The Vandergriff Skate Park in Arlington offers numerous features designed for skaters of all ages and skill levels.
Located between the Bob Duncan Center, tennis court complex and Allen Bolden Pool, the 21,000-square-foot skate park includes stairs, ledges, banks, rails and other street features for anyone in the community to enjoy.
Since its grand opening in March 2014, free public skate park at 2800 South Center Street has been a local hot-spot for the skating community, drawing in crowds of enthusiasts from Arlington and across the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
And although there may be a few people waiting for the best spots to practice on some of the busier days, those who truly love the sport say they aren't discouraged. Brian Cogburn, a 40-year-old father who still enjoys life on four wheels, said he beats the crowd by trying to "come out early in the mornings, before all the little ones."
Cogburn said he was one of the initial citizens who campaigned the City to build the skate park. When the 2008 bond election passed and provided funding for the project, he felt connected to the concrete slabs.
"I was one of the few old guys who got out here for the kids and it happened. It's nice to get to see it from blueprints to this," Cogburn said.
The first phase of the Vandergriff Skate Park, which cost approximately $1 million, was designed and created by Newline Skateparks, Northstar Construction, and SPA Skateparks. Funding for the park was provided by the 2008 Bond Program as well as the city's natural gas lease revenue funds.
The Vandergriff Skate Park master plan calls to provide more than 30,000 square feet of skatable terrain when future phases are complete.
The City has two other public skating facilities - the Cody Rocamontes Memorial Skate Park inside Randoll Mill Park and a skate spot at Burl Wilkes Park. A fourth skating facility is planned for development at Webb Community Park in southeast Arlington in conjunction with the construction of the Southeast Recreation/Aquatic Center in 2019.
The Cody Rocamontes Memorial Skate Park, created in 2013, is 5,400 square feet and provides many pieces of "skateable art," including the Curved Taco, Dragon Trail and other fun features for beginner and intermediate users.
Offering a variety of park amenities is an example of the Arlington City Council's priority to Champion Great Neighborhoods in America's Dream City.
While Vandergriff Skate Park is expected to be the largest facility, smaller "skate spots" and neighborhood skate facilities will be developed over the years in pre-determined areas around the City to provide equal opportunity for the area's youth.
While Cogburn has been skating for 26 years, he's not the only person who frequents the central Arlington skate park on weekends.
Gage Wilson, a young BMX enthusiast, visits the park often with his grandmother, Brenda Bradford, who enjoys the chance to watch him ride around the large skate plaza from the shade of the pavilion.
Wilson said he enjoys the many different features of the park, including the hills, banks and snaking pathways for him to ride his bike through.
However, the thing he likes the most about the park is the ability to meet new people who share similar interests.
When Cogbrun was asked what the greatest part of coming to the skate park was, he said "I get to come out here and forget about my chores for a while."
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