moving mountains:
manchester’s new skatepark
went above and beyond to spread
the word, making good use of
social media promotion and holding
unique fundraising events, such as
skateboard painting that helped
generate donor support on a
grassroots level.
A noteworthy feature of the new
Manchester skatepark is the marble
in the park’s street course elements.
The marble was locally sourced
from the Danby Marble Quarry (the
same quarry that cut the marble
used to build the New York City
Public Library). John O’Keefe paints
a vivid picture of a trip that he and
Grindline CEO Micah Shapiro took
to the vast Danby Quarry, “We got
to go up to the marble mine and it
looked like the set from The Lord
of the Rings when you get to the
dragon’s lair. Since we’re a local
municipality and they wanted to help
out, all of the marble was donated.
Micah was really stoked about going
to the quarry and he said ‘the guys at
the office are never going to believe I
was here.’”
Micah says that Grindline’s
approach to skatepark design is
heavily influenced by input from the
communities with which they work.
This lines up with their philosophy
of collective involvement and public
participation. “We always want
people to be involved and invested in
the park. We want them to be able
to take pride of ownership of the
parks and the design process. Every
community is different. The question
is how to translate the things that
make the community unique into a
park’s design,” he says.
52 manchester life | manchesterlifemagazine.com
The Manchester Skatepark
Committee believed that it was
important to have the park be a
reflection of the local culture.
Features in the skatepark pay
tribute to the unique topographical
elements of Southern Vermont’s
landscape. In addition to the 6-foot
rounded half pipe channel and bowl
features, the street course features
the beautiful locally sourced marble
elements and two conically curvy
“volcano” components serve as
concrete representations of the
nearby mountains. A stream of blue
paint runs through the base of the
entire park, paying homage to the
Battenkill River and creating a sense
of dynamic energy that flows from
one end of the park to the other.
As the project progressed, local
skateboarders of all ages had
considerable input in the park’s
development. The committee
expanded to include high school
students from Long Trail School,
who were present at park design
sessions with Grindline. This helped
to develop a park with elements that
were complementary to both vert
(half pipes and quarter pipes) and
street (rails and banks) styles of
skateboarding. The end result is a
park that is both approachable for
new skaters and athletically engaging
for well-seasoned pros, allowing
skateboarders ofall skillsets to enjoy
the park at whichever level they feel
comfortable.
Bill Strecker is excited for the park’s
potential to bring people together. In
collaboration with other skateparks
in Southern Vermont, he has started
a series of skateboarding workshops
and classes, creating opportunities
for local kids to improve their
skateboarding abilities in a fun and
safe environment. The park not
only serves as a place of learning
and community connection, but also
thanks to tireless planning at the
town management office, its