Plenty of help building new Elgin skate park
If it takes a village to raise a child, what does it take to build a skate park?
In Elgin, it took support from the city council earlier this year and input from skaters on how ramps and other obstacles should be arranged.
And this week, erecting the city's second skate park will take plenty of volunteers: skill from apprentice carpenters; sweat equity from local skaters; community service hours from people who committed petty crimes; city workers and police officers giving their time; and even a construction company paying its employees to help.
"It's for the community. We live here," said Armando Latigo, an Elgin resident and organizer with the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Local 13. "It's a good thing for these kids. It's better than them running around the on the streets. It gives them a place to get their energy out."
Work began in earnest Tuesday on the 11,000-square-foot concrete pad at Prairie Park, off Willard Avenue and north of Villa Street on the city's east side.
A week ago, Paul Bednar, the city's park development coordinator, was desperate for help. Landing a team of two instructors and seven carpenter apprentices from the union made things a lot easier.
"This is going really well so far," Bednar said. "We're ahead of schedule. We may be three, four days early (before July 30)."
Latigo said apprentices have one week of school per quarter, and could benefit from an on-site project.
"It's like a big puzzle," said Daniel Haddad, an apprentice from Chicago.
Apprentices were joined by workers from the Elgin-based Shales McNutt, which paid for some its employees to work on the project.
Skaters heartened by another park also turned out to help lug around triangular sheets of steel, some of which weigh well over 100 pounds.
"It's just nice to have a skate park anywhere near us," said Tom Jackson, a 16-year-old from West Dundee.
Jackson, along with his friends - Dennis Powell, 16, of Carpentersville, Brian Griffith, 14, of West Dundee, and Casey Wind, 16, of Sleepy Hollow - volunteered Tuesday and planned to return Wednesday and Friday.
Rob Busch, owner of the Hilltop Skateshop in downtown Elgin, also volunteered and urged his customers to join him.
"I've got enough motivation to stay here all night and finish this," he said. "It's going to be real nice."
Shawn Gofourth, an installer sent by the Joplin, Mo.-based American Ramp Co., was impressed by the show of support.
"The only time I've seen this much help was in San Diego when they brought in a bunch of (U.S.) Navy officers. This is awesome," he said.
Anyone 13 and older may volunteer, but those using power tools must be at least 18. For details, call (847) 931-6788 or e-mail bednar_p@cityofelgin.org.