Skatepark concept nearing completion
Render by New Line Skateparks This is one of the 3D renders for the upcoming skatepark. The steps in the foreground would be on the northeast corner of the park, with an entry plaza mostly off screen to the right running north to East Georgia Avenue.
Photo courtesy of Friends of the Ruston Skatepark Roughly 40 people turned out for the second community input meeting for the proposed Ruston skatepark Thursday. Pictured above, attendees listen as New Line Skateparks designer Kanten Russell presents the latest concept design for the park.
The proposed Ruston skatepark is nearing its final concept design after receiving another round of community feedback Thursday.
Friends of the Ruston Skatepark, a grassroots local nonprofit spearheading fundraising for the project, held a second community input meeting Thursday, where designer New Line Skateparks presented its latest concept based on previous feedback from area skaters.
First proposed back in 2016, the city skatepark is set to be constructed at the old municipal pool site on Memorial Drive and financed by a combination of local fundraising and city of Ruston support.
With eyes on getting construction underway in the first half of 2024, organizers are gathering one more round of community feedback before presenting the final design at an upcoming meeting.
On Thursday roughly 40 attendees were on hand to review the design and offer ideas.
Local artist, Louisiana Tech professor and Friends Executive Director Joey Slaughter said the past two meetings have provided an updated understanding of the wants and needs of the local skating community, particularly younger skaters who weren’t around when the very first construction documents were formed back in 2017.
“New Line wanted a fresh approach to make sure that this is what the skaters in the area really wanted,” he said. “It was a really great presentation that represented a lot of the input from the first meeting.”
Since the first meeting, 63 community members also responded to an online survey to further inform the design process.
That survey is still live until Sept. 14 and can be filled out at tinyurl. com/ Rustonmeeting- 2.
The current concept features a compact “pool bowl” and an elongated “flow bowl” as the primary skating areas, flanked by a high-speed street lane on one side and a low-speed street lane on the other.
“Their design has a good mix of beginning, intermediate and advanced areas with a good understanding of different areas where people can skate at the same time along different paths,” Slaughter said. “It’s a very conscious design that is considerate of all those different skill levels, as well as safety.”
As the only concrete skatepark within at least 150 miles, organizers hope the Ruston park will be able to draw interest from across the I-20 corridor and hold regional events and competitions.
The idea of creating a professional skatepark in Ruston goes back to 2016 when guest artist and professional skateboarder Brian Lotti visited the Louisiana Tech School of Design and teamed up with Tech architecture professor Miguel Lasala.
The two approached Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker, who liked the idea and thought of the abandoned pool site.
Though further talks between the School of Design, Ruston Parks and Recreation and the North Central Louisiana Arts Council, construction documents were created in 2017 with an initial design by Hunger Skateparks, but funding took longer to develop.
Reawakened during the shutdown of early COVID-19, Friends of the Ruston Skatepark formed to raise funds to match the city’s conwith tribution.
“The collaboration between our group and city of Ruston has been a really great one, and we’re very appreciative of their willingness to make this happen,” Slaughter said.
A skate deck auction last spring raised $ 60,000, and then the Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau announced a $ 100,000 grant toward the project.
Other contributions included $10,000 from a foundation run by Tony Hawk, the world’s most famous skater.
Seeing the collaboration between so many agencies and individuals grow from an idea to a nearly complete design has filled those who have pushed the project from the beginning with ever increasing excitement.
“It’s the most rewarding thing ever,” Slaughter said. “Really grateful and excited. I hope it gives kids opportunities they never had before.”
