Spruce Pine skate park? That could be reality after a council meeting during which Jimmy Hinshaw spoke. To donate to the skatepark cause or learn more, call 467-4525 or 385-6253.
Discussions about a Spruce Pine skateboard park are alive again.
Mitchell County resident Jimmy Hinshaw presented a proposal for a new skateboard park during the town council’s regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 28. He asked that the town support the park, help find a location for the park, provide some assistance with finding funding sources and invest in the area through outdoor activities.
It’s not the first time the council has heard such a proposal. Town Manager Darlene Butler said Grant Maltba asked the council about a skate park in 2001.
Maltba had a petition with 52 signatures. After several months, he returned to the council and said the Tony Hawk Foundation didn’t approve his funding requests. Other donations weren’t sufficient to cover the project cost.
Maltba returned the money to donors and the discussion faded. Hinshaw resurrected the talks as droves of supporters packed the council chambers and spilled out into the hallway.
Hinshaw told the council that the project would be self-funded. As Maltba did two decades before, Hinshaw already met with designers and potential funders, including the Tony Hawk Foundation.
Hinshaw said he could provide a blueprint of the space within 30 days. He plans to donate a video surveillance system for the park.
Hinshaw said a skateboard park would require at least a 100-foot-by-100-foot space, which he estimates would cost between $25,000 and $50,000.
Ahead of the meeting, Hinshaw showcased what he deemed would be an ideal location for the skate park— a large, flat concrete slab in Brad Ragan. Butler broke some news to Hinshaw about that spot.
That pad is the location for playground expansion and handicap parking in the scope of work submitted to the state as part of the town’s recent funding received through PARTF and SCIF grants.
Grant funds will also fund an additional park and recreation spot on the Stroup Road property, owned by the town.
Butler asked Hinshaw if the back tennis court at Brad Ragan could hold the park. Hinshaw said it isn’t big enough.
Kelly Georgeou chimed in to emphasize the importance of finding a location so the group can seek funding through grants and donors.
Andrew Branum, Noah Miller, Hector Herrera and Zac Taylor supported the project during the public comment period. Branum said he has friends at the Tony Hawk Foundation and knows contractors who could help with the design.
Branum, a law enforcement officer, added the skate park would likely cut down on crime by giving kids something to do.
The biggest question remaining is where the skate park would go.
“We are in the unusual and appreciated situation of having grant-funded plans that involve large areas of both parks,” the town wrote in a Facebook post after the meeting. “The council and staff will be considering several areas of possibility for a skateboard park location.”