Boston, MA – December 13, 2007---The Charles River Conservancy has chosen Grindline to build the proposed 40,000 square foot skatepark in East Cambridge under the Leonard P. Zakim Bridge on the Charles River at the new basin.
Based in Washington, Grindline has a reputation for world-class skateparks and is well-known in the skater community. They have built parks in more than 30 states and are looking to expand worldwide.
Jamie Cumming, Boston skateboarder and member of the CRC’s Skatepark Committee, said, the CRC has “chosen one of the best skatepark builders in the world. It is a company of skateboarders, so the people building the park are skateboarders themselves and have skateboarders’ needs at the forefront.”
Senior Project Manager Matt Fluegge has been skateboarding for about 20 years and has already surveyed the site. Grindline will be making minor changes to renowned skatepark designer Zach Wormhoudt’s original plans, which incorporates design ideas from local skaters. The 40,000 sq foot park will be half-transition and half-streetscape elements, and will be the largest park Grindline has built.
Grindline is currently about half-way through building a similar, 30,000 square foot skatepark in Houston, Texas, also located in an urban setting. Fluegge said of the unique location, “It’s right on the river, which is really cool, something you don’t see too often. It’s centrally located in town, under the overpass, which will give cover from rain and shade from sun.”
The area’s unique requirements make this park difficult, but it will be accessible by four T stops (Lechmere, Science Park, North Station, and Community College), important for the youth of Boston and Cambridge who currently don’t have such an accessible place to legally skate.
The final stages of fundraising are here and groundbreaking for the project is slated for spring 2008.
Signing with a contractor is a major step toward the completion of the park, made possible by support from many facets. Recently, the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Foundation gave $500,000 as a “Challenge Grant,” challenging skateboarders and skatepark supporters to raise the same amount to secure the half million.
“I saw the young people skateboarding around the city and said, this is not easy. These are real athletes, they work hard at their sport it takes skill and balance but it also takes a commitment and a kind of determination and courage. I think those are wonderful lessons to be teaching our young people and that can be learned at a skatepark. So I saw this as an educational institution,” said Carolyn Lynch at a luncheon held in honor of the donation.
Also at the event was Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, who said of the project, “Kids need this alternative to basketball courts, baseball fields, especially in this very creative area that’s developed over the last several years. This place was no man’s land, it really was.”