Raleigh’s Newest Skatepark: A Needed Third Place
Jasmine Gallup put together a great piece on the Conlon Family Skatepark for Indy Week.
Okay, let’s face it, it’s about more than just the skatepark we’re building together. It uses the new park to discuss the value of skating to the community and how all these activities are currently underserved in Raleigh.
Here are some highlights from the article that you should read.
“Really, I’m thinking about my two sons,” Charland says. “I don’t want them to grow up without the right skate facilities, us having to drive to Durham or Cary. We have enough space downtown that we can do this. It’s just up to us to make it happen.”
—Cody Charland
Skateparks as a place for diversity and support:
“More than ever, kids of all ages need a way to connect,” he says. “In skateparks, there’s a ton of diversity … from gender, from race, from a socioeconomic standpoint … so kids can come together. It’s a very supportive environment.”
—Stephen Mangano
And one more from Cody:
“That means [skating in] really small corners of parks, spots that are unattended or underutilized in cities. Then, we’re gonna create designated skateable places within existing parks,” Charland says. “We want to ultimately create, if not a big regional park, more support for Marsh Creek [skate park]. We want to be able to create destination parks for skaters and skating.”
—Cody Charland
Here’s to Conlon Family Skatepark being the start of more dots, spots, and parks all over the city. We can’t wait to open the gate on this third place.
