5 Days of Ohio: Public Square Group

Day 4 of 5 Days of Ohio (for no particular reason.) Public Square Group is part skateboard/skatepark advocacy, part community outreach, and part skateboarding support group. They are named after the Cleveland’s public plaza, a not-built-for-skateboarding spot that has a history in the scene dating back to the 80’s. They also run the Skate Kitchen, which until this year had been in an actual physical location with an indoor miniramp. The non-profit membership based model (with public hours) seems to have been replaced with pop up skate events while they look for a new space. Grindline recently finished Cleveland’s Crooked River Skatepark on the riverfront. Opening day was snowed in, Meanwhile, Broadway Skatepark in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland has already gone through early design presentations. Public Square Group is acting as the conduit for feedback.

– Thanks to Dan Overfield for the tip.

[Video Still: Share the River]

Some background on the Crooked River Skatepark from Dan Overfield:

The cleveland skatepark was supposed to be 15000 square feet but the city’s records failed to show how bad the soil was and how high the water table was so we had to move the site. (More on that here – K.Ed) That took about a year of fairly easy legislative movements. All parties really wanted the park. The new site was only barely better and the final product is about 9100 Square feet and is built on almost 7000 tons of recycled concrete (gravel of different sizes). It cost the same price too, because of that situation. Its a small park but Grindline put a lot of variety in terms of mellow and tight transitions and coping types. The location, not the soil, is awesome too, views of the skyline, huge cargo ships cruise by, there are many good bars and restaurants (including adult entertainment) right there too. We share a parking lot with a bar and there’s another great spot across the river, the Cuyahoga, which once caught fire, called Hooples where bands play occasionally.

None of it would have taken place without Vince Frantz, Stosh Burgess, Andy Leidel, Neil Smith, Jaovvani Garrison, and myself. Extra credit goes to Vince, Andy, and Stosh as OG PSG members since the first day. Most other Clevelanders, rad though we are, either left town to skate or were content with various smallish mini ramps and or street.

Crooked River Skatepark videos:

http://youtu.be/kmLfkPID9Xk

Cleveland.com has short “tour with action-packed skaters”

Skate Kitchen Videos: