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Davenport riders enjoy high-flying fun before skatepark renovations

“It’s really a nice, diverse park for sure,” said Alex Dickinson, on plans to renovate Davenport’s skatepark.

DAVENPORT -- After featuring stunts and jumps for more than a decade, Davenport's skate park is ready for a facelift.

The popular setting will temporarily shut down on Monday, April 3 and will remain closed about a month for a major repair and restoration project.

That's why Alex Dickinson let his skateboard do the talking on Friday.

It has a language of its own.

"The bowl's great for riders," he said.  "You've got the rails and the stairs for the street skaters. It's really a nice, diverse park for sure."

After debuting in 2006, the skate park is ready for a $90,000 upgrade.

A Los Angeles firm will fix the cracks, along with other wear and tear.

"When the skaters, bikers and rollerbladers are out here, they want the surface to be a certain way," said Scott Hock, director of parks and recreation in Davenport. "That's so it doesn't affect how their wheels are rolling."

That's the case for Jeremy Crutcher, 13.

"I think it's a good idea," he said.

He's getting in some aerial stunts before getting a four-week break from the skate park.

"Doing the truck, it just feels so good," he continued. "You can go backwards and stuff."

Riders and skaters like Jeremy and Alex think the renovations will be worth the wait.

"Always love it when people renovate parks and make them better," Dickinson said.  "Makes them more safe to skate."

That's the goal for Davenport, which plans to reopen it in early May.

"We just want it to be a super-safe skating place for all of the skaters and bikers to come down here and enjoy," Hock said.

For these riders on Friday, it's all good.

"(Renovations) usually attract more people out, too," Dickinson concluded.  "That's always a great thing to see."

 

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