Charles River Skatepark Plans Moving Forward For East Cambridge
Newton MA...November 24, 2003...Tony Hawk, recently in town for
the Boom Boom Huck Jam, has given a planning grant through his foundation
for the design of a new Charles River Skatepark in the East Cambridge
section of the Charles River Parklands, also known as the "New Basin."
With this and other recent project developments, the Charles River
Conservancy (CRC) is pleased to announce the selection of a designer
for the Charles River Skatepark. Based in Santa Cruz, California,
Wormhoudt Inc., creator of the Louisville Extreme Park in Louisville,
Kentucky, has been hired to design this world-class, 40,000 square
foot skatepark.
The skatepark will be located under the ramps of the new Zakim
Bunker Hill Bridge in East Cambridge, and will provide extreme sport
enthusiasts throughout Greater Boston with a much needed skating
facility.
Through grants from The Boston Foundation and The Boston Foundation
for Architecture, young skaters will have the opportunity to be
directly involved in the design of the project. The Conservancy
has also launched a major fundraising effort on behalf of the project.
The CRC is working closely with the Mass Turnpike's Central Artery
team as well as with the future owner and manager of the planned
public site, the Department of Conservation and Recreation to incorporate
the Skatepark into the design of parks along the shores of the Charles
River's New Basin area.
Special Meeting Planned for December 15th
Attention Boston area skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX bikers!!
The Charles River Conservancy will be hosting its third public design
forum on December 15th, at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square
from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Skatepark designer Zach Wormhoudt will invite input from local
skaters about what specific elements they would like to see included
in the design of the Charles River Skatepark. If you would like
your ideas to be heard, please attend the December 15th meeting.
The meeting is open to the public (limited space) but registration
is required. Register today at crc@thecharles.org.
About the designer
Zachary Wormhoudt is both a skateboarder and a landscape architect
who has worked with over 400 municipalities to design and implement
skateparks from Nevada to Alaska. With over 20 years of "concrete"
skatepark design experience, and over 50 completed skateparks, Wormhoudt
Inc. utilizes innovative design and effective public outreach to
ensure a successful outcome on all levels.
About the Charles River Conservancy
The Charles River Conservancy, founded in 2000, is dedicated to
the stewardship and renewal of the public parklands along the Charles
River from the Boston Harbor to the Watertown Dam.
Working with volunteers, community organizations and government,
corporate and institutional partners, the Conservancy engages in
planning, maintenance, and restoration of parks, pathways and bridges
along the almost 10 miles long river basin in Boston, Cambridge,
Newton and Watertown, Massachusetts. Its mission includes advocacy
and extends to a broad program of education and service learning
as well to introducing new recreational uses such as a skatepark.
The Charles River Conservancy endeavors to increase the access,
beauty, enjoyment, and safety of this "democratic common ground"
for all.
Background on parklands and skatepark
Providing a place for active recreation within the Charles River
Parklands is a tradition that goes back to the 19th century and
the work of landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles
Eliot who designed America's first outdoor gymnasium in front of
Mass General Hospital. In the 1970's, cardiologist Dr. Paul Dudley
White, physician to President Eisenhower, also encouraged outdoor
exercise and advocated for the creation of the pathway, which now
bears his name, along the Charles River. The Charles River Conservancy
(CRC) is hoping to continue the legacy of active recreation along
the Charles by incorporating a world-class skatepark into the New
Basin Parklands.
As advocates for the stewardship and renewal of the Charles River
Parklands, the CRC recognized a skatepark along the river as a wonderful
way to bring athletes as well as spectators to this new section
of the Charles River parklands. Currently, this land is part of
the Central Artery's parcel 29F, the last section of New Basin land
to be designed as part of the $95 million mitigation efforts in
connection with the Big Dig. While parts of parcel 29F are being
considered for plantings, there is an area that lies in the shade
of the access ramps for the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge that is unsuitable
for growing trees or grass, but is ideal for a skatepark.
Since 2000, the Charles River Conservancy has advocated for a skatepark
in the vicinity of the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, believing that
the park would transform this locale into an attractive facility
for greater Boston's youth.
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