The bad part is that the city must advertise the RFP for 45 days. This means we won't have the park finished until the Fall. That's a bummer I know, but I think that the City is going about it the right way and we should get a better park as a result. Will keep you informed as we move through the process.

Also, thanks to everyone who came out for the last demo with Skatewave. It was a huge success. We had about 80 plus skaters show up in every age group and skill level. I know that some of you may have been intimidated by the size of the ramps or the pro skater from CA, but you'll have plenty of time to practice once the new park is open. I've included some pictures below.

Demo Day and Upcoming Demo Day

2008-04-22T22:13:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone,

First, a big thanks to everyone who came out for the Arc demo today at the new skatepark in Centennial Park on such short notice. We had a good time evaluating and skating the different ramps from ARC. The ramp company brought along some skatepark plans which we also helped them revise. Thanks again to all the skaters who provided their input. And congrats to Brandal who won the Ollie contest and a new deck.

If you missed today's ramp demo, don't worry. We're having another on Monday, April 28th from 3-5pm at Centennial Park in front of the new skatepark. This will be a different company, Skatewave. Please come and skate/evaluate the ramps. We would like to have as many skaters as possible there as we may get a visit from a City Council member. I'd like to have a good showing. And if there are BMXers (you know who you are Pete) and rollerbladers, we want you there too!!

Also, we have some other exciting news. Crossville has its own skateshop now--Set Apart. They'll open their doors this Friday, April 25th at 3pm. The shop is located on West Ave right across the street from AMPs in the little white shopping plaza. Proudly owned and operated by two local skaters, Brandal and Dudd.

That's enough for now,

See you at the demo on Monday,

Frank McClung
Crossville Skatepark Association

Skatepark Meeting and Construction Underway!

2008-03-16T14:45:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone,

Well, things are moving quickly with the construction of the new skatepark at Centennial Park. The concrete has been poured, the fencing is going up and the lighting is being readied. Very, very exciting stuff!!! Within the next two or three weeks we are going to sit down with the city and skatepark ramp vendors to determine what is actually going to go into the park. I'll be sending out an email with the meeting info as soon as I know something. I'd like to have as many skaters and board members there planning the park.

In preparation for this meeting, I'd like to get everyone together at the site of the new skatepark (right next to the basketball courts at Centennial) on Sunday at 2pm, March 23. We are going to do the following:

- Brainstorm with pen and paper what we want in the park. The size of the park is 120ft by 80 ft.
- Talk about what we want to do for a grand opening ceremony (skate competitions, demos, food, prizes, etc.)
- Talk about use of the skatepark and possibility for expansion.
- Walk around the pad and check out the new digs
- How to thank the city publicly

I hope everyone can make it. We are pushing for an opening day at the park at the beginning of summer break. Wouldn't it be great to have a place to skate all summer (the skatepark will be open at night too)!

Let me know if you have any questions.

See you at the skatepark!

Frank McClung
Crossville Skatepark Association
Crossvilleskatepark.com
931.484.1171

Skatepark on its way!

2008-01-16T19:54:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone,

Good news. No, great news! The Crossville Skatepark construction is well underway. If you've driven by Centennial Park this week, you've probably seen that the ground for the skatepark pad is prepared and the gravel has been packed down. Pretty exciting. A day we never thought we would see is on its way...the opening of a skatepark in Crossville.

We had a great meeting with the Crossville City officials and the architectural firm that is overseeing the project. We brought up our main concerns and the City was very open and responsive. Our main issues were:

1. Size of the park: When you drive by, the area looks pretty small. But when you look at park plans from many vendors for smaller areas, you'll see that a lot can be packed into that space that you'll love to skate. Also, we're looking at ways to incorporate the natural banks on the sides of the park into skateable areas. And if we can show that the facility is packed with skaters most of the time (which shouldn't be an issue in good weather), then the city is open to several adjacent areas for expansion (maybe even a future bowl).

2. Traffic flow: We were concerned with the cars coming right around the skatepark entrance and having no real room to exit. The City is looking into the best way to create a safe zone between the park and the exiting traffic.

3. Skate Surface: The City was going to put asphalt down as the pad surface. We recommended against it. Now they are looking at concrete surface pad. Another good move.

The City has also wisely decided to send out an open Request for Proposals to skatepark companies. We're looking for someone to design an overall solution, not just throw ramps on a pad. And yes, it will be a modular skatepark. We'll need your help putting together the final requirements and evaluating proposals. The next meeting will be in the evening so everyone in work/school can attend. I'll let you know when that is.

Schedule: We are hoping to have the final proposal approved sometime at the end of March by the City Council. That should put us in good shape to have the park ready just about the time summer is here.

Look for a Skatepark Association meeting in the next few weeks. We need everyone to come to the proposal evaluations. This is your park and we want to make sure you get the obstacles and equipment you need. If you don't come, then you'll have no voice in the process.

Please email me if you have questions. Spread the word that there's going to be a real skatepark in 2008!

Frank McClung

CrossvilleSkatepark.com
931.484.1171

City Meeting on Jan 15 at 10am

2008-01-05T08:28:00.000-06:00

I hope that you've had a good holiday break and are starting 2008 on the right foot. Here's a quick update on the progress of the Crossville Skatepark. The ground for the skatepark pad has been cleared at Centennial Park. You can drive by and see it right below the basketball courts. The size of the pad is 120' x 80'.

On January 15th at 10am at City Hall there will be a meeting with the representative skatepark companies to discuss their bid plans for the park. I know that this is right in the middle of the day and some of you will be in school or at work (I didn't set up the meeting time), but if you could be there to hear their proposals, it would be great. Everyone is welcome to attend, just let me know via email if you're coming to the meeting so that I can get a headcount in case we need a larger room. For those of you who miss the meeting, I'll try to gather all the info, and we can have a separate skatepark meeting to review them. This is your opportunity to make the skatepark the way you want it to be.

Please give me a call or send an email if you have questions,

- Frank McClung

Crossville Skatepark Association
931.484.1171

Skatepark Planning in the Works

2007-11-17T21:45:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone,

Wanted to give you a quick recap of the last skatepark meeting. We met on a windy, cold Sunday afternoon over at Centennial Park to survey the planned skatepark pad and discuss our next steps. The proposed area for the skatepark is the area next to the basketball courts and along the fence leading to the park entrance. Total pad area is 80'x120' (9600 sq ft). The skaters present felt like there needed to be more street than vert skating obstacles and that the park should address skaters of different abilities. We also discovered a small area behind the basketball court that would be a perfect spot for a bowl and could be connected to the park with a short sidewalk. All and all the meeting went well and it was good to see some familiar faces again. We'll meet again when we have more information from the city about the design bids.

I spoke last week at length with Councilman Jesse Kerley about skaters needs and strongly urged him to get skaters involved in the design build process with the contractors. He was very open and supportive. He expressed concern that the city invest enough money in the park to make it worth skating. I totally agreed. He also mentioned that the City planned to pave the skate pad with asphalt. I pointed out that this would be a huge and costly mistake as asphalt is one of the least desirable surfaces for a skatepark. While I do NOT want to get into the concrete vs. modular debate at this point, I suggested that the skatepark companies that bid on the project provide appropriate recommendations for the surface of the park depending on their proposals. As such I volunteered to put together a requirements brief to help the City get started. Here is the PDF: CROSSVILLE SKATEPARK REQUIREMENTS.pdf Briefing. Please provide me any feedback you can on the requirements you want to see in the park. I'll incorporate them as much as possible when I send the briefing back to Councilman Kerley. I need all your comments to me by Wednesday, November 21st.

Will keep you updated on the progress of the planning. Our next meeting should be after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Will send out a note with the date when things get closer. Let me know if you have any questions.

- Frank

Second Chances...and more.

2007-10-23T08:49:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone,

It's not too often in life that you get a second chance. Or in the case of a skatepark in Crossville 5th or 6th chances. But Sally Oglesby, the City Clerk, informed me yesterday that the City of Crossville awarded a contract for the concrete pad/lighting/fencing for the skatepark in Centennial Park!!! Looks like there's actually going to be a skatepark in Crossville, and sooner than you think. They are going to do separate bids for the ramps for the park with an actual skatepark contractor.

And that's where we come in. Sally has asked us to provide input to the ramps, help them evaluate the proposals, etc. We both see this as a great opportunity for skaters to get involved in the design of the city park and make it our own. Plus, skaters have a chance to learn something about the way the bid process works, things are built, etc. It's a great chance for skaters to change negative perceptions with the City.

So, we're going to have a meeting for anyone that is interested in learning more about the skatepark and the Association. We'll meet this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on Oct 28 at Centennial Park by the playground with the basketball courts. We'll walk over to the area where the skatepark will be built and discuss plans for the upcoming year. Hope you (and your parents too) can make it.

Let's make this a new, clean start for the skatepark. Look forward to seeing you there,

Frank McClung
Crossville Skatepark Association

Skatepark Board/Public Meeting April 12th

2007-04-10T09:03:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

If you've driven by the old temporary park at Cumberland Worship Center lately, you'll notice that most of the ramps have been moved (the quarterpipe will be moved later this month). Don't worry, the ramps are in good hands and we hope to be able to tell you more about where they went and how to skate them in the near future. Stay tuned.

In other news, the City Council meets tonight to approve a resolution for bond financing for the soccer complex and the skatepark. As you can see, they are serious about building a skatepark in Crossville. We look forward to working with them to get more funding and provide the input you've given us over the last 2 years for the new skatepark

Also, we'll be having a Skatepark Board Meeting this Thursday, April 12th from 5-6pm at the Dairy Queen on Main Street. We'll meet in the back small room there to discuss the coming year and fundraising for the new park. Everyone is welcome to attend even if you are not a board member.

That's about all for now. Keep the dream alive,

Frank McClung

Crossville Skatepark Association
P: 931.484.1171
crossvilleskatepark.com

City Approves Skatepark Budget!

2007-03-19T07:54:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's true. The Crossville City Council approved a budget of $71,000 for a skatepark along with the new city soccer complex. The skatepark will likely be located at Centennial Park rather than in the new soccer complex area. They have budgeted about $35K for skatepark equipment and $35K for the land prep. I know that this isn't really enough to build a decent skatepark, so we'll be working with the city to try and obtain additional Federal, State and Non-profit grants. I'd like to see us raise $100,000 for skatepark equipment. This would give us a good start. More details to come on timelines and additional fundraising efforts.

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has donated to this effort, helped build ramps, fund raise, collected petitions, etc. It has not been easy (understatement), but it looks like the dream is well on it's way to becoming a reality. If you have a second, call Mayor Graham or your City Council member and thank them too.

Now, the real work begins. As you know we are an educational non-profit. Our primary purpose is to inspire, educate and encourage youth through skateboarding, inline and BMX. Our mission is not building a skatepark. It's to provide programs for youth. However, we can't provide programs if we don't have the facilities. So, our first priority has been to build a temporary skatepark (which we did mostly at Cumberland Worship Center) until the city could build a permanent one. As you may know, we've had to close the temporary skatepark due to vandalism and lack of rules compliance by skaters. We'll let you know by the end of April the status of the temporary park.

We are currently making the following plans for the Skatepark Association. If you would like to be a part of any of these activities, please contact us at frank{at}crossvilleskatpark.com or call 931.484.1171:

Grant writing for additional skatepark building funds for the permanent park.
Fundraising for the skatepark association
Finding Skatepark Board Members for 2007
Holding our first meeting in 2007.

Keep checking the website for the latest information and let your friends and parents know what we're up to.

City Council Voting in Jan

2006-12-25T16:18:00.000-06:00

City Council to Vote on Skatpark: Right before Christmas there was a meeting to discuss the proposed $4million soccer complex. As you may have heard, they have tentatively reserved around $80,000 and 10,000 square feet in the soccer complex for a skatepark. This is great news. I know that it's not as large as we would have hoped, but there will be room for future expansion. And I know, how can they spend $4 million on soccer fields and only spend $80,000 on a skate park. But, it's a start, and at this point the skatepark depends on the soccer complex getting approved. Look for the city council to make a decision in early January (probably the Jan 9th meeting). If you can be at the meeting, it would be very helpful to show our support. I'll provide more info as it becomes available.

On the state of the temporary skatepark at Cumberland Worship Center: As part of our use of the space at Cumberland for the last year and a half for free, we agreed to donate the equipment to Cumberland Worship Center after the city built the park. Since we cannot enforce the rules at the skatepark and cannot keep vandals off the property, we've gone ahead and told CWC that they can have the equipment if they like. They have placed a line item in their budget for 2007 to build a fence and maintian the skatepark as part of the Worship Center. That budget has not yet been approved. If it is approved, then we will turn the temporary park over to CWC. If not, we'll look into other options for the ramps. Some of you have mentioned donating them to another organization or even expressed interest in purchasing them. I'll let you know if that is an option.

The future of the Crossville Skatepark Association: We plan on continuing into 2007 and focusing more on education and community outreach. This will depend on the city's decision and the attitude of current skaters. Look for a meeting in January once the city has voted.

Keep the hope alive,

Frank for the Skatepark Association

Skatepark is Closed until Further Notice

2006-11-16T19:36:00.000-06:00

It's hard for me to even write that title, "Skatepark is Closed unitl Further Notice". But a lack of compliance by most local skaters with the park rules (helmets, no smoking, etc.) and vandalism of the park by people not wanting to comply with the rules has lead us to this point of closing the temporary skatepark. We are now working with Cumberland Worship Center to see if there may be another solution.

The City of Crossville is still planning on building a skatepark in the new soccer complex this spring. So, there is still a chance for skateboarding in Crossville.

I'll keep the site updated as things progress.

- Frank

An Open Letter to Crossville Skaters

2006-10-18T22:58:00.000-05:00

There have been a lot of questions lately about the skatepark: why it's there; who I am; why do we have rules; etc. I thought that this might be a good time to address them. For those who don't care, just skip to the last paragraph and find out what's next. For everyone else who is bored or does care, here we go. I'm sorry this has to be so blunt, but attitudes and actions of skaters and volunteers over the last few weeks compels me to respond.

First, a little history. When I arrived in Crossville in April 2003, Crossville had nothing to skate. Axis skate shop had gone out of business, Knoxville's skatepark had closed down and the closest real skatepark was 6th Ave in Nashville.

My kids liked to rollerblade in the city skatepark we previously lived in, so I thought wouldn't it be great to get the city of Crossville to build one. So, we began to hold meetings almost two years ago to get the city to build a skatepark and to try and organize the skaters of Crossville/Cumberland County and those interested in pursuing this cause to do so. After about a year of meetings, some fundraising which netted about $1500 and a lot of signed petitions, I realized that the city was not going to pay any attention to skaters (they told us as much) until we obtained our 501C3 tax deductible non-profit status. About that time the folks at Cumberland Worship Center graciously offered to rent part of their parking lot to put in a temporary park until the city built a public one. In 2004, we built a pyramid with that money and paid off other administrative expenses involved with the long and arduous task of obtaining 501C3 status from the IRS.

In 2005 we received notice that we had been granted our 501C3 status. That meant that we could solicit donations from public and private entities and they could get a tax deduction. We could also apply for grants. Unfortunately, 501C3 status came with a price ($500) and a change in skatepark direction which the board members at that time agreed on. That change was this: As an organization, we could now spend no more than 3% of our time lobbying for a cause with the government. That meant that our original focus of getting the city to build a skatepark had to be scaled way, way back to keep our 501C3 charter. The new focus of the Crossville Skatepark Association became and still is to educate, inspire and encourage youth through the sports of skateboarding, BMX and rollerblading. Youth is defined by the IRS as anyone under 18. Thus, if you are over 18 and a part of the skatepark, you are a volunteer. This is an important distinction. For those 18 and older, the temporary park, our activities there and everything in between is not for you. It is for those under 18. You can skate, you can mentor, you can help, you can build, etc., but the focus is not on you.

As soon as we got the 501C3, I began to apply for grants. We received several. This money was put into new ramps for the skatepark, administration and maintenance. The reason being, how can you encourage, inspire and educate youth through these sports when you have no legal place to skate? So we built a half-pipe and are now completing a quarterpipe. But we are out of money to do any additional building or maintaining, so we'll have to go back to fundraising mode.

The majority of our future funds will go into 2 things: a fence around the skatepark and insurance for the association. Those items cost $2500 and $2500/annually respectively. We also would like to resurface the ramps with Skatelite or Ramptech. That could cost anywhere from $1200 to $2500 depending on the material. And then we have other needs like programs, events, teams, etc. we'd like to hold. All this requires money which we don't have yet.

So, why didn't we just wait until we had all the money and then build? Well if you've come out and skated what we've built more than once, then you have the answer. Baby steps.

Now, on to a few other matters less pleasant. First, I appreciate all those who have worn helmets without whining. Thanks too for everyone who has picked up trash and kept the place cleaner than it has been. I do want to address those who have not. If I've told you to wear a helmet, not smoke at the park, wear a shirt or follow any of the other rules once and you continue to ignore it, I'll ask you to leave the park. If there is a habit of doing this, I'll ask you not to come back…ever. If there is a general trend of breaking park rules, I'll close it for good and haul the ramps to the dump. Saying "I forgot or I don't have a helmet yet" will no longer be an excuse. And if you think that I'm not serious, please try me. Some have and I've thrown them out for good.

I'm going to say a few things here most skaters won't like, and that's okay.
- We have rules at the skatepark. They will be followed by everyone. If you don't want to follow them, don't show up at the park.
- I'm open to suggestions. I've even tried some of them (both good and bad). But at some point I have to make decision about materials, budgets, etc. I may not choose yours. Don't whine at me. Get over it.
- I make mistakes. You do too.
- As this is not a park built by the city, someone has to take responsibility for everything that goes on in the skatepark and Association. That person is me, Frank McClung, President of the Association. I answer to Cumberland Worship Center. I answer to the law. I answer to the school. I answer to your parents. I answer to the public. I answer to myself.
- I don't care about the skater lifestyle, whatever that means.
- I don't distinguish between "real" skaters and other skaters. Everyone is playing on the same level field.
- I won't tolerate griping, complaining, whining for long. About 1 minute is it.

Now that the nasty stuff is done, here is where we are headed:
- We're going to finish the quarter pipe with the money we have left.
- We're still working with the city for a public park in the new soccer complex.
- We're going to have a skate competition sometime.

And that's about it from my end.

Keep the hope alive,

- Frank

An Open Letter to Crossville Skaters and Volunteers

2006-10-18T22:53:00.000-05:00

Skatepark Build Day #2

2006-10-11T19:32:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

It's been good to see everyone out there skating during break. I know that the half pipe needs new surfacing, and we'll work on that this weekend. I've got a few favors to ask of you first before I go over our Build Day 2 this Saturday.

1. Please pick up the trash around the skatepark even if it not yours. I've been there every day this week and continue to find stuff everywhere. I'm not going to pick up after folks any longer. There are 2 trash cans...use them.

2. Wear a helmet when skating or riding at the park. Plan being asked to leave or not skate until you get one. No exceptions.

3. Wear a shirt. Just do it.

4. No smoking at the skatepark or parking lot. No exceptions.

5. Don't skate around the church or school.

6. Don't take lumber and plywood out and leave it laying around the park. If you use it, put it back where you got it.

7. You must have a signed waiver and have paid the $10 membership dues to skate.

I appreciate the few I've seen actually following these rules. If everyone does not follow these rules from now on, I'll have to close the skatepark. Then we'll have to find a solution, but these simple rules must be followed.

Now, on to Build Day #2:

We're going to meet starting this Saturday, October 14 at 9am at the park to build a bank of quarter pipes. Come out and lend a hand. If anyone has a truck we could use to pick up the lumber, that will save us the Lowe's delivery charge. If anyone has lumber to donate for the build, please let me know.

Also, Cumberland Worship Center is having a conference this week. We can skate, but we must stay in the skatepark area. That goes for Saturday too.

If any parents, adults or students are interested in becoming Skatepark Association Board members, we could sure use your help.

Look forward to seeing you there,

Frank McClung

Crossville Skatepark Association
931.484.1171
CrossvilleSkatePark.com

Skatepark Meeting

2006-10-03T08:34:00.000-05:00

Hope you are enjoying the new half pipe. I know that it is not perfect, but we'll improve the surface over time. We're going to have a meeting this Saturday, Oct 7 from 2pm-3pm to discuss our next building plans, fundraising, insurance, membership and the like. If you want to have a say in what get's built next, you should come to this meeting. We'll also be looking for people who are willing to serve on the skatepark board. So, please try to make it if you get a chance. I'll have membership cards and waivers available for you too.

Also a reminder that starting this Saturday, waivers, helmets and membership dues ($10 annual per person) will be required to skate. The park will be open to the public once we get the fence and insurance in place. Until then we need to remain publically closed to anyone that's not a member with a signed waiver.

Thanks everyone for the great support you've given the skatepark. We look forward to a great year with your help.

Thanks for the Help

2006-09-28T06:24:00.000-05:00

I wanted to tell everyone thanks for coming out for the Build Day at the temporary skatepark. There were so many folks who lent a hand, tools, trucks, skills, etc. that I can't name them all. A big thanks to Cumberland Worship Center for allowing us the use of the corner of their parking lot and even feeding us some pizza for dinner. The half pipe and bank looks great and with a few finishing touches should be a lot of fun to skate.

Now that we have some new equipment at the temporary park, this is a good time to go over our rules. I know, skaters don't like rules. But if we can't follow them, we'll be have to haul away to the dump all the work we've just completed...any no one wants to do that. So, here are the official rules:

-- Keep the place clean. Throw away your trash! There's a garbage can out there, use it.
-- Facility is closed when there is bad weather, lightening, snow, high winds and raining. Don't skate when it's wet.
-- No alcohol, tobacco, firearms, drugs or other weapons. We'll call the police for any illegal activity.
-- Personal music devices are prohibited.
-- No skating during church or youth services: Wed 6:30pm -- 8:30pm and Sunday from 8am -- 1pm.
-- No pegs on bikes at the half pipe. The surface of the half pipe is fragile. Pegs would shred it.
-- One person per ramp at a time; take turns and leave space between riders.
-- If you are not skating, blading or biking--get off the equipment so someone else can.
-- You must wear a helmet when skating.
-- All participants skate, bike or rollerblade at your own risk. Neither the Crossville Skatepark Association or Cumberland Worship Center assumes no liability for loss, damage, or any kind of injury or accident to people or property.
-- Respect each other. Respect what anyone from the church or school asks you to do.
-- Failure to follow the rules may result in suspension from the park or prosecution.
-- Call us at 931.484.1171 if you have questions or concerns.

Finally, the skatepark is currently officially closed to the public. We must get insurance and a fence in place before we can reopen publicly. If you are a member of the Crossville Skatepark Association, Covenant Academy or Covenant Church you may skate the park as long as you follow the rules. If you want to become a member of the Crossville Skatepark Association, please let me know. Please consider joining the Skatepark Association or donating. All proceeds go back into the park. We are tax deductible and we are a 501C3 non-profit educational organization.

And that about all folks.

- Frank McClung

Frank McClung, President
Crossville Skatepark Association
P: 931.484.1171

New Skatepark Build Day

2006-09-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

We've rescheduled the build day for this Wed, September 27 at the temporary skatepark at Cumberlad Worship Center. We're going to start around 10 am and build until 6 pm or so. We probably won't finish that day but hope to get the framing for the half pipe done. Covenant Academy will be having school that day and Cumberland Worship Center will have activities that evening, so we'll need to make sure to stay out of their way. Everyone who comes and builds will need to sign a waiver. Hope to see you there.

- Frank

Build Day Postponed

2006-09-01T17:21:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

Due to weather, lack of an outlet to plug power tools into and lack of a truck to transport the wood, we're going to postpone the build day. Keep your ears open for another weekend in September!

Frank

Build Day Has Arrived

2006-08-30T11:04:00.000-05:00

6th Ave Trip: We had a great time at 6th Avenue Skatepark, although it was a bit hot in there even early in the morning. They wouldn't let the older guys skate in the morning session, so they skated the outdoor park near the wave pool. The younger ones did great roller blading in the morning on those huge ramps. The older skaters came back later to skate at 6th Ave. for the afternoon session and had a blast. We'll have to make another trip in the spring.

Skatepark Build Day: Well, the build day has finally arrived. This Saturday, September 2, 2006 at 9am at the temporary skatepark at Cumberland Worship Center we're going to build some ramps. I'm still working on getting the right plans, but we'll at least build some a quarterpipe and if we have time a couple of small obstacles. Here is a list of things we'll need for the build day:

* A truck to go to Lowe's and buy the wood and haul it to the park. We'll need that at 7am on Saturday morning. Email me if you have one we can use or you'd be willing to drive.
* Cordless drills
* Cordless circular saw
* Extension cords
* Several saw horses

We'll bring a thermos with water and cups for everyone. Please bring a sack lunch or some money to buy something at DQ/PizzaHut/Subway. Parents are responsible for any of their skaters, bladers, bikers or kids or others with them. We will NOT be doing any skating Saturday. Parents must also sign a volunteer waiver for their skaters at the park. If it is raining that morning when you get up, we will post something on the website as to our plans. Hope to see you there!

Other News: Well, we're officially in the plans for the Soccer Complex feasibility study. This doesn't mean the City is building a skatepark, it just means they've asked the architects to look at how/if a skatepark could fit into the soccer complex. The soccer complex is still their first priority. Let's be patient and keep letting the City know how much it's needed.

6th Avenue and Build Day

2006-08-12T17:25:00.000-05:00

I hope you've had a good summer. Now that school has started back up, we're going to get busy with the skatepark. Here's what's going on:

1. Call your city councilman and/or Mayor Graham: We've been included in the feasibility study for the soccer complex. Yeah. However, we need to continue to show support for putting the skatepark in with the soccer complex project before the city council. This is our best (and quickest) route to a permanant skatepark in Crossville. Please call them and let them know how important it is to you. It only takes 5 minutes of your time (or your parent's) and will make a big difference. The number for City Hall is 484-5113 and ask for your councilman or the mayor. Please make it short, and don't give opinions on concrete vs. modular builds, just that you support a skatepark.

2. Road Trip to 6th Ave Skatepark: The Skatepark Association will be going to 6th Ave Skatepark in Nashville on Saturday, August 19th. We will meet at the temporary skatepark to caravan to 6th Avenue at 7:30am and pull out of the parking lot by 7:40 am. The session runs from 9-12 noon. Bring your board, blades or bike. Helmets are required. You must bring a parent with you to sign the 6th Avenue waiver at 6th Ave or download the form here and have it signed by a notary public. You must provide your own ride and transportation. We'll pay for the entrance fee for the session at 6th. Please don't show up and try to get a ride as we don't have any extra seats. Coordinate with your friends and parents for transportation.

3. Skatepark Build Day: Really! We're going to build some quarterpipes for the temporary park on Saturday, September 2 starting at 8 am. We need your help. We'll need sawhorses, extension cords and power tools as well as the use of a truck to transport the wood. Please let me know what you might be able to provide. Come out and join us during the day if you can. We'll order some pizza for lunch for those who come and actually work. We will be building the quarterpipes from a plan.

That should keep us busy for the next few weeks.

Frank McClung

CrossvilleSkatepark.com
P: 931.484.1171

Demo Day Photos

2006-07-20T23:44:00.000-05:00

We had a great turn out of about 30 plus skaters, bladers, BMXers and families to the Skatewave ramp demo this week. It's just amazing what a quarterpipe and a bank can do for the park. So amazing in fact that we'll be having a build day in August to build our own for the temporary park. In the future we'll be raising money to purchase some equipment from Skatewave. Thanks to everyone for coming out to support the demo. Thanks Skatewave for letting us skate your awesome ramps...one day we'll have our own Skatewave ramps!

Steve Hill, the director of Crossville Parks and Rec came out to see the last half hour of skating and was impressed. We're working with Councilman Loggins and the City architects to see if we can get a park included in the new $2million soccer complex going up this year.

PLEASE CALL YOUR CITY COUNCIL REP OR MAYOR GRAHAM AND LET HIM KNOW YOU WANT A SKATEPARK. This will really help our efforts. We have a small window of opportunity to make this happen. So pick up that phone.

Keep checking back for details on the build day and keep the dream alive.

- Frank

PS> Special thanks to the Demers for a very generous donation to the Skatepark Association.

PSS> Two skaters went home with our grey rental helmets. Please return them to the skatepark! They are $20 each.

Skatepark Demo Day

2006-06-23T22:31:00.000-05:00

I wanted to let you know that Skatewave will be bringing some ramps and street obstacles to the Crossville Temporary Skatepark on July 18th from 4-7pm.

We need a big tournout of skaters from Crossville, Cumberland County and surrounding counties to come skate at the demo. It's free and you just need to bring a skateboard and your helmet (can't skate the demo without one...no exceptions). We'll have some extra helmets there to rent if you need one. We're inviting City and County officials to come out to the park to see the ramps and see you guys skate. If no one shows up, it will hurt our chances for a permanat skatepark. So please help us get the word out to everyone.

If you have questions, please send me an email or give me a call at 931.484.1171.

Look forward to seeing you there,

Frank McClung

We've got gas!

2006-06-11T22:12:00.000-05:00

A Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Grant that is for $750! Yeah! We're now about 33% of the way there towards our $10000 goal for opening the temporary park with new ramps, insurance and fencing. We also completed a mailout this week of letters asking for donations to local businesses and organizations in Crossville. Stay tuned!

Wal-Mart Grant!

2006-05-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

I found out today that we just received a $1000.00 grant from the Walmart Foundation for the Crossville Skatepark Association. This grant is for programs and equipment for education and skating. Yeah! Thanks WalMart and Christie Mathis.

No meeting today, May 20th. We've got a few more grants in the works though with Goody's, Burger King and Krogers. We still need to raise a bit more to be able to open the park this summer. Stay tuned.

- Frank