Algonac Skate Park to be updated and possibly moved

Community fundraising effort being launched for the project

By Barb Pert Templeton

The Algonac Skate Park, located at Smith Recreation Park, is in need of significant repairs and updates. Preliminary estimates place the costs in the $25,000 to $30,000 range with a goal of completing much of the work in-house and with the help of volunteers.

“We are developing different cost estimates and launching a community fundraising effort including business sponsors and t-shirts,” Algonac City Manager Arties Bryson wrote in a memo to the city council and shared at a May 19 meeting.

Outreach has already begun with organizations such as DTE, Cargill Salt, the St. Clair County Community Foundation, Clay Township DDA and others. Bryson said he’s going top put together some levels for sponsorship to raise the money.

“The skate park has a strong history in the community, it was the first skate park in St. Clair County and it was partly funded by a Tony Hawk Foundation grant and he designed it himself,” Bryson said.

At that time, in 2002, a local committee of approximately 50 residents helped raise over $50,000. We are reconnecting with many of those original supporters as part of this effort.

“It was a grassroots thing and I have all the paperwork from it and I found a list of about 60 members of the old skate park committee and I recognize a lot of them so we’ll be calling them up,” Bryson said.

City Council weighs-in

Councilman Michael Bembas said he’d like to challenge Bryson to get a grant in order to move the skatepark to Lions Field, away from Smith’s Field, with the city council’s approval.

“I’ve got a better location, the old playground by the Activity Center,” Bryson replied.

“Good let’s think outside the box, just because it’s always been that way doesn’t mean it has to stay that way,” Bembas said. “So, let’s start looking at who can donate a cement slab.”

Bryson said it would cost about $80,000 for the cement skate pad.

Councilwoman Wendy Meldrum said updating the park is okay but again her concerns lie in just how much money is the city going to keep putting into the skatepark because right now, there’s all the graffiti all over it.

“How much money are we going to continually put into it?” Meldrum asked. “And I know you have mentioned if we can have more law enforcement around that area and know we can’t guarantee (the graffiti) it won’t happen again.”

Bryson said the city has discussed placing a huge bolder (rock), something done at universities all the time and the boulder would be there to be painted and it could change all the time.

“Hopefully that would take the graffiti artists away from our skate park and add it to our boulder,” Bryson said. “They have one at the high school.”

“I don’t want to see it on a boulder either, the graffiti they have, let’s just say it’s not kind words,” Meldrum said.

Mayor Rocky Gillis said some of the graffiti is actually a dedication to a local man that died so the city was thinking a huge boulder would give them a creative outlet.

“This isn’t just kids spray painting because they have nothing better to do, there’s reasons behind it,” Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey said.

She suggested the city put the word out that art designs are needed and invite local youth to come out on a Saturday to paint the boulder.

History of the Algonac Skatepark

Blue Water Healthy Living caught up with Cindy Babisz, the former director of the Downriver Recreation Commission and current recreation coordinator in Algonac. Since she was there when the skate park was opened, she agreed to share some background on the project.

She said the Algonac Skatepark remains open today and despite erroneous reports by AI that claim there are concrete ramps at the park, they are actually made of wood and always have been.

Algonac Skate Park opened in July 2002 inside Smith Recreation Park at Clay and Michigan streets. It was the first skateboard park in St. Clair County.

Tim Klunder was the Algonac city manager in 2002 and Babisz recalled that he approached the Downriver Recreation Commission (DRC) to look into a skate park, she was the director of the commission at that time.

She said the DRC asked some area kids to form a Skate Park Committee. The kids and some parents, did the research, the fundraising, acquired sponsors, grants (totally $20,000 +) and assisted with hiring a skate park company to build the park.

“The kids went before the city council and received full approval to move forward,” Babisz said.

The grand opening in 2002 included dignitaries from the entire county. Babisz noted that The Tony Hawk Foundation provided a $10,000 grant while The Community Foundation of St. Clair County Youth Advisory Council (YAC) provided a $10,001.00 grant.

“They wanted to give more than Tony Hawk,” Babisz said. “Also, the grant application included that we would share our project, plans and details with other communities. Alpena had shared their information with us. All said, we shared with 40+ communities, including the City of St Clair, and even a small town in Iowa.”

She also recalled that the Algonac Skate Park hosted the activities for the downriver portion of the DRC’s first ever Rec Fest with a Thrash Fest and skate board and Roller Blading Contest.

The DRC also provided seasonal staff for a few years for lessons, activities and programs.

In regards to graffiti, Babisz said it has “been around since the beginning of time – think of caveman drawings on cave walls,” and graffiti is simply everywhere.

As for the memories of helping establish the Algonac Skate Park, well they are something that have stayed with Babisz for more than two dozen years now.

“It was an honor to be involved with these kids, parents and efforts. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.” she said. “And now I am thrilled the (Algonac) city manager is taking the time to talk to the current kids at the park and researching options for upgrades and improvements. The kids deserve it.”