HUDSON — After receiving some “gnarly” input from area skateboarders about the proposed $250,000 skate park renovation, City Council will soon hear a presentation from administrative staff on the project.

Work on the city’s 15-year-old skate park on Veterans Way is expected to happen this year. The project is being designed by Grindline Skateparks Inc.

On Jan. 8 some members of the skateboarding community shared their thoughts on the project with council.

Northfield resident Philip Botta, who works at Tri-Star Skate Shop in Cleveland, provided an eight-page document to council in which he offered his thoughts on drainage and design.

“I do recommend that you guys really talk to Hudson skateboarders and skateboarders that are inside the community to get some design feedback,” said Botta.

Botta said drainage is “a pretty big issue” at the city’s skate park because the site will collect water and “hold it for several days.” He said water is still on the skating surface four to five days after the last rainfall. In the document he gave to council, Botta recommended installing “multiple drains” to make the park “more safe and more usable.”

According to Botta, skate parks built today typically have a “bowl or pool section that is set with pool coping in the deep ends, if not the entire facility, in addition to some tile work underneath the coping.”

He said the nearest skate park with pool coping is the Crooked River Skatepark in downtown Cleveland, and the closest skate park with tiles is in Ann Arbor, Mich., about 180 miles away.

“If any skaters want to feel the unique rumble, a tingle up their spine and the intense growl that those tiles can produce, they have to do a nearly 400-mile drive,” said Botta. “It’s something that Ohio residents really don’t have a chance to experience.”

He added that installing tiles also gives the city a chance to implement branding in the park.

“As bowl and pool skating grows rapidly in the Midwest, everyone in Hudson stands at a perfect spot and location to build a nice beginner-level pool,” said Botta. “Something that’s not as gnarly as what you see at Crooked River Skatepark in downtown Cleveland. Something that introduces younger skaters to be able to skate something that’s big and intense like that.”

Akron resident Cory Trayer suggested the city may want to “scale back” its plans for the park. He said he’s followed other cities’ work building skate parks and a common theme is “it looks great on paper, but once you get into the park, things are too small, things are crammed together, you can’t go from one end of the park to the other without stopping.”

Fairview Park resident Mike Kuiffo, who’s worked with Grindline for the last six years, said he agreed with Botta’s suggestion that the city build a skate park with pool coping and tiles.

“It’d make it a destination or more unique than a typical park,” said Kuiffo. “The one you guys got now, it’s all plastic and kind of outdated.”

Council member Hal DeSaussure (At Large) said he wanted to review the park plans and discuss the ideas shared by the skateboarders.

“I’d be interested in looking at the plan and seeing what has gone into the development of it and whether any of these ideas can or have been incorporated into the new plan,” said DeSaussure.

City Manager Jane Howington said she would have staff deliver a presentation on the project at a council meeting. Design information would be posted on the city’s website. Howington saidthe skate park is managed through the public works division and noted the park board has been closely involved with designing the park. She noted the board did community outreach to learn what skaters were interested in seeing at the park.

Jody Roberts, the city’s communications manager, said the project is currently being designed and noted that “none of those details (regarding materials) have been determined at this point.”

“The city is still seeking input on the possible design,” added Roberts.

Council in December approved a $25,865 contract with Grindline Skateparks Inc. for design services for the project. Trent Wash, the city’s assistant director of public works, said the designs should be finished at the end of January, and the work will occur this spring or summer. Wash said the project will be focused on “removing failing wooden structures and replacing [them] with concrete/steel structures.”

Reporter Phil Keren can be reached at 330-541-9421, pkeren@recordpub.com, or on Twitter at @keren_phil.