Trevor Staples addressed the gathering at the grand opening of Ann Arbor’s new skatepark.

The facility is located on the southeast corner of Maple and Ann Arbor-Dexter roads on Ann Arbor’s west side, in Veterans Memorial Park.

Festivities surrounding the late morning ceremonial ribbon cutting were started off by remarks from Trevor Staples, president of the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark.

He reminded everyone that the park where the skating facility has been constructed is not just named Ann Arbor’s Veterans Memorial Park. The entire park, he noted, was a memorial to veterans who served our country, and he asked for a moment of silence to reflect on their sacrifice.

The ribbon cutting ceremony itself featured several speakers who recited the history of the more than seven-year effort that finally resulted in the skatepark’s construction.

The day’s events included skating competitions that culminated in some demonstration skates by pro skaters – including Tony Hawk and Andy MacDonald. Although the half pipe facility is no longer there, MacDonald learned to skate at Ann Arbor’s Veterans Memorial Park, at a facility that had been constructed on the opposite side of the park.

Below are some photos of MacDonald, Hawk and other skaters who celebrated the opening.

During the ribbon cutting ceremony, skating continued. This young skater demonstrated the basic principle: Fall Down Get Back Up.

Tony Hawk.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Andy MacDonald.

Tony Hawk and Andy MacDonald.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk.

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The organizers have announced that Tony Hawk will be there.

This is not Tony Hawk doing a 900 over the teeter totter in my backyard. Here’s how you can tell: Tony Hawk is a polite young man who would not hop the fence of your backyard and skate your personal playground equipment like this guy did in 2007. And now that a new concrete skatepark has been constructed in Ann Arbor’s Veterans Memorial Park, this guy won’t need to do that any more.

Other names from the world of skateboarding who’ll also attend are Andy Macdonald, Alex Sorgente and Garold Vallie.

But I want to focus on Tony Hawk.

I imagine when some Ann Arbor Chronicle readers hear the name “Hawk,” they will reflexively think of Buteo jamaicensis or perhaps of high-intensity activated cross-walk beacons. That’s because I imagine many of you are hopeless nerds of some stripe, who don’t know very much about American mainstream popular culture, and might even take pride in that kind of cultural gap. I could be wrong – about you, but I’m not wrong about me.

I remember first becoming aware of Tony Hawk’s name in the early 2000s when I worked in the frozen foods department at Busch’s on Main Street. (At that time a banner hung over the department that read: “It’s Fresh Because It’s Frozen.”)

Jeff, the frozen foods manager, explained to me that I should be ready to re-stock frozen waffles through the week because he expected them to be very popular. He’d ordered extra. Now, it might have actually been some other food, because I don’t remember it all that well, but let’s say for the sake of argument that it was waffles. Anyway, Jeff expected that week to be selling a whole bunch of fresh-because-they’re-frozen waffles because there was a Tony Hawk promotion on the packaging. Kids could get some sort of Tony Hawk prize by sending in proof of purchase for some number of waffles, the exact details of which I don’t remember.

I do remember asking: Who is this Tony Hawk? Jeff explained that Tony Hawk was kinda famous – adding that his own kid was pretty into Tony Hawk. To me, Tony Hawk was just a guy I blamed for making my fingers just a little bit colder. I then forgot about Tony Hawk for more than a decade.

Now that Tony Hawk is scheduled to make an appearance in Ann Arbor in just a little over a month, I took some time check into why it’s a big deal. Here’s what I have learned. He’s a professional skateboarder, and not just some very good professional skateboarder. If a new tennis court were being dedicated, it’d be like Roger Federer showing up to hit a few balls over the net. Or if a new public swimming pool were being christened, it’d be like Michael Phelps turning a few laps on opening day. If new chess tables were being installed at a city park, it’d be like Garry Kasparov sitting down at a board to force checkmate in three moves.

New Ann Arbor skatepark still under construction, not yet ready to skate. View from Dexter-Ann Arbor Road looking south.

Here, watch this YouTube video that shows Tony Hawk completing a 900-degree spin. It was the first documented 900 ever landed on a skateboard: [video]

According to their press release, the nonprofit Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark relied heavily on a Tony Hawk Foundation publication – “The Public Skatepark Development Guide” – in their efforts to get the skatepark built.

So when Tony Hawk appears at the grand opening of Ann Arbor’s new skatepark on June 21, it will be a very big deal.

An even bigger deal is the fact that this skatepark is getting built. It’s been a long haul. The funding has drawn on sources starting with bootstrapped private donations, bake sales, punk rock benefit shows, and sponsored bricks. It eventually included a grant from the state of Michigan, matched by Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation, with additional allocations from the city of Ann Arbor.

The group is still working to raise the final $50,000 to complete the Ann Arbor Skatepark Endowment Fund, which will be administered by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. The endowment will help to pay for ongoing maintenance and improvements to the skatepark.

I became aware of the skatepark effort when I interviewed Trevor Staples almost seven years ago as part of a series of backyard teeter totter interviews I used to conduct. Staples is president of the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark. [That's Trevor in the Photoshopped lead art for this column.] Seven years is one of those biblical spans of time. For readers unfamiliar with the Old Testament, it’s how long Jacob agreed to work to earn Rachel’s hand in marriage. That’s a long, long time.

New Ann Arbor skatepark is still under construction and not yet ready to skate. View from Dexter-Ann Arbor Road looking southwest.

Reviewing that conversation with Trevor, I was reminded that the start of the current effort came well before that interview. Staples talked about 2005, when the Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee was started by Dug Song. Some readers will more easily recognize Song as co-founder and CEO of the tech firm Duo Security than as a skatepark advocate.

By now, the funding and construction of the Ann Arbor skatepark might seem like it was inevitable – just like it was inevitable that Tony Hawk was going to land that 900. Of course he was going to land it – he’s Tony Hawk. But if you watch that video, it doesn’t seem quite so inevitable. In fact, he fails over and over to complete that 900. On the first try he doesn’t even come close. But then he finally lands it, and the proverbial crowd does go wild.

So of course a skatepark would get built in Ann Arbor – because this is Ann Arbor, after all, and why wouldn’t Ann Arbor eventually have a skatepark? But back when I interviewed Trevor, I honestly did not think a skatepark would ever get built. I just did not see how the funding could possibly come together. Trevor was talking about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that would be needed, and all I could think was: Dude, you guys are not going to land that trick with a bunch of punk rock benefits and bake sales.

Anyway, I’m going to attend the grand opening of Ann Arbor’s skatepark on June 21. And not just because Tony Hawk is going to be there. I want to look at all the beaming faces of the people who worked so hard to make it happen.

I hope to see some of you there. Because they have landed this trick. And the crowd should go wild.

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This conceptual design by Wally Hollyday for the Ann Arbor skatepark at the northwest corner of Veterans Memorial Park was approved by the city council on Jan. 7, 2013.

Construction could start in early August, with completion of the concrete portion of the skatepark by this November – weather permitting.

The council’s action was taken at its July 15, 2013 meeting. The park advisory commission had voted earlier, on June 8, 2013, to recommend award of the contract.

The originally approved budget for the project was $800,000 – though the expectation was that the project would cost about $1 million. The total budget now – including the construction contract, 10% contingency and $89,560 design contract – is $1,224,311, or $424,311 higher than the originally budgeted $800,000. Funds to pay for the skatepark include a $400,000 grant from the Washtenaw County parks & recreation commission, $300,000 from the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources Trust Fund, and $100,00 raised by the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark, which paid for the skatepark’s design.

The city identified funds from a variety of sources to make up the gap.

• $110,463 from uncommitted funds available in the parks maintenance and capital improvements millage fund balance. The amount reflects a $45,000 decrease in the amount the city will contribute, because the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark recently learned that they will receive a $50,000 grant from the Knight Foundation. Of that, $5,000 will go into the maintenance endowment.
• $80,000 from the city’s stormwater capital budget for rain gardens, to be repaid as a loan to the state revolving fund (SRF). The city expects a 50% loan forgiveness on this amount.
• $32,356 from the FY 2014 parks memorial and contributions fund (the Feldman Trust) for landscaping plantings.
• $30,356 from the FY 2014 parks maintenance and capital improvements millage.
• $22,977 from the FY 2014 parks and recreation services general fund operating budget – from the “parks fairness” funds resulting from other budget amendments made by the council.

In addition, up to $103,159 in uncommitted funds are available in the parks maintenance and capital improvements millage fund balance to cover a 10% construction contingency. Any unspent portion of this amount will be returned to the fund balance.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Pranam, based in Livonia, was the lowest of five responsible bids received by the city. Other bidders were A.Z. Shmina Inc. ($612,000), Cedroni Associates Inc. ($738,000), Construction Solutions Inc. ($738,800) and Phoenix Contractors ($747,754).

According to a staff memo, the roof is nearly 40 years old and has several leaks. A coating was applied 12 years ago but is no longer effective. The purlins and beams have rusted due to moisture condensation, and many need to be replaced. The project will be funded from the FY 2013 park maintenance and capital improvements millage proceeds.

PAC’s recommendation will be forwarded to the city council for consideration.

This brief was filed from the second-floor council chambers at city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2013, with a goal of completing the project by the fall.

The park, expected to cost about $1 million, was designed by Wally Hollyday. In July of 2012, the Ann Arbor city council had authorized a $89,560 contract with his firm, Wally Hollyday Skateparks, for the design and construction oversight of the skatepark. City council action on the skatepark at that location dates back to a Dec. 1, 2008 approval of a memorandum of intent. [.pdf of memorandum of intent]

The roughly $1 million project – including an anticipated $100,000 endowment for ongoing maintenance – will be financed through a combination of funds. Those include private donations – primarily solicited through the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark – as well as a $300,000 state grant, and up to $400,000 in matching funds from the Washtenaw County parks and recreation commission. The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation is acting as fiduciary.

The design includes a wide variety of skateboarding features – including bowls and pools; banked, Hubba and cantilevered ledges; and slappy curbs. Landscaped areas and rain gardens are located throughout the park, which will also serve as stormwater management elements. The design includes a small stage, which could be used for skateboarding demonstrations as well as other community performances. Organizers also hope to incorporate concrete “skateable artwork” on the site.

Two residents who live near Veterans Memorial Park spoke against the location during public commentary at PAC’s Dec. 12 meeting, saying they hadn’t been informed before the site was selected. They also referred to a petition of about 20 other residents who opposed the location, including the owners of Knight’s Restaurant, which is located across from the proposed skatepark. They were concerned about noise, maintenance, safety and other issues that they felt hadn’t been adequately addressed.

Later in that PAC meeting Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, reviewed the history of the project starting in 2007, including a listing of forums with neighbors, which he described as well-attended, and public hearings at PAC and city council. He later showed The Chronicle a receipt for a mailing sent to neighbors in 2008, notifying them about the proposal in its very early stages.

Trevor Staples, chair of the nonprofit Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark, also spoke to PAC and noted that the group would be holding a retreat later this winter to discuss their future mission, indicating that they’d be involved in ongoing support for the skatepark. Part of the MOI with the city stipulates that 10% of fundraising for the skatepark is being set aside for future maintenance.

No one spoke against the skatepark at the Jan. 7 city council meeting, and several councilmembers praised the project.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

City council action on the skatepark at that location dates back to a Dec. 1, 2008 approval of a memorandum of intent. [.pdf of memorandum of intent]

The roughly $1 million project – including an anticipated $100,000 endowment for ongoing maintenance – will be financed through a combination of funds. Those include private donations – primarily solicited through the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark – as well as a $300,000 state grant, and up to $400,000 in matching funds from the Washtenaw County parks and recreation commission. The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation is acting as fiduciary.

Selection of Wally Hollyday Skateparks for the work came after a selection committee reviewed six responses to a request for proposals (RFP) issued by the city of Ann Arbor in April. The committee selected two California firms – Wally Hollyday Skateparks and Wormhoudt Inc. – as finalists. Additional review and interviews resulted in the choice of Wally Hollyday Skateparks as the recommended designer. Wally Hollyday had already been involved in the project to some extent, leading design workshops for the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark in 2009 and 2010.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

The deadline for submitting proposals is May 4, 2012 at 10 a.m. A pre-proposal meeting for potential respondents will be held on Thursday, April 26 at 4 p.m. at the proposed skatepark site at Veterans Memorial Park, near the corner of Dexter Avenue and Maple Road. After proposals are submitted on May 4, they will be reviewed by a selection committee, with interviews held during the week of May 29.

The RFP provides this description of the project design: ”The site allows for an approximately 30,000 square foot Skatepark. The design must include, but not necessarily be limited to, both “street” (e.g. flat surfaces, stairs, rails) and “transitional” elements (e.g. bowls, pools, curved surfaces, halfpipes), lighting and seating, and must accommodate skaters at a range of skill levels, from beginners to advanced. The final plan must meet or exceed all storm water management and other environmental requirements, must complement the current park landscape, and must preserve the existing trees. Where practical, solar powered lights, drought resistant species, and low maintenance ground covers shall be incorporated into the design, as applicable.”

The RFP was discussed at the April 17 meeting of the Ann Arbor park advisory commission. Colin Smith, the city’s parks and recreation manager, told commissioners that the goal is to select a designer within two months. He explained that the RFP is being handled through the city’s purchasing division using city guidelines, and the skatepark will be a city-owned asset. However, he said the selection committee – which will include members of the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark, as well as city and county representatives – will be relied on to make a recommendation for the designer. That recommendation will be reviewed by PAC, he said. PAC commissioner David Barrett will serve on the committee. Park planner Amy Kuras is the city’s point person on the project.

Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2013.