Downtown Des Moines skate park may finally happen

Stop us if you'd heard this before, but downtown Des Moines could soon have a world-class skate park.

The teens who first spearheaded efforts to create the park in the early 2000s may be grown and starting their own careers, but the seeds they planted are finally taking root along the Des Moines riverfront.

The city of Des Moines plans to donate 5 acres of riverfront property near Wells Fargo Arena for the long-awaited project later this month.

And backers say they have raised $2.2 million of the $3.5 million needed to build it.

"We don’t have mountains in Des Moines. We don’t have oceans. But we do have amazing outdoor recreational opportunities," said Brad Anderson, a member of the group raising money for the project. "The bike trails have shown: If you build it, they will come."

The Polk County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday to work with the city on the park's construction, management and maintenance.

Supervisors Robert Brownell, Angela Connolly and Steve Van Oort backed the agreement. John Mauro and Tom Hockensmith voted against it.

In the face of deteriorating neighborhoods, homelessness and mental health, the skate park is "not a priority for me," Hockensmith said.

Under the agreement, Polk County assumes responsibility for construction while the city assumes responsibility for the park's maintenance.

Money for construction of the park is expected to come from private donations. Anderson said his group plans to raise an additional $225,000 for ongoing maintenance costs.

Polk County will assume liability for any injury incurred on the property within the first five years. The city will assume liability after that.

"Frankly, I’m shocked and borderline embarrassed that our board would even consider an agreement like this," Hockensmith said. "It’s a very one-sided agreement."

Mauro said he's concerned a skate park could lead to drugs and other crime.

Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesman for the Des Moine Police Department, called that correlation "a stretch."

"We keep pushing these (skaters) around downtown, saying, 'You can't come here; it's private property,'" Parizek said.

Providing a venue could protect other parts of downtown from damage caused by skateboarders, he said.

"If you don't have a skate park, you are a skate park," Des Moines Park and Recreation Director Ben Page told the supervisors.

Kevin Jones, the owner of Subsect Skateshop in the East Village, said skaters aren't looking to be destructive.

"We just wanna skate," he said.

Jones was part of the original Des Moines Regional Skateboard Park Committee that pushed local officials to set aside a portion of the Principal Riverwalk for a skate park.

He befriended Anderson, who works at a consulting firm next to the skate shop. It was Anderson who suggested the committee add new leadership.

Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly and former Des Moines Councilwoman Christine Hensley joined as co-chairs in August.

"I’m passionate about the project but I don't know that world," Jones said. "What (Anderson) and the new committee brought — the new energy — it's been awesome."

Connolly said Tuesday that she hopes the skate park area will eventually become part of a larger adventure park with whitewater features on the Des Moines River for kayakers.

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The Des Moines City Council will hold a public hearing on the land donation March 26.

The skate park committee will hold a naming ceremony on April 4 at the skate park site.

To learn more about the project, visit the group's website.