The Lincoln skateboarding community packed an open house last night, voicing their thoughts on the development of a new skate park coming to the Haymarket district.
Developers, Parks and Recreation officials, city council members, and even Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird shared the room with Lincoln’s concrete surfers, gathering input on what they want to see included in the new South Haymarket Skatepark to be located on 7th and “N” streets.
Entrance to “The Bay,” Lincoln’s indoor skate park and community hub, located on 20th and “Y” Street. (Chase Porter, KLIN News)
Attendees of the open house hosted by “The Bay,” a local skater hub and indoor park, were met with a paper survey and a roll of stickers when they entered. The survey asked questions such as their age, skill level, and primary means of access to the park. Once completing the questionnaire, shredders used their roll of stickers like votes, selecting their favorite mock up designs displayed across separate slates. Adjacent to those polling boards, a whiteboard asked skaters to “Describe your dream skatepark in one word!” The board featured words like accessible, kool, and grippy (meaning not slick).
“This is one of our priority pillars for creating an even more dynamic downtown and growing the great life in Lincoln,” Mayor Gaylor Baird told KLIN News, “There’s so many wonderful ideas being tossed around tonight. So really this is just the beginning. It’s a chance to make sure that what we build reflects our community’s dreams.”
KLIN News rolled around the open house, getting an idea of what the halfpipe heroes of Lincoln want to see in the new park.
Rio LaPointe is a local skater, who said he frequently boards through the streets of the Haymarket, “I’ll hit a couple of spots and I’ll get kicked out right away. I feel like there’s a need for a place for more skaters to go,” LaPointe said.
Neighboring skateparks, like Peter Pan and Tierra Briarhurst Skatepark, have been a staple to the community according to LaPointe, but he says they’re becoming more outdated as the years go on.
Excited for a new place to grind, LaPointe said he hopes the new South Haymarket Skatepark includes, “A lot of street features. More obstacles you find in the streets. Rails, stair sets, ledges,” and while LaPointe isn’t a huge fan of halfpipes and raps, those features are popular, especially with older skaters.
LaPointe said he’s been pleased with the amount of input skaters have been able to give on the development, “They’re letting us pick out what we want in the park. I feel like that’s a really big deal. I’m not sure if many other cities get to really come together and collectively choose what they want in a skate park.”
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- Mockup skatepark designs, dotted with orange vote stickers.
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- Skater described their dream skatepark in one word on a sprawling whiteboard. (Chase Porter, KLIN News)
After hearing from an asphalt artist, KLIN News spoke with developer Adam Eichorn, who works with the L.A. based skatepark design company Spohn Ranch Skateparks.
Eichorn told us what he’s hearing from local thrashers, “They’re looking for good flow, all inclusive, all wheel friendly, and some unique features that cater towards BMX riding. We tend to be on the intermediate kind of style, so we need the community to tell us that we need bigger features, and we’re getting that information from this community today.”
He defined “flow” for the layman.
A map of the slated location for the South Haymarket Skatepark. (Chase Porter, KLIN News)
“You can’t have a good park without good flow,” said Eichorn, “The flow helps to dictate how many riders can ride on the park at one time. We want to make sure that it’s open enough that it has lanes and spaces for different abilities. You might find a section of the park that caters more towards beginner, to intermediates, and then some features that cater more towards advanced riders. The placement of those features is really critical to the flow of the park… You want to be able to continuously move through the park without any dead ends or any obstacles that stop you. In addition, you want to have spaces that riders can stop and rest, maybe set up for their next trick.”
Eichorn, having been involved in numerous park developments, says 7th and “N” streets is a great sandbox for their development, “You want the park to be front and center. The skate park is going to be an anchor, a staple of the entire park. You want to be able to see the park from the parking lot and from the street. You don’t want it tucked in the back corner. That’s a key element of placement of the park.”
The city of Lincoln has been an excellent partner on the project, according to Eichorn.
“All I can say is Lincoln is in really good hands,” he said.
Lincoln Parks & Recreation was pleased with the communities response to the open house, said Project Administrator Karen Nalow.
“It reaffirms how important this skatepark is to our community. Not only did we have high turnout, but we also had representation from a wide range of skatepark enthusiasts,” she told KLIN. “What we have heard is the importance of making this a space for all age groups and abilities and supporting the future generations.”
If you weren’t able to attend the event, Park & Rec still wants you input. An online is available through February 14th at lincoln.ne.gov/HaymarketSkatepark, with paper copies still available at the following locations:
- Lincoln Parks and Recreation administrative offices, 3131 O Street Suite 300
- The Bay, 2005 Y Street, Lincoln, NE 68503
- Precision Skateboards, 1622 O Street, Lincoln, NE 68508
South Haymarket Skatepark is still in the beginning stages of design and is expect to begin construction in 2025 with an opening in 2026.