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New Tampa skate park may be done by year's end

Construction is expected to begin in about three months on property behind the New Tampa Community Center.

By Robbyn Mitchel, Times Staff Writer
Published February 29, 2008

TAMPA PALMS 

Before the close of 2008, city officials hope to create a 13,000- to 15,000-square-foot concrete haven for the skateboarders of New Tampa.

Near-final plans for the skate park behind the New Tampa Community Center, between Freedom High School and Liberty Middle School, include a bowl and a wealth of street course features designed to challenge skaters of all levels.

"We don't want just the beginners or the experts using this space," said Tito Porrata, a project designer with Team Pain. "We want skaters to keep coming back 10 years down the line and discovering new ways to use the park."

Team Pain, an Orlando-based skate park design and construction company, will work with local firm Cutler & Associates to complete the project, which is expected to begin the permitting process after a March 7 public meeting.

"Permitting usually takes 45 to 90 days," Porrata said. "And after that, construction should take anywhere from 15 to 17 weeks, weather permitting."

Tampa Parks and Recreation already has taken steps to speed along construction.

Because of protected wetlands behind the park, the drainage system must feed directly into the city's stormwater system, said Brad Suder of the department. So during construction of the Community Center, pipes were laid in the skate park area to remove drainage.

The city also has done some preliminary digging to lessen the burden on the contractors.

People who have seen the plans say the park will look a lot like one in Dunedin, also designed by Team Pain. User fees will be "very, very small," Suder said.

In the second of three public meetings, some young skaters proposed adding more plaza-style obstacles to the course, including stairs and railings, which were ruled out in the first meeting last year.

Porrata assured the skaters last week that he would look into the possibility but warned that additions may change the course's "flow."

"You could take up half the park trying to fit 10 stairs into the scheme because of the takeoff and landing space needed to safely execute that," he said.

Then there's the matter of cost.

"The city's target budget for this project is $600,000," said Maynard Baker, an engineer at Cutler & Associates. "That's always a consideration."

Skaters Jeff Marcar and Danny Thompson were impressed with the pains the city took to include their suggestions from last year's meeting into the overall concept and design.

"Don't do anything to mess up the flow," Marcar said. "I love what you've done with it."

Even nonskaters are excited about the prospect of the new addition to the community center. "I think that this will be an action-packed fun place to be," said Heather Wolf Erickson, the center's director. "I can't wait to see how it all turns out."

Robbyn Mitchell can be reached at 813 269-5313 or rmitchell@sptimes.com.

If you go

Meeting planned

The final meeting about the New Tampa Community Center skate park will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 7 at the Compton Park meeting room.

[Last modified February 29, 2008, 01:50:14]