MIDDLEBURY SKATEPARK PROJECT

PROPOSAL + SITE ANALYSIS

CONTEXT

Healthy towns are vibrant places. And affordable recreation, like a skatepark in the downtown, offers local adults, kids and families the opportunity to convene, be active, and contribute to a community culture in a central outdoor location. A skatepark is not just a park for skateboarders...it is an opportunity to learn and recreate together.

The Skatepark Project

Throughout the United States and across the world, the Tony Hawk Foundation has supported the construction of thousands of skateparks for undeserved youth communities through 'The Skatepark Project'. In Vermont, in Bethel, Brattleboro, Ludlow, the Project has given a template for community members to formulate and generate support for their ideas. We, in Middlebury, are using the same template for the Middlebury Skatepark Project.

Middlebury Downtown Master Plan (2020)

The Middlebury Downtown Master Plan (2020) calls for the development of "public gathering spaces in Downtown as an economic driver and means of encouraging a diversity of visitors" [5] as well as "initiatives that encourage teens and young adults to spend more time in Downtown" [15]. This is in line with the goals and results of skatepark development in Vermont and abroad: local community engagement, youth training and education, improved physical activity and sustained economic growth.

CRITERIA | RANKING

Access

A skatepark should be easy to locate. Here we analyze proximity to roads, public and emergency transportation, greenways, and parking.

  • By foot (0-2)
  • By transit (0-2)
  • By green way (0-2)
  • By car (0-1)
  • With parking (0-1)
  • Near public school (0-2, +1.5 mile | 1 mile | -0.5 mile)
  • From emergency (0-2, +1.5 mile | 1 mile | -0.5 mile)

Visibility

A skatepark should be visible...to limit crime, and to signal local community members that it is a public participative place, not for lurking.

  • From public life (0-2)
  • With lighting (0-1)
  • With shade (0-1)

Activity

Everyone can be a skater. Exposure to other public places invites newcomers to the park and helps incentivize public interest and support.

  • Near food (0-2, +1.5 mile | 1 mile | -0.5 mile)
  • Near restroom (0-2, +0.5 mile | 0.25 mile | -0.1 mile)
  • Near residences (0-2, +1.5 mile | 1 mile | -0.5 mile)

Feasibility

Budgets, questions of ownership, development expense and long term environmental/safety risks determine feasibility.

  • Without flood risk (0-2)
  • With drainage (0-2)
  • With buried utilities (0-1)
  • Owned by college/town (0-1)

SITES