Dear Friends of the Charles River Skatepark,

As you know, this skatepark is a very ambitious project, and we are excited and proud to have the support of so many donors, skaters, parents, and other friends as we move towards the final phase of design and planning. With so many people so eager for the skatepark’s construction to get underway, I want to update you on the two most important issues we are still finalizing: design and construction, and operations and maintenance.

At present, we are preparing for a meeting with senior members of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) and the Patrick administration to discuss the many complicated issues associated with the final disposition of this property from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA) to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).  With the many questions surrounding the future of the MTA and the recent overhaul of DCR, we have faced many logistical challenges.  These issues have run the gamut from relatively benign to extremely complicated.

This summer, we undertook a benchmarking survey to research best practices for skatepark operations and maintenance, based on the experiences in other skateparks across the country. The Conservancy firmly believes that clear operations management guidelines need to be in place before the park opens, and that we need a comprehensive operations and maintenance plan, in order to make this invaluable investment to our park system last over time.  In order to achieve this, we are also looking to raise an endowment into which funds from private sources could be placed for ongoing operation and maintenance of the skatepark.  

This information, along with an overview of the entire skatepark project, is now being compiled into a comprehensive “Project Notification Submittal” by our engineering firm, VHB; the document will also include an overview of all the site constraints and permitting processes for which we need DCR’s collaboration, as they are the future owners of the skatepark. This report is well underway and we expect the report to be completed in October and then will present it to senior staff from DCR and EOEEA.

Also, during the last few months, our pro-bono lawyer Robert Fitzpatrick—who is a senior partner at Wilmer Hale and the father of a skateboarder—has been working with Doug Russell, our Skatepark Consultant, to further the dialogue with our insurance brokers and with representatives from the MTA to clear the way to get access to the skatepark site under the loop ramps for the Zakim Bridge for testing.

While we at the Conservancy, along with all our many donors and supporters, certainly hoped that construction would start this year, what we have found in our benchmarking study is that the average time for a skatepark to be built is 7 years. As you know, our skatepark project is a large and complicated one, but even so, we are within this range—and happy to have so many qualified team members moving the process forward.

Thank you again for your continued support.  Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Nicole Brown