Lincoln Park – concrete overlay

The idea of converting one of Lincoln Park’s unused tennis courts into an above-ground concrete skatepark is perfect for many reasons.

Located directly under the bride of the Spaghetti Bowl freeway interchange at I-10 and US-54, it primarily offers shade protection from El Paso’s hot summer sun.  When it rains, the bride provides a roof to keep the concrete dry.  Pre-existing light fixtures extend hours after dark. It’s centrally located. The price tag is do-able.

Estimated cost? Under $50k. Existing slab on grade keeps the cost way down. Construction of above-ground skate obstacle is done by saw cutting the slab, epoxying rebar dowels into the slab profile, and forming up – skatepark builders call it a concrete overlay.

At last check with the City of El Paso, a project below the $50k price point qualifies as a “small park improvement” which means the project would not have to go out for bid which keeps design/construction cost down.  Raising 10’s of thousands for a high quality concrete skatepark, instead of a million-plus, instantly becomes a realistic community goal.

Chicano cultural epicenter

The El Paso Skatepark Association (EPSA) is working to lay the groundwork to make this project a reality.

Foremost, folks have to understand that Lincoln Park is the Chicano cultural epicenter of El Paso.

Lincoln Park Conservation Committee

Getting the blessing of the Lincoln Park Conservation Committee led by Hector Gonzales and bad ass pillar artist Gabriel Gaytan is the starting point, period. With help from Radio La Chusma bassist/local promoter Charlie Villanueva, a November 2015 meeting was arranged to discuss the benefits of a flat-slab concrete skatepark conversion.

Gonzales and Gaytan were both open-minded, but expressed serious concerns about skateboarders using the park’s sacred amphitheater circle. Dirty wax applied to the short ledge around the circle was melting down onto the ledge artwork. A “no skateboard” sign was posted and being ignored. Still, both guys were cool and agreed that creating a more attractive skate spot on the tennis court area was a great idea that could help deter skating in the sacred circle.

Additionally, Gonzales and Gaytan embraced the proposal to make the flat slab skatepark conversion “Chicano art-centric” by design and thus, complimentary to Lincoln Park’s famous, large-scale pillar murals. Both men were already familiar with San Diego’s Chicano Park skatepark – an excellent example of what could be done here.

Located under the San Diego-Coronado Bridge in Barrio Logan, the Chicano Park skatepark celebrates Tenochtitlan style and Chicano art/culture with bright colored murals and 4-sided, lowrider quarterpipe. It was built by Gallagher Concrete in summer 2015 (as part of a $1 million whole park improvement) and partially funded by a $10k grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation obtained by The Urban Corps.

 

CHICANO PARK, BARRIO LOGAN – SAN DIEGO

The next step was meeting with City of El Paso Parks officials on March 7, 2016. Parks Director Tracy Novak and Assistant Director Joel McKnight focused on the City’s required process, potential funding streams and the need for TxDOT approval.  Turns out, the City has an agreement with land owner TxDOT to use the property as park space, so…an identified funding source and approved set of construction plans are needed before getting the green light from TxDOT.

A follow up meeting with City officials was held on August 30, 2016 at City of El Paso District 1 City Representative Peter Svarzbein’s office with Dionne Mack from City Manager’s office and Joel McKnight from the Parks Department to further discuss the potential for such a project.

Popular skate event spot

Already popular with local local skaters during hot summer, the empty tennis courts at Lincoln Park have hosted numerous contests and events over the years.

Perhaps the most unique went down in July 2016, when local skater Luis Galindo did a fundraiser selling quesadillas to help fund surgery on his injured knee!

2017 Knuckle contest

In July 2017, Knuckle Skateshop put out the word and contest was on – in the shade – at Lincoln Park.

The Art of Skating

On June 18, 2022, legendary local artist Tino Ortega hosted “The Art of Skating” at Galeria Lincoln on Rosa Avenue – right next to Lincoln Park!

The auction featured some impressive skate deck art works done by El Paso artists and was created to help raise seed money to fund a skatepark.

 

Likely steps for making this vision happen include:

  1. Verify the $50k price point for small park improvements with El Paso Parks Dept. and District 2 City Rep Dr. Josh Acevedo
  2. Hold the required community meetings to make sure the public/neighborhood is in favor
  3. Make basic skatepark design concept/construction documents for City Engineering Dept. review/approval
  4. Pursue funding sources – grassroots fundraisers, grant applications, Community Development
  5. Get approval from City Manager’s office and TxDOT
  6. Solicit bids from qualified contractors on the City’s preferred vendors list
  7. Build a skate spot!