Dr. Clinton Haley, Founder of Skateparks for Dallas
This post was written by Dr. Clinton Haley, a life long Dallasite, Founder of Skateparks for Dallas, husband and father of 3 among much much more
Hello Dallas skatepark fans!
We have some significant updates for you! The city has broken ground for the Bachman Lake skatepark, which will tentatively open this summer! We are in the middle of the 2024 Bond Process as well and Dallas Parks & Rec's Needs Assessment states Dallas should have 18 skateparks by 2024! Based on this huge need, Parks & Rec currently has allocated money for 3 skateparks in the Bond program--$1 million for Westmoreland Park (Oak Cliff), $1 million to modernize Lakeland Hills (St Francis), and $500k for a small skatepark at Glencoe Park (near Mockingbird & Central Expressway).
You might see some buzz in the media regarding the proposed Glencoe skatepark. NBC news ran a piece on the proposed skatepark and reporters from The Dallas Morning News and The Advocate attended some of the community meetings. Despite this amenity using <2% of the park space, some neighbors near the park are not happy with the idea. We feel confident that this would be a great location for a skatepark and a win for the City, based on the well-established criteria used for selecting successful skatepark sites, by The Skatepark Project (formerly The Tony Hawk Foundation) and Skaters for Public Skateparks. Glencoe Park meets the four important criteria: Accessibility, Visibility, Activity and Comfort. The Park is accessible by bike trail, light rail, and is adjacent to Central Expressway and a residential neighborhood. It is visible, in that it will have lights and nothing is obstructing its view from the other fields, bike trail and residences nearby. The park is the most active park in District 14, with plenty of similar recreational activities, including softball, regional rugby games, Park Cities lacrosse, and YMCA soccer/flag football, basketball, tennis, and a playground. This park also provides comfort for park users, in that there is a diverse assortment of park users, lots of surrounding space and regular activity. We have had two District Town Hall Meetings where the Glencoe skatepark was a hot topic and two additional community meetings, specifically held to discuss the skatepark.
Our Dallas skatepark community rose to the occasion and attended these meetings in impressive numbers. Families, men, women, and kids, all represented and were able to convey effectively the importance skateparks have played in their lives and what benefits a public skatepark would provide for people living near this central Dallas park. Discussions continue on the proposed Glencoe skatepark. Please follow us on Instagram or Facebook to learn about advocacy needs and the latest developments. Currently, you can help by sending an email in support of a Glencoe skatepark to city officials (link creates an email) and also by signing the pro-skatepark petition (link).