On the outskirts of downtown is the most unique of the more than one hundred Metro Parks here in Louisville. Its 40,000 square feet of concrete, wood, and steel are made for skateboards, BMX bikes, and inline skates, and its existence is owed both to an arduous grassroots effort locally and a burgeoning national interest in these so-called “extreme” sports. The Louisville Extreme Park may have gotten its name from the sports and athletes that call it home, but it is a fitting and continually apt moniker for the place it holds here in the city. It lay just outside of downtown, and just outside the attention of the mainstream.
The effort to get the park approved and built was a long journey. The dialogue between area athletes and the city started around 1992 and was spearheaded by a group of local skateboarders, BMX riders, and inline skaters, among them many of the most prominent figures in the Louisville scene. Meetings with the Metro Parks council were attended by current co-owner of Home Skateshop, Thom Hornung and Sean Fawbush, who opened Home in the mid-nineties and with Hornung, were the loudest in voicing a consensus opinion that the city would not only benefit from the park, but that it was a necessity for area athletes. With skateboarding and similar activities facing clear resistance from local law enforcement through a downtown ban and the city’s neglect of a small skatepark at Breslin Park, Fawbush and Hornung felt that their mission was clear. Fawbush says, “From 1992 to the actual opening in 2002, it was a rough decade in dealing with the city on many fronts within skateboarding, not just the skatepark…this is when we said, ‘If you’re going to ban skateboarding, then you have to provide us a skatepark.’”
Approval and construction of the park would not have been possible without the commitment of these individuals, but it was also met with interest from then Louisville Mayor Dave Armstrong. After trials for the X-Games were held in Louisville, their popularity and a portend of future revenue led to the approval of a $2 million budget for planning and construction of the Louisville Extreme Park. The years since Mayor Armstrong’s departure from office have been felt by those involved with the park’s creation. An example being the second phase of the park, an indoor facility, which according to the city government’s website is still a part of the “master plan”, but for now floats somewhere in the ether. Hornung remarks, “Well, we got a new mayor, [now] two since the park was built. The plans Mayor Armstrong had approved for the second phase of the park were thrown out by his replacement.”
Despite what may have felt like a dwindling interest from the city since it officially opened in 2002, the park saw improvements in both 2003 and 2004, when new walkways were installed and permanent restrooms replaced temporary facilities as part of the park’s layout. The first few years of the park’s existence also brought about the issue of graffiti, which continues to be a point of concern for both those who use the park and city officials. Hornung says of the graffiti, “That seems to really bother Metro Parks, but we don’t see skaters putting up the graffiti, at least not the skaters that are really into skating. Some of the older guys even tried to form a group to clean up all the graffiti for free, but Metro Parks wasn’t able to let that happen.” Yet despite a few hiccups associated with rattling cans of spray paint, the park’s popularity continued to grow in the years following its construction.
This is evident not only here in Louisville, where it is frequented by skaters young and old on a regular basis, but nationwide, where it is one of many skateparks across the country that lures professional and amateur athletes from all corners of the United States. Hornung says that with the symbiotic relationship between Home and the park itself, younger skaters frequently get to see their favorite athletes at their hometown park and the skate community in Louisville is only bolstered further. “The shop is what brings the pro skaters in town on tour, and of course they want to skate the park, so therefore with the shop bringing the pros to town, kids get to see their idols skate their turf, which always helps the scene.”
Perhaps the most important role the park has played over the decade since its inception is allowing Louisville natives and tourists alike a venue where no matter what, they can ride and skate knowing that it is safe and legal. There are still those who use the park that remember a time when it did not exist, and unlike younger athletes, spent much of their days being shooed away from coveted skate spots and driving through the city in search of another temporary oasis. For Will Thompson, a Louisville native who was formerly a regular sight behind the counter working at Home Skateshop, the level of freedom the park provides is a point of emphasis. Thompson, 29, now lives in San Francisco, CA and says, “The things I miss the most [about skating in Louisville] would be the fact there is such a great, lit up skate park open 24 hours a day.” Fellow skateboarder Joe Burden, who has been on a board since 1986, affirmed Thompson’s statement. “You have a well-lit place you can skate any time of day without the possibility of being kicked out.”
Currently, there are both encouraging and worrisome aspects of the park’s existence to consider. Since the initial proposal of the Ohio River Bridges Project and construction attached to Spaghetti Junction, local athletes are nervous to say the least. Whispers of the park being relocated and/or up to two-thirds of the park being annexed came with news that concrete pillars will likely be sunk into areas that are now freely roamed by local athletes. In a turn of good news, the most updated plans for the Ohio River Bridges Project, released at the tail end of 2011, not only point to less interference with the land the park currently calls home, but also a possibility that the park may not have to be shut down during construction. Fawbush says he is still unnerved, but for the time being, he is relieved. “There is an opportunity for the city to actually add some skateable/rideable terrain with the addition of the support column that will be in the park area.” Furthermore, the highway ramps that are due to loom over the park may help address what is a going concern for many athletes: a need for shade. In the summertime, when the park is at its busiest, the oppressive sun and heat of the Ohio Valley bear down upon the park, and while the Bridges Project seems like an obstacle, it could end up being a blessing in disguise.
In addition to the park’s stay of execution, over the summer local athletes witnessed and took part in another encouraging step forward. Already a destination for skateboarders and athletes throughout the country, the Extreme Park’s popularity created an exciting opportunity for a global influence. Louisville’s Sister City program worked with the city of Perm, Russia, to create a near exact copy of the park based on blueprints of the local park. The park’s sibling across the ocean speaks to its success as a haven and destination for American athletes, and also gave local athletes a chance to enter into a dialogue with current Mayor Greg Fischer. According to the Sister City’s blog, in June seven skaters and BMX riders met with the mayor before heading to Perm to witness the Russian park’s opening. They were able to offer suggestions and recommendations to the mayor at the time, and also express concerns about the park’s present and future.
While the latest plans for the Bridges Project and the park in Perm are both signs of relief and pride respectively, the park’s future livelihood is still destined to come down to private interest and funding. The Adopt-A-Park program and Extreme Park Stewards have helped with a restoration of the park’s wooden vert ramp, but more private efforts are needed to help maintain this unique part of the Louisville Metro community. The park’s indoor phase will require private funding in order to become a reality according to the city government’s website and more interest from the citizenry will likely come before any large scale efforts are put forward by city officials. Private interest is vital to the park’s future in an economic environment where city and state (not to mention national) budgets are stretched to the point of overflow.
The park’s future may still be blurry, but it is important to remember that it is still only beginning its adolescence. Like any 10 or 11 year old, its youth has whirred past and its future is still bright, albeit unknown. What has become clear is that the park, like those who utilize its rolling concrete banks, is intent to not only survive, but also flourish. The new plans concerning the Ohio River Bridges Project and private volunteer interest are encouraging signs that city officials and local citizens alike are committed to maintaining the park’s integrity, and it will be allowed to enter into its teen and adult years unencumbered by shrinking acreage or dilapidation. The park may be experiencing some growing pains, but if its current bill of health is any indication, it is on track to live a long and full life on the edge of downtown Louisville.
–Mark Schultz
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“the Bridges Project seems like an obstacle, it could end up being a blessing in disguise.”
-quite possibly the most shallow perspective on our city’s future that I have ever read. Embarrassing, actually. Thank god we spent $3 billion to give the skate park some shade while driving downtown into the ground!