Public Skateboard Parks:
Benefits of a Concrete Skatepark over Pre-Fab Ramps

The article below is referenced from Skaters for Public Skateparks.

We believe a quantitative analysis of all material options measuring total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI) favors concrete over modular skateparks.

Further, too many skaters, vulnerable to surface inconsistencies due to hard wheels as small as 50mm, have experienced first-hand the unnecessary hazard caused by the seam between the base of modular ramps and the pad it sits upon, specifically eliminating prefabricated concrete park elements from the list of superior materials.

Finally, modular ramps (concrete pre-fab not included) , in the words of Portland, Oregon's Noise Control Officer: "are essentially speakers," broadcasting the sound of skateboarding great distances, relative to concrete, which emits sounds quantified as "comparable to a conversation between two adults" at just a few meters (Van Orden, et al. 2001).

There exist many different options for those seeking to provide a skateboard park. There are temporary structures, movable or "modular" ones, and permanent skateparks build from concrete. Skateparks today are made from wood, steel, fiberglass, composites, and concrete.

The spectrum of materials available fall into two categories:  
- Permanent
- Modular

Permanent parks are typically constructed from concrete. Modular parks are constructed from wood, steel, fiberglass, and composites, depending on the vendor and quality of the materials. So which is better?
"Better" can easily become a topic of subjectivity, regarding how one segment of skateboarder prefers one over another. Instead, we've chosen to focus on economic reality: return on investment, or "ROI."

"ROI," of course, is initial investment plus maintenance cost, over the life of the product. Although many modular vendors promote an apparently inexpensive acquisition cost, quantified in a metric identified as "price per square foot," we've found that these values are inaccurately derived, as many vendors divide the investment cost with the total area of the facility, ignoring that they weren't hired to provide the flat pad the facility is placed upon (a task typically assigned to the city). Once normalized, the "cost per square foot," and therefore, the "cost of acquisition" for modular typically far exceeds that of more traditional materials, such as concrete. Further, common "value added" features promoted by modular companies pertains to the very modularity of the equipment, as well as impressive-sounding warrantees. However, in a large and growing number of cases many vendors invalidate the equipment's warrantees as soon as they are relocated or dismiss usage-damage as vandalism. Many cities have complained of poor responsiveness from vendors while seeking remediation, causing unanticipated variability in operational maintenance costs, as personnel are required to make more frequent "safety inspection" trips to the parks. SPS recommends requiring any vendor to provide several references to cities who purchased their equipment 3 or more years ago, and evaluate them for their service, responsiveness, and the durability of the equipment. A growing archive of photos and video has demonstrated the frailty of modular materials when subjected to everyday usage.

One final caveat: ensure your concrete vendor has experience with skateparks, as they require engineering constraints often unknown to a general contractor. Our recommendation to seek referrals from prior (3+ years) customers applies equally to concrete.

Building a Skatepark: Modular or Concrete

By Carol Newman, Landscape Architecture Magazine. Reprinted with permission.

Statistics from a Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association survey indicate that the numbers of skateboarders are growing dramatically—since 1998 participation is up by 81 percent—while interest in team sports is tapering.

As skateboarding moves up in the ranks of sports and recreation, a broad shift in the attitude of communities toward skaters and their parks is evolving. Skateboarding as a legitimate sport is here to stay, but skateparks are still a relative rarity. However, municipal governments everywhere are responding to the demand for skateparks with a wave of their own by building skateparks as fast as possible. When faced with this demand, how should a community decide between prefab modular units and permanent concrete facilities? This choice has practical, economic, and aesthetic ramifications, but most important, it affects the long-term satisfaction of the participants themselves.

Elite Concrete

Skatepark cost analysis can benefit from a broader view. Rod Wojtanik, landscape architect and project manager for Portland Parks and Recreation, has years of experience planning for Portland’s skateparks and has determined that poor long-range durability drives up prefab costs.

"In a nutshell," he says, "ramps are cheaper to install but in the long run they are considerably more expensive. Ramps made of steel are noisier, get chipped and rust. Ramps made of wood and masonite need to be checked regularly for screw heads that back out. They don’t hold up well under inclement weather and they don’t take the abuse of the sport very well. These factors increase maintenance costs and in a few years the ramps need replacing. There are no cost savings with ramps if you look at five- to ten-year feasibility of construction, maintenance, and replacement costs."

Several companies offer warranties covering manufacturing defects for up to 15 years; however, warranties do not cover the normal wear and tear caused by hundreds of users daily and, therefore, won’t solve the durability problem for towns trying to find savings in prefab.

By contrast, a well-built concrete park can last for decades. One vintage park that has weathered the years and still gives skaters a ride is Derby Park near Santa Cruz, California. Built by local surfers over 30 years ago, this venerable park is considered the hallowed ground of early skateboarding in the United States and remains unchanged from its original design. Another, Stockwell Stakepark in the Brixton neighborhood of South London, was built in 1978 and still draws large crowds of skaters. Known to locals as Brixton Beach, its concrete curves have formed a culturally important part of the urban landscape for over 25 years. The park is located at the intersection of two busy roads, and spectators can find skaters maneuvering its enduring curves at all hours.

Aside from regular maintenance such as mowing, arbor care, trash and debris cleanup, well-built concrete parks have proven to be nearly maintenance free. According to Tom Miller of Skaters for Portland Skateparks, "If you want the cheapest skatepark in the sense that you’ll get the longest use out of the design, you have to build with concrete."

While the short-term investment in prefab can be less expensive than concrete, the savings may not be as dramatic when all park costs are considered. Some of the largest costs are the same for both venues: the costs of land, site preparation, amenities, landscaping, and signage. A modular park often requires installation of a concrete pad, and there are shipping and installation costs for the units, all of which narrow the gap between concrete and prefab.

SPA Skateparks. www.spaskateparks.com.
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