Construction photos

Albany_skate_park_construction_1.jpg

Albany_skate_park_construction_2.jpg

Albany_skate_park_construction_3.jpg

Albany_skate_park_construction_4.jpg

Design plans

albany_skatepark_design_view1.jpg

albany_skatepark_design_view2.jpg

Here's more about the design.

Checking on the progress of the Albany skate park

Albany skate park construction

From this past Friday.

Construction on the new skate park in Albany's Washington Park is in progress. The city is aiming to have it finished by June 21 -- national Go Skateboarding Day -- according to Brian Shea, the chief of staff for mayor Kathy Sheehan.

The new venue will occupy space along the Madison Ave edge of the park that was formerly rundown tennis courts. This space -- "The Blue Banks" -- had already been serving as de facto skate park. And a portion of the area that's not currently being renovated is currently serving that purpose.

The skate park has been in the works since 2014, though the process picked up last June when the city brought in the action sports division of the design firm Stantec to head up a plan. The city then released a design that July with the goal of getting the park ready by late fall. The city pushed the project to this year to save on costs.

The city has hired WM. J Keller & Sons of Castleton to construct the park, according to Shea. Work started in early April.

The budget for the park is $200,000. Funding for the project is coming from a state grant worth as much as $100,000; $12,000 from the Washington Park Conservancy; and the rest from a pool of money the city has set aside for these sorts of projects.

skate park design overview

Last summer represents of Stantec told the crowd at a public meeting that $200k wasn't going to cover some of the more complicated features that people might desire. So the design leaves open the possibility of a phase two for the project, which could include costly items such as a bowl, on the upper levels of the site.

There are photos at the top of the construction progress -- click or scroll all way up.

(Thanks, Randal!)

Comments

Construction is moving along fast and wonderfully - so happy to see my bitter pessimism proven wrong! And to anyone concerned about the lack of "flat" obstacles in the final design, don't worry - the DIY section up top will continue to satisfy those needs.

Say Something!

We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.

What's All Over Albany?

All Over Albany is for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. In other words, it's for you. It's kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who can help you find out what's up. Oh, and our friends call us AOA.

Search

Recently on All Over Albany

Thank you!

When we started AOA a decade ago we had no idea what was going to happen. And it turned out better than we could have... (more)

Let's stay in touch

This all feels like the last day of camp or something. And we're going to miss you all so much. But we'd like to stay... (more)

A few things I think about this place

Working on AOA over the past decade has been a life-changing experience for me and it's shaped the way I think about so many things.... (more)

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel. And shortly after that, Albany will... (more)

Tea with Jack McEneny

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Jack McEneny -- former state Assemblyman, unofficial Albany historian, and genuinely nice guy.... (more)

Recent Comments

My three year old son absolutely loving riding the train around Huck Finn's (Hoffman's) Playland this summer.

Thank you!

...has 27 comments, most recently from Ashley

Let's stay in touch

...has 4 comments, most recently from mg

A look inside 2 Judson Street

...has 3 comments, most recently from Diane (Agans) Boyle

Everything changes: Alicia Lea

...has 2 comments, most recently from Chaz Boyark

A few things I think about this place

...has 13 comments, most recently from Katherine