The City of Pensacola and Upward Intuition will continue to engage the public in providing transformative skatepark access for the community to enjoy. Upward Intuition has partnered with the City of Pensacola once again to ignite a long term vision to create public skate spots within city limits in an effort to increase access and improve safety for the skating community.
Residents are invited to participate in an in-person community input meeting to guide the future planning and design of the city’s first public “Safe Spot Skate Spot” park feature. The community input meeting will be held at Bayview Community Center on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Attendees can share their thoughts, ask questions and provide feedback on draft elements to include in the skate spot. Visuals of the proposed concept design and supporting information will be presented at the meeting.
The pilot Safe Spot Skate Spot installation will be located in the East Hill Neighborhood District. Upward Intuition will collaborate with the City of Pensacola, East Hill Neighborhood Association, The Platform Group, and community stakeholders to design and execute the first space at a city park.
“Upward Intuition is excited to share the concept designs and receive feedback from residents,” Upward Intuition founder Jon Shell said. “Many youth are unable to regularly access the Blake Doyle Skatepark [located] downtown, and it is important for everyone to have access to safe places to skate in their area without having to cross busy roads.”
The project has been awarded grant dollars from the “Dottie” Frist Foundation, a philanthropic trust that invests in promising organizations with high ambitions of improving communities who share the goal of making peoples’ lives “just a little better”.
“This project, as well as the generous gift from Dottie Frist were inspired by Avery Stark, an 11-year-old skateboarder who lost his life after being hit by a car in April 2023 while skating,” Andy Prince of Upward Intuition said. “We want to honor Avery’s life with this [first] skate spot in his home neighborhood. We hope this project will be a catalyst to make more accessible skateparks throughout the city to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again.”
“The East Hill Neighborhood Association would like to express our enthusiasm for this project, as it aligns perfectly with our mission and vision of nurturing connections for a fun and vibrant community where everyone belongs, is engaged, feels safe, and are happy to be a part of,” East Hill Neighborhood Association Board Member Joey Miller said. “Collaborative initiatives like Safe Spot Skate Spot play a crucial role in fostering a sense of community and offers a diverse recreational option, thereby enhancing the appeal of our great city.”
The primary focus of public skate spots will be to improve park amenities and address safety concerns by providing neighborhood parks with enhanced recreational, cultural and aesthetic improvements that avoid major throughways and public roads that pose a danger to skaters and pedestrians.
Bayview Community Center is located at 2000 E. Lloyd St. in Pensacola.
For more information about City of Pensacola parks, playgrounds and locations, visit playpensacola.com or contact the City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation Department at 850-436-5670.
The Rollerskating community is just as large as the skateboarding. We would like to support a community outdoor skating rink with the capacity to accommodate events that in turn will generate revenue for the city as well as provide an already popular idea in such cities like Atlanta. Follow @lololedlow on Tik Tok as well as @Theskatecowboy to see our dedication to the sport! Thank you
What about a roller skating Park for roller Skaters
Creating these skate parks in Pensacola and calling them skate parks but you are not including inline or roller skating. If you are creating these parks for skate boarder, please label them as such because the one that was created downtown Pensacola is only for skate boarders.
Does the new Parks & Recreation Department Director know about the Skatepark Rules? A link is below. City law authorizes the Director to adopt such rules. The prior one issued the rules and was soon fired for an unknown reason. All we were told is that the city was moving in a “new direction” without him. Mayor Reeves said that he was not going to allow the enforcement of the skatepark rules. I then heard the head of the chamber of commerce say on McKay’s radio show say that a police officer had told him a lot of kids were getting hurt at the skatepark. Is anyone in the city keeping track of the injuries? Maybe Morgan & Morgan should set up up a booth at the skateboard park staffed with skateboard lawyers. I recently ran into someone who works in the skateboard industry. We spoke for about 20 minutes. He was shocked that the city endangered children. He told me that where he was from it would not be allowed. Skateboard parks are well run and they take child safety very seriously. In our city, kids and adults also openly ride their skateboards in the street to include on the wrong side of the road. I rarely see a kid wearing safety equipment let alone a safety helmet when riding a skateboard, rollerblades or a scooter. Some of these kids are 6-7 years old. City officials to include PPD Officers must see it too. It’s like Pensacola has a culture of child endangerment. The skateboard industry guy told me that where he was from parents do not let their kids ride skateboards in a busy street and not without a helmet. The media has never followed up to tell us if Avery Stark’s parents knew that their son rode his skateboard “in” busy streets from his home in Old East Hill to Waterboyz and back and if they also let him ride without a helmet. If so, why? When I drive by the skatepark, I see kids riding without adult supervision and without safety equipment. Shame. Even the council doesn’t care. https://www.cityofpensacola.com/3426/Blake-Doyle-Skatepark