New skate park facility opens

Use for facility suggested for area senior citizens, additional walkway planned for seniors

Garrett Blaine tries out a grind bar at the new skate spot skate park in Gentry last Wednesday. As soon as the barricades came down, the skateboarders were there testing their skills in the new facility.
Garrett Blaine tries out a grind bar at the new skate spot skate park in Gentry last Wednesday. As soon as the barricades came down, the skateboarders were there testing their skills in the new facility.

— As soon as the construction barricades came down, Gentry’s new skate-spot skate park became a busy place with area skateboarders and bike riders testing it out.

The construction fencing came down last week, Wednesday afternoon, and the new park feature was in use by 10 to 15 young people before Allcorn Concrete workers had even left. Boys on skate boards were turning on the half pipe, grinding on the rails and going up and down ramps and steps.

And the skate park has continued to be busy each afternoon and over the weekend.

On Sunday, following the concert in the park, the new facility was officially dedicated, with Gentry Mayor Wes Hogue reading a proclamation and a special skate board team from Rogers demonstrating the tricks and maneuvers which can be done on a board at the city’s latest park improvement.

Park to benefit seniors

But the facility won’t only benefit the young at heart daring enough to ride a bicycle, skates or a skate board over and through the obstacles. Senior citizens, too, are expected to use the new course - not on wheels and with actions likely to break bones - but as part of a walking course to help improve balance and agility.

In fact, since the new park project was finished under budget and has more than $5 thousand left over, the council approved a new-wave-system walk on the east side of the skate-spot park between the Main Street access and the larger walkway to the skate park from the parking area. The sidewalk includes some rises and falls and ascends to the Main Street access without any stairs.

The new park facility was built with matching grant funds received from Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism’s Outdoor Recreation Grant Program.

Allcorn Concrete will complete the additional work as long as the remaining money is sufficient to cover the costs. An estimate of costs had not yet been submitted on Monday.

According to Jackie Bader, manager of the Gentry Senior Activity Center, this type of sidewalk helps senior citizens with their agility.

“They use both sides of their brain to walk these patterns,” Bader said.

Bader recently completed training to present a Super Knoggen brain health and fitness class at the senior activity center. The new sidewalk, if it is completed, could be helpful for the training, according to Bader.

The wave system sidewalk would also add to the appeal of the facility for those on skate boards and bicycles.

The council also approved a plan for Empire District Electric to replace two existing lights and add one 400-watt flood light to be pointed in the direction of the skate park. The lighting improvements will cost the city nothing up-front but will cost the city $136.45 per year in utility costs. Without a new plan in place for additional lighting in the park, the plan proposed by Empire District was viewed as the least expensive way to provide the lighting needed at the facility. The new lights are designed to be directional and give light in the park but not cause light pollution in the neighborhood.

News, Pages 2 on 10/13/2010