The Maplewood Parks and Recreation Board on Thursday discussed mini-parks, an approved and funded skateboard park in the works, and a study of The Heights.
Teresa Proebsting, PARC parks and recreation director, said The Heights will be paid off in 2017, and the Richmond Heights City Council has asked for a study of how the facility, including the library, is used. A survey will be available at The Heights and online. St. Louis design firm, Cannon Design, is involved. The public will be invited to view concept drawings and give input at The Heights on Dec. 12.
The board looked at a several-page long list of city-owned lots, and agreed to recommend to the city council that any available vacant lots be made into a small parks.
The city won a $143,250 grant from the Municipal Park Grant Commission of St Louis County for a skateboard park, according to a Nov. 4 email to the board from Maplewood Director of Public Works Anthony Traxler. The park is planned for the area north of the swimming pool parking lot. Proebsting said MRH middle school and high school students are excited about it. Assistant Public Works Director Tiffany Davis said the city plans to involve the students in planning the park in some way. Construction is planned to start after the pool closes in 2017.
Glad to see that they are letting the students assist with design, but also taking public input. My partner is a lifelong skateboarder, and he has commented that many skate parks are poured incorrectly and have design flaws that make them unsuccessful in the long run, so hopefully they will take into account the thoughts of actual skateboarders to set the park up for success!
Having it by the middle/high school is genius.
I think it’s smart to have the students involved in design considerations. Perhaps the people at the skateboard shop on Big Bend also have some good ideas and/or skateboarder contacts with good ideas. Nice to see this happening.