I am both amused and aggravated that the city of Roanoke is displeased with how skateboarders are enjoying the new Elmwood Park. It is amusing because they shouldnt be surprised. Before it was renovated, skaters downtown were ENCOURAGED to skate at Elmwood Park. So, now that it has been rebuilt, skaters are that much more excited to skate this familiar area that has been so drastically improved. ESPECIALLY since Roanokes Wasena skateboard park continues to have ramps REMOVED from it, while other nearby parks either dont exist anymore (Gearhart skatepark in Vinton) or are simply too small or need substantial upgrades and repairs (YMCA skatepark in Rocky Mount and Moyer skatepark in Salem). Taking the skateparks of surrounding areas out of the equation, Roanoke has only one skateboard park. Wasena has been closed once or twice for renovations as far as I know and no upgrades were made other than to maybe add one cheap ramp while tearing down two or three others. The mini half-pipe ramps at Wasena were the most popular feature for local skaters, however they are now gone, causing many of the skaters to disappear from the park as well. The remaining ramps and ledges are poor quality atop of some of the roughest asphalt in the valley. The once semi-decent skatepark has withered away to another embarrassing failure of Roanoke that sees a handful of BMX bicyclists a day and maybe a couple of skateboarders. So obviously skateboarders look for better alternatives, the best yet being the brand new Elmwood Park. If Roanoke City really doesnt want us skateboarding here, why wont they give us other options? The EMPTY and ABANDONED Ukrops location has been closed for years with little to no steps towards anything else and STILL is protected like it is a museum, this location would be perfect for a skateboard park. Its easy to get to and is underground so weather isnt an issue and would also contain noise from bothering nearby residents. 7 million dollars spent on Elmwood Park was unnecessary. Why couldnt some of that money gone towards rebuilding Wasena skatepark? Or turning Ukrops into one? Or building a new skateboard park?... wdbj7/video/Damage-at-newly-renovated-Elmwood-Park/-/20128758/22578098/-/joagrn/-/index.html Corey Wright Caley Sturgill Richard Kim Daniel Sarver Tyler Williams Josh Keller Tyler McDaniel Nick Caldwell Ashlee Rennea Riggs Will Brooks
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 16:29:05 +0000
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