Elgin holds meeting to discuss skate park plans
Attention skaters and BMX riders: Your seat at the table to help plan Elgin's second skate park is ready.
City recreation leaders and representatives from a Missouri-based skate ramp design firm will hold a meeting Monday where skaters can conceivably design the park that same night.
"If kids want a taller or steeper ramp or if they want to take out one of the smaller elements, we'll plug that into the computer, see how it looks and try to reach consensus," said Paul Bednar, park development coordinator for the city's recreation department.
The American Ramp Co. will have a representative at the Centre, 100 Symphony Way, who is connected via computer to an architect at the company's main office.
As suggestions roll in, ramps and jumps will be moved around on computer drafting software and displayed on a large screen for participants to comment on.
At 11,000 square feet, the skate area at the 8-acre Pioneer Park, on Willard Avenue north of Villa Street on the city's east side, is nearly twice the size of the Grant School Park, which opened last summer at the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Jackson Street on Elgin's near west side.
The $1.1 million park, which is on tap to open this summer, also includes six half-basketball courts, one full basketball court, two soccer fields, a picnic shelter and parking lot.
Tyler Woods, a sales representative at the ramp company, said the design session will prove more productive if a large group of skaters turns out.
"It gives us a chance to make changes on the fly. We can take all the input and put it in the park design real time," Woods said. "Best case scenario, we'll be able to get a pretty good idea of the final design.
City leaders have been gleaning input on several designs available at cityofelgin.org/futureparks.
"Coming from a skateboarder like myself, they're all really cool parks and would be a great addition to the city," Woods said. "We hope to have a good showing (of skaters)."
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in Centre's west conference room.
"There is a big demand in general for skating facilities," Bednar said. "It's going to be more convenient for all the skaters in town."