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Thursday, 20 September 2007 |
Skatepark catalogs often feature predesigned—sometimes even prefabricated—structures that are delivered to the future skatepark site. The price of these skatepark solutions often warms the heart of the fiscal conservative. They see a fraction of the cost of a custom, concrete facility.
What many City and Parks leaders fail to consider is what anyone on the maintenance crew knows too well: the upkeep of a facility can quickly exceed the cost of acquisition. This is especially true for structures built using wood or composite materials. Regardless of where they are built, and often when they utilize the most ignorant of design principles, these parks are nevertheless used by skateboarders desperate for sanctioned areas to recreate. Skateparks are often a Park Department’s most utilized facility. As a result, wood and composite skateparks are often “used to death,” a victim of their own success.
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