By Kara Eberle
11/19/2013 01:57:25 PM EST
Five years of skateboarding takes a toll on concrete.
It’s not like the skaters — about 20,000 of them each year, according to the park’s website — have been especially tough on the bank ramp, Euro Gap or Snake Run Ditch, to name a few of the features.
The cracks are the result of normal wear and tear on the Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark in York, said Bill Shipley, spokesman for the park.
“It’s been five years,” he said.
The skatepark opened in September 2008 as a memorial to 14-year-old Reid Menzer, son of York Revolution General Manager Eric Menzer. Reid was killed when he was struck by a car while riding a street luge. The park is in York’s Veterans Memorial Park and was built entirely with donations.
Darin Haaversen from Structural Restoration Services of Loganville works on repairing a spot on the concrete deck above. The cracks in the foreground have been ground out to allow the polymer cement to fully bond with the surface. The surface will be ground smooth after the repair. (Paul Kuehnel – Daily Record/Sunday News)
Now the organizers of the park need more donations, so the park can be self-supported for years to come.
As of mid-November, they are just $88,000 away from reaching the goal of $500,000. They’re optimistic that they’ll get there by the end of the year, Eric Menzer said.
In the meantime, enough money was raised so far that some of it could be spent on maintenance, including repair and restoration of cracks in the park’s decking.
The work, that’s expected to last another couple of weeks, is being performed by Structural Restoration Services of Loganville. The goal is to get the work done before winter.
And, after the overall 360 Expansion project is done, there will be several new features for skateboarders.
Rollers, a full pipe, a jersey wall and lights, to name a few.
And Shipley said he doesn’t expect to see another five years go by before the park gets another face lift.
To learn more about the Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark and the capital campaign, visit www.reidmenzermemorialskatepark.org.
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