Plans have been revitalized for a skateboard park along the Schuylkill River.
Franklin Paine Skateboard Park was first proposed in 2003 as an alternative after skateboarders were banned
from Center City's JFK Park (also known as LOVE Park).
Now, it has a new approach to raising the $6 million needed for the project, calling on some familiar sources
of public funding and foundation grants. The nonprofit's board has been reconstituted and the group has a
new executive director and new director of fundraising -- neither of whom are skateboarders.
"I walked past LOVE Park every day and saw the skateboarders. There's the association of people of my
generation. I saw that skateboarding is something young people were really connected to and felt passionate
about. It was a shame to lose LOVE Park. This puts skaters at the heart of the recreational zone, with
Boathouse Row and the runners and bicyclists," said Executive Director Jamie Elfant, who earned a degree in
urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005 and works in real estate.
Elfant takes over from former executive director Joshua H. Nims, a lawyer who remains on the board. Chris
Plant, who is also in real estate, takes over as chairman of the capital campaign.
Franklin Paine Skateboard Park is planned for a riverside parcel near Eakins Oval and the Philadelphia
Museum of Art.
The skatepark is just one of the upgrades that are part of a master plan laid out by Schuylkill River
Development Corp., a nonprofit set up to improve accessibility to the river, which snakes along the western
side of Center City. A master plan calls for bike trails, parks, walkways, kayak tours and, simply, improved
access to an area long cut off by railroad tracks, factory buildings and private land ownership.
Last week, SRDC and city officials announced plans for construction of a boardwalk from Locust Street to
South Street and Station Square on the Schuylkill, which would provide pedestrian traffic near Market Street. In
all, $62 million in improvements are slated for a 1.8-mile stretch of the Schuylkill, which is tied in with an East
Coast Greenway that will stretch from Miami to Maine.
In the case of the skatepark, in 2003 Mayor John F. Street donated a parcel of city land that could be
transformed into a series of concrete bowls, a park and performance stage. The city of Philadelphia also
donated $100,000 to pay for architectural plans and early-stage development. At the time, the estimated cost
was for a $5 million skatepark.
The skatepark's architect, Anthony Bracali, was widely cited for his design, featured in a national home design
magazine, Dwell, and with an award from the American Institute of Architects.
But plans for the skatepark languished when money for the venture could not be raised.
On May 22, Franklin Paine's new leadership, including Elfant and Plant, will host a reception at the nearby
Waterworks Restaurant, where they'll unveil the new plan for raising money.
In the past, the skatepark sought funding from the skateboard industry's equipment manufacturers, apparel
makers and retailers. It even received a grant from skateboarder Tony Hawk's foundation. It also sought
funding from Philadelphia corporations.
This time around, Franklin Paine will go to public sources and foundations.
It has approached the city for funding from three potential sources: the mayor's legacy projects, a discretionary
fund; a fund for arts-and-cultural initiatives, since the project would include a performance stage; and a fund
for streetscape improvements.
From the state, Franklin Paine hopes to tap into the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which
provided matching grants for improvements on Franklin Square, elsewhere in Philadelphia.
It will also approach the Pew Charitable Trusts, which has provided substantial funding for museum
campaigns on nearby Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the William Penn Foundation, which has a fund for
watershed projects.
Like nearly everything else, the estimated cost of the skatepark has gone up, from $5 million to $6 million.
Rising costs include factors like the higher cost of cement, which factors heavily into the skatepark. It also
includes unsexy expenditures like a $750,000 groundwater-control system.
Other new costs include $600,000 that would be paid to Fairmount Park Commission over 10 years so that
the city entity can manage and maintain the skatepark.
To upgrade its Web site and create promotional packets, Franklin Paine brought on the advertising agency
Red Tettemer, which agreed to do the work pro bono.
Franklin Paine Skateboard Park was first proposed in 2003 as an alternative after skateboarders were banned
from Center City's JFK Park (also known as LOVE Park).
Now, it has a new approach to raising the $6 million needed for the project, calling on some familiar sources
of public funding and foundation grants. The nonprofit's board has been reconstituted and the group has a
new executive director and new director of fundraising -- neither of whom are skateboarders.
"I walked past LOVE Park every day and saw the skateboarders. There's the association of people of my
generation. I saw that skateboarding is something young people were really connected to and felt passionate
about. It was a shame to lose LOVE Park. This puts skaters at the heart of the recreational zone, with
Boathouse Row and the runners and bicyclists," said Executive Director Jamie Elfant, who earned a degree in
urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005 and works in real estate.
Elfant takes over from former executive director Joshua H. Nims, a lawyer who remains on the board. Chris
Plant, who is also in real estate, takes over as chairman of the capital campaign.
Franklin Paine Skateboard Park is planned for a riverside parcel near Eakins Oval and the Philadelphia
Museum of Art.
The skatepark is just one of the upgrades that are part of a master plan laid out by Schuylkill River
Development Corp., a nonprofit set up to improve accessibility to the river, which snakes along the western
side of Center City. A master plan calls for bike trails, parks, walkways, kayak tours and, simply, improved
access to an area long cut off by railroad tracks, factory buildings and private land ownership.
Last week, SRDC and city officials announced plans for construction of a boardwalk from Locust Street to
South Street and Station Square on the Schuylkill, which would provide pedestrian traffic near Market Street. In
all, $62 million in improvements are slated for a 1.8-mile stretch of the Schuylkill, which is tied in with an East
Coast Greenway that will stretch from Miami to Maine.
In the case of the skatepark, in 2003 Mayor John F. Street donated a parcel of city land that could be
transformed into a series of concrete bowls, a park and performance stage. The city of Philadelphia also
donated $100,000 to pay for architectural plans and early-stage development. At the time, the estimated cost
was for a $5 million skatepark.
The skatepark's architect, Anthony Bracali, was widely cited for his design, featured in a national home design
magazine, Dwell, and with an award from the American Institute of Architects.
But plans for the skatepark languished when money for the venture could not be raised.
On May 22, Franklin Paine's new leadership, including Elfant and Plant, will host a reception at the nearby
Waterworks Restaurant, where they'll unveil the new plan for raising money.
In the past, the skatepark sought funding from the skateboard industry's equipment manufacturers, apparel
makers and retailers. It even received a grant from skateboarder Tony Hawk's foundation. It also sought
funding from Philadelphia corporations.
This time around, Franklin Paine will go to public sources and foundations.
It has approached the city for funding from three potential sources: the mayor's legacy projects, a discretionary
fund; a fund for arts-and-cultural initiatives, since the project would include a performance stage; and a fund
for streetscape improvements.
From the state, Franklin Paine hopes to tap into the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which
provided matching grants for improvements on Franklin Square, elsewhere in Philadelphia.
It will also approach the Pew Charitable Trusts, which has provided substantial funding for museum
campaigns on nearby Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the William Penn Foundation, which has a fund for
watershed projects.
Like nearly everything else, the estimated cost of the skatepark has gone up, from $5 million to $6 million.
Rising costs include factors like the higher cost of cement, which factors heavily into the skatepark. It also
includes unsexy expenditures like a $750,000 groundwater-control system.
Other new costs include $600,000 that would be paid to Fairmount Park Commission over 10 years so that
the city entity can manage and maintain the skatepark.
To upgrade its Web site and create promotional packets, Franklin Paine brought on the advertising agency
Red Tettemer, which agreed to do the work pro bono.
| Skateboarders' saga once more scooting along Schuylkill |
| SOURCE : Philadelphia Business Journal DATE : May 25, 2007 BYLINE : Peter Van Allen |
| News |