Precedents

skateparks


Louisville, Kentucky
Louisvelle Extreme Park
www.skateboardparks.com/kentucky/louisvilleextremepark/

following info from http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2002/10/28/story6.html?page=1

When Tim Slusher's 10-year-old son wanted a ramp to glide around on with his in-line skates, Slusher was ready to build it in the back yard of his home in Villa Hills.

Then he thought bigger — much bigger — and instead opted to rent a 59,000-square-foot warehouse in Florence and begin construction on what some sports enthusiasts say will be the largest, most up-to-date indoor skating facility in the Midwest.

"It is kind of strange how my mind works," the 38-year-old insurance agent for Allstate said.

Slusher's new brainchild, called Ollie's Skate Park, is in a warehouse off Dixie Highway. Inside the facility are large wooden ramps — some stretching as wide as 50 feet and up to 15 feet in height. Most are still being built, but when the park opens in November, skaters and skateboarders of all ability levels will use the wooden platforms to hone their skills.

Still, Slusher's dream to build a skate park hasn't come without some bumps in the road.

Though smaller skate parks exist in the Greater Cincinnati area, banking institutions weren't willing to finance the new park — Slusher will have spent close to $500,000 out of his own pocket after construction — and some business owners were reluctant to share space with teen-agers donning boards and skates.

Experts in the skating industry say it's a problem faced by many entrepreneurs looking to jump-start a park in communities where misconceptions about the growing sport still exist.

People tend to look at skaters as rebellious teens looking for one more way to get under their parents' skin. But that's changing, said Rick Bratman, president of the Aggressive Skaters Association.

"Right now the kids who are involved in skateboarding and in-line skating are the valedictorians of high school or class presidents," Bratman said. "These are the kids who are the leaders of today's society."

These misconceptions were a problem Slusher faced when trying to find the perfect spot for his park.
At a site in Mineola Industrial Park, nearby businesses didn't let the idea fly.They claimed the park would increase vandalism, garbage on the ground and graffiti on walls.
The opposition led Slusher to look elsewhere.
Elizabeth Moning of the O'Connell, Bender & Powers team of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker helped Slusher find the space. Moning said the building has 24-foot ceilings — a must-have for the park's ramps that will soon be used by skaters for performing tricks.

Slusher's case also was helped by a high vacancy rate in the market.

"This was a creative use that a landlord might not have considered if there was a smaller vacancy," Moning said.

The company that's designing and building the skate park has creativity at the top of its design schematics.
Based in Winter Springs, Fla., Team Pain travels around the country building private and public skate parks. The company was started almost 20 years ago by Tim Payne when he was a young skater desperate for hills in Florida.

Payne considers his works more than just ramps.

"They are sculptures out of wood," he said. Projects include ramps for ESPN's X Games and parks in Aspen, Colo., and St. Augustine, Fla.

Office manager Tito Porrata said Slusher's park was unique because its size represents "a new breed of parks." In past years, the average-size indoor skate park was 25,000 square feet.

By more than doubling that number, Slusher is representing a growing need for these facilities.

Yet Slusher couldn't find a bank that was willing to finance his new park.

"Around here (banks) had no clue what this would do and weren't really interested in financing it," Slusher said. "It is a big chunk of change no matter how you look at it."

Banks look at a lot of factors when deciding on financing a new business, said Jeff Rosen, executive vice president of small-business banking for US Bank.

Rosen did not work with Slusher on financing his business. In general, Rosen said, business plans, as well as the work and financial history of the owner, all come into play.

But Rosen added, "If something is a new concept, we may look at it a little differently."
Still, whether Slusher's business venture becomes a profitable mainstay in the community depends on attracting a hefty number of skaters. To survive, Slusher said he needs between 200 and 250 memberships and about 500 people coming in per week.

Users will either pay each time they visit the park, become members or purchase a year-long pass.

Memberships run $100 a year. Members still must pay $7 to skate but get discounts on skating equipment. Nonmembers pay $10, and die-hard skaters can pay $500 annually for an unlimited skating pass that lets them use the park as much as they want.

He also hopes to use the park for competitions.

Heidi Lemmon, with the SkatePark Association of United States of America based in Venice, Calif., said Slusher shouldn't have any problem attracting business.

She called Kentucky a "hub for skaters" and said Slusher's park was the biggest registered with her organization, which represents more than 200 private parks throughout the country.
Though Slusher wants his new business venture to succeed, he's keeping his day job with Allstate Insurance.

Still, the challenge isn't one taken on by people who aren't serious, Lemmon said.

"People that get involved in this — it is a labor of love," she said. "They really want to do it

New York City has fully embraced its skateboarding population. http://www.skatecity.com/nyc/where/manhattann.html

rock climbing









http://www.rockface.com.au/html/home.htm











information for workshop facilities will be taken from various professionals in the fields to find out what would be ideal

i would like to video record the interviews

interviews will also be necessary from local skaters, climbers, bowlers, ect., and owners of skateparks in Baton Rouge and any climbing facilities available

Rukus skate park in Baton Rouge , industoplex rd.