The YMCA’s skatepark.

Almost exactly four years ago, the members of Eau Claire’s skating community came together to convince city officials of the great need for a public skatepark. They succeeded, and though fundraising efforts have delayed it until now, officials say construction will likely be underway in spring or early summer of 2011, to be followed by up to three other similar parks throughout the city.

“I’d like to see how this one works, and then maybe have another on the north side, west side, and downtown,” said Phil Fieber, director of the Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department. “My vision would be that the Lakeshore one is what it is, but the next one up the trail is a bit more difficult and has the new bells and whistles, but still has some features for beginners.”

The skatepark idea really “got rolling” in October of 2006, when the city council and the Waterways & Parks Commission voted to start fundraising for a facility near Lakeshore Elementary. Local skaters argued that, while an excellent facility, the city’s sole skatepark (at the YMCA) is only open certain times of the year, costs $3 to $5 to enter, and is not easily accessible for youths who can’t drive.

“One of the ulterior motives is to get them to skate here rather than on the Hank Aaron statue or the Phoenix Park benches,” Fieber added. “We want one where it’s convenient. Have some small-scale skatable parks close by that don’t duplicate or compete with The Y.”

At that time they agreed to not begin construction until they raised at least $20,000. The Eau Claire Community Foundation gave $5,000 and Scheels contributed $500 – not quite enough. So in the 2010 Capital Improvement Plan, the city allotted $23,000 for it.

“Plus part of the deal is that we’re not just gonna build this and leave it,” Fieber said. “We want the stakeholders to contribute, too, so it shows they have vested interest and will watch the park to ensure it’s being used properly and safely.”

Leading the local skating charge is Gabe Brummet, who moved here a year ago. He immediately contacted the city about a park and promptly started the Eau Claire Skaters Association. The group’s mission is to organize the local skating community and raise money for the proposed parks.

    Brummet said they hope to raise about $10,000, and had their first fundraising event on Oct. 2 at Lakeshore (which included a raffle and SKATE tournament, which is similar to basketball’s HORSE). The idea is to raise as much as possible for a bunch of street feature amenities. Fieber said he’s hoping to secure some grants this winter for the same purpose (the Tony Hawk Foundation among them).

This summer the city hired Ayres Associates, specifically Phil Johnson (a former parks and rec employee), to design the park, which they’re dubbing a “skate plaza.” It’s a small-scale skating spot in a neighborhood setting with more of a street feature focus (as opposed to vertical skating in half-pipes and pools).

Earlier this year he met with several local skaters (Brummet included) to discuss the layout and potential features of the predominantly cement park – like stairs, railings, benches, a quarter-pipe, a volcano, and hubbas (mini ramps).

“This is a very preliminary plan at this point,” Johnson said. “A facility of this size can run up to $90,000, so I’m not letting the funding issue restrict the design.”

Both Johnson and Fieber said they may only raise $40,000 for the park, which is fine because they can build a facility at that price and add certain features of the design later.

“If you’re comfortable with this analogy, we’re gonna get the cake right away, but the icing doesn’t need to be there right away. That might be all we can afford in the first phase. But the design can be open for additional features in the future,” Fieber said.

He added that city bodies will likely be seeing the design at meetings this winter, hoping for a construction in spring or early summer. But his vision overall calls for a series of these skate plazas around the city, allowing for convenient access to youths all over town as well as some variety in our skating scene.