Check out the link from today’s Lexington Herald Leader newspaper on the new park!
http://www.kentucky.com/2014/03/09/3131294/enthusiasts-council-member-say.html
Author Archives: gduerson
Guess who is going to build Lexington’s new skatepark?
click to see their website
Just released…
“The selection team has reviewed the proposals and given full consideration to all responses. The proposal submitted by Dreamland Skateparks, LLC has been selected as the best overall response based upon a thorough, comprehensive review. If the LFUCG is unable to reach an agreement that is acceptable for both parties, we reserve the right to negotiate with other submitters or reject all proposals and issue a new RFP.”
Here Are The Companies Bidding On The New Park!
Step one complete. The RFP process is now over and here are the companies that submitted proposals to build us a new park!
(click on logo to see company’s website)
&
(Team Pain is in partnership with Marrillia Designs)
This is exciting folks! One of these companies will be selected soon to begin designing and constructing our new skate park! A committee will be selected in the coming weeks and a selection will be made by early January. I understand that the skate community will be represented on this committee in some capacity. Committee members will not be disclosed to the public until after the bid has been awarded.
This Wednesday, this city invited those interested in bidding on the skatepark project out to Berry Hill Park for to answer questions about the RFP process and the overall park design/build desires for the park. After a grand entrance (turning into the park, I clipped the curb with my front right tire and my tire exploded–anyone coming into the park from the gas station might want to watch out for that low-lying curb) I did manage to learn a few things about the project as well…
* Right now budget is $500,000 but is expected to increase as private fundraising will begin once a design/build company is in place.
* $500,000 will be for the park footprint, landscaping around the park, entrances to the park, etc. It will not include work to be done on the parking lot (which hopefully will include fixing that low curb when you turn in 🙂
* It also will include the base and wiring for LIGHTS!. It will not include the actual lights themselves. Pretty cool that the park will include lights for night skating. The
* I understand there was a misunderstanding on the time of the meeting and that there were actually some different players at the 10AM meeting. At the 3pm meeting I know that Grindline and Spohn Ranch were in attendance. Apparently the folks from Louisville (currently working together on the reconstruction of the Louisville park) were there for the morning meeting that didn’t happen. UPDATE: Someone said they were working with California Skateparks but I think they may have been confusing them with Wormhoudt, which is based in California.
* Several landscape architect firms were also on hand.
* There was a bit of a discussion about the city’s goal to have a 10% minority business involvement in the project.
Folks, this thing is moving! I’ll do my best to keep you posted here. I’m sure there will be other design/build companies interested. In the coming weeks we will know for sure and the process for picking the company will begin. It is my hope that when that time comes, the skate community will be represented in that decision process, but when the question was asked at the meeting about who will be deciding who wins the bid several folks were mentioned… but not “the skate community.” This group will be fairly small, as it should be, but I do hope that in the coming days there will be someone who skates appointed to that committee. All in all I was encouraged, and if if a qualified company is picked, as i know the city wants to do, we will have one sweet park next time this year!
More to come…
UPDATE: The decision on which contractor to go with apparently must be made by city officials but there will be some folks from the skate community involved as advisers in the process.
Official Update On Berry Hill Skate Park from Councilman Myers
Just released from Councilman Myers office:
November 1, 2013
Dear Lexington Park and Skating Community Supporters:
I am very excited to announce the process to build Lexington’s next skatepark and revitalize Berry Hill Park has begun! Even more exciting, the city of Lexington is committed to a process that will give skaters and the community alike a key role in steering the skatepark’s final design.
Many thanks to Lexington’s Urban County Council and Mayor Jim Gray for catching the vision and budgeting $500,000 towards Lexington’s new destination skatepark. As you may know we are currently working to expand this project into a $1 million skatepark through private donations and we are asking for your help in this endeavor. Additionally the Council has approved an additional $80,000 to add a new walking trail in the park.
We are in the beginning stages of hiring a qualified consultant and are currently advertising a request for proposals (RFP). While each consultant will propose their own methodology, we are looking for an expert that is not only skilled at designing and building skateparks but also at incorporating a robust community-involved plan in to the process.
While the timeline for construction should be determined by the consultant that is selected and the process they propose for building the skatepark, we anticipate construction to begin in the summer of 2014 with substantial completion by the end of 2014. Once a contract has been awarded to a consultant they will provide a schedule of all major project milestones and outline plans to work directly with our community in developing the skatepark’s design.
The proposals submitted by the design firms will respond to a list of project goals in the RFP. These goals to name just a few include:
- a consultant that will work with the community to design and develop a park that addresses the needs of beginner through experienced skaters and bikers;
- a variety of both transition style skate features as well as street elements;
- the design and construction of a first-class unique destination skatepark that creates an economic benefit to the community at-large;
- a portion of the park should be designed so it is ADA accessible; and
- the design shall take into account long-term maintenance and sustainability.
I hope you are as excited by this news as I am. It is also my hope that in the coming months our community will recognize the economic and health benefits this project is going to provide for the citizens of Lexington and will come together to make this project even bigger and more awesome than it already promises. We would like to see this project become a $1 million skatepark through private donations. For more information about how you can get involved to help us achieve this goal please contact Elizabeth Chatterton (echatterton@lexingtonky.gov or (859)258-3220). You can also make a tax-deductible donation at www.friendsforskateparks.com.
We are looking forward to working with you to build a world-class skatepark in Lexington, Kentucky.
Sincerely,
George G. Myers
See PDF of the release HERE.
Berry Hill Park – Before Photos
Here are a few pics of Berry Hill Park as it looks today. You can see that the old pool is gone and there is a clean slate for designers to work with. We are not sure if the building will stay, but it’s possible that it will be updated and remain. You can see, this place is ready for a new park!
Step One: RFP
In the coming weeks the first major step in the construction of the new park will take place. The city will release a request for proposals (RFP) on their website. When this happens, game on! This is the official start of the project and will attract the attention of the nations top skatepark build/design companies. We will let you know here first when this RFP is available. From there, Friends for Skateparks in conjunction with Parks and Rec and city officials will work to select a design/build company. Read this article to see an example of how this worked in Ann Arbor Michigan.
Where is Berry Hill Park?
Click below to see the location of Berry Hill Park–the location of Lexington’s next skatepark!
Under Construction (this site and the new park soon!!!)
Hello friends! We are currently revamping this site. Please check back often as this will be the place to come to stay informed on the progress of the new park and detailed information on how you can be involved. The most important thing you need to know is that there will be a new skatepark at Berry Hill and construction will begin sometime next year. The city of Lexington, thanks to Councilman George Myers persistence has made $550,000 available for this project. Friends for Skateparks along with Councilman Myers would love to see a one million dollar facility built–something on par with the park in Bowling Green, Ky and Florence, Ky. It will be up to us in the coming months to all pitch in to make this dream a reality for the city of Lexington.
Currently the city is getting the paper work together to begin posting the project for design companies! In the coming weeks, F4SP will be initiating a fundraising campaign and we will need your help to not only contribute financially, but invite others to participate in this once in a lifetime project! Stay tuned for lots of great updates and make sure to “like us” on facebook and follow us on twitter!
Friends for Skateparks 