The fenced-in lot with cheese-grater asphalt and dilapidated wood/metal ramps that Woodland Park’s skateboarders and BMX bike riders used to call home, will soon be no more. Thankfully they will have a new place to go – a bigger, more challenging and more aesthetically-pleasing place in fact.
Since 2008, Spohn Ranch has worked hand-in-hand with the City of Woodland Park, Colorado to develop a state-of-the-art facility which would replace the cramped and outdated metal ramp park built by a local contractor in the late ‘90s. After assisting City officials with a Colorado grant application, we hosted community design workshops with local riders to find out how their ideal skatepark session would come together.
These meetings revealed that the community’s skaters preferred a vibrant, street style concrete park, while the BMX bike riders favored dirt terrain. As pioneers of both skate and BMX course design, we pushed ahead with an all-inclusive action sports park, broken up into separate facilities for the different disciplines.
The skatepark features roughly 8,000 square feet of concrete terrain, defined by plaza style features and a colorful aesthetic. Integral colored concrete and a diversity of sculptural features complement the progression of skateboarding – inconceivable at the time of City’s original metal ramp park. The freestyle BMX course features 16,000 square feet of dirt skillfully shaped into table-top jumps, rhythm rollers, spines and hips.
After a groundbreaking ceremony at Red Mountain Park on May 6th, Spohn Ranch crews will now mobilize to begin site preparation, grading and form work. Both the skatepark and BMX dirt track are expected to be completed towards the end of June. Click the photo above for the full set of renderings!