In the wake of a fire that damaged the “Big Mac” Bridge and completely destroyed its below wooden playground, some locals have suggested a new, less flammable replacement for the space: a concrete skatepark.
Nestled within the unusual space left beneath the Interstate 471 road infrastructure for the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, the 1000 Hands Every Child’s Playground at Sawyer Point welcomed visitors and their children to explore its large, steamboat-like wooden structure. It offered numerous interactive features and activities, along with ADA-accessible options for inclusive play.
In the early morning hours of Nov. 1, a fire of undetermined origin fully engulfed the playground, reducing it to ashes. Marked as temporarily closed on Google Maps, the beloved playground now lies in ruins, with little promise as to the timeline for the reopening process.
But in those ruins, certain members of the community, like Cincinnati Skate Park Project Founder Evan Walker, see an opportunity to bring a new activity space to Cincinnati’s skating desert.
Cincinnati, even though it has had vibrant and growing skateboard and roller blading scenes, does not have a full skate park within the metropolitan area.
“We need to have options for people to get outside and improve their physical and mental health,” Walker said. “There is no skate park within the City of Cincinnati.”
This led to the formation of the Cincinnati Skate Park Project in 2022 after a regrouping of the Cincinnati skate scene and a number of canceled or seemingly-waved off public projects for skaters.
Walker says, according to a national advocacy group The Skatepark Project, the metric should be one skate park for every 10,000 residents, meaning Cincinnati is missing quite a few.
“There are so many cities that are similar in size or smaller that have so many more skate parks…we don’t have one,” he added.
Walker acknowledged the Recreation Commission’s efforts to build one in Camp Washington, but long project development timelines still leave skaters waiting, and one park alone will not meet inclusivity and accessibility needs for the city.
Walker said the inherent beauty, central location and cultural importance of Sawyer Point, as well as its bustling recreation options and new connections to bike trails throughout the city, make it a perfect addition to the area.
“As skate park design has evolved, they have become much more appealing to people,” Walker said, citing new design inclusions commonly seen such as tree planting, rain gardens, arts features and viewing areas.
According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, skate parks are the fourth most used feature in city parks, ahead of sports fields, dog parks and other amenities.
Walker said that he anticipates the skater community would be willing to work collaboratively with the city to not only design, but fundraise, construct and maintain a skate park, similar to what has been seen with the smaller do-it-yourself efforts across areas such as Clifton.
Clifton’s skate area, known as “The Courts,” is in an old run-down tennis court behind an apartment building near campus. Over the last couple years, skaters began using the space, since forming a relationship with the apartment landlord. Now, they are in the process of major renovative work, including pouring new concrete.
“It’s most important that skate communities are engaged in those spaces so that what’s built works for the skate community and that we have a stake in it. Skaters will maintain the spot, help clean up and keep the peace if they feel connected to the site,” Walker said.
Walker said that a small riverfront skate park in Ludlow, Ky. recently allowed its skate community to incorporate two aspects that have since led to a rise in visitors.
“We want the city to build full scale skate parks, but we also would like space for our community to build our own features in the interim, because we can get them up fast,” Walker said.
According to Walker, Cincinnati Parks had previously approached the organization about making a skate park under that highway, and now that “the universe has given this message,” he feels the time is right to resume those conversations.
Cincinnati Skate Park Project has started a petition seeking 1,000 signatures to send to local legislation, such as Cincinnati Parks, that there is still interest in putting in a skatepark at that site. The petition has approximately 930 signatures at the time of publication.
“We hadn’t heard about this skate park petition, but do plan to engage with all interested members of the community who have ideas and feedback to share,” Cincinnati Parks spokesman Rocky Merz told CityBeat in an email.
The plan as it stands is to prioritize bridge repair and discuss rehabilitation, including the reconstruction of a playground in Sawyer Point, with the community and the agencies responsible for the bridge: the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. However, Merz said that it’s “hard to imagine anyone proposing rebuilding a playground in that location,” and it will likely be moved.
“We don’t want to speculate yet on specifics as it is far too early to know exactly what components the final design will include, what the community wants, how the playground will be laid out, what the cost will be, or when this work will take place,” Merz said.
The location of the former playground was situated in the space underneath Cincinnati’s I-471 access ramp to the bridge, leaving many questioning why there was a playground in that space in the first place.
Some cities, however, are actually finding that these spaces under highways are perfect for skate parks. Highways provide skate parks some shelter from heat and rain, and the concrete skate parks are low maintenance, without risk of damage by fire or flood. Many cities, including Boston, Miami, Fla. and Birmingham, Ala. have opened successful skate parks under highways.
“Skate parks are low maintenance, not flammable like the playground was, and they are not prone to flood damage, as the concrete can just be washed out after the flood,” Walker said.
Just across the “Big Mac,” underneath the same bridge infrastructure on the Kentucky side and next to Newport High School, lies the completely skater-built Newport Skate Park, a park that Walker says the skating scene took pride in creating and maintaining, especially since the city of Newport decided to accept it as a legitimate skate park.
As the 1000 Hands Every Child’s Playground continues to sit in char, and discussions of what to replace the park with continue, the future of the space remains unclear. Whether it’s ramps and grind rails or swings and slides, the Cincinnati Parks department and the community will have to work together to find a way to revitalize and rejuvenate the space.
This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.
