Skaters, bikers help plan Elgin's second skate park

Area skateboarders and BMX bikers gathered Monday night in Elgin to virtually place $90,000 worth of ramps around an 11,000-square-foot pad that is to become the city's second skate park.

The design process, headed by the Joplin, Mo.-based American Ramp Company, was a little touchy as skaters and BMX riders tried to balance their preferences as to where ramps and other obstacles would be located.

"It would be a lot easier to make it just for skating," said Chris Sailor, a West Dundee skater, who watched with his buddy, Dan Martin of Sleepy Hollow. "We're going to see how it plays out. A skate park really only needs one or two good things. With outdoor parks, sometimes they make it too complicated. They just need to keep it simple."

The skate park is scheduled to open this summer as part of the $1.2 million, 8-acre Pioneer Park on Willard Avenue, north of Villa Street, on the city's east side.

Skaters gave their opinions to Chip Taylor, a sales representative for the American Ramp Company. He phoned an architect at the company's main office who moved around the ramps and jumps according to participants' wishes on a computer program.

"You're literally going to see your skate park come together," Taylor told the crowd of 25. "We like to customize every one of our parks to make sure our customers get exactly what they want."

Pioneer Park also includes six half-basketball courts, one full basketball court, two soccer fields, a picnic shelter and parking lot.

Paul Bednar, park development coordinator a with the city's Parks and Recreation Department, said the new park is nearly three times 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.

Martin said the Grant site is good, but "really cramped."

"It's not bad," he said. "They definitely need another one because there's so many people at that park."