A new level of engagement may occur at Brook Run’s 27,000-square-foot skate park in 2024 with the awarding of a contract to manage the facility and expand its services.
The skate park was built in 2007 and has had an on-and-off history of operators. It’s currently under the purview of the city’s parks and recreation department, assisted by the police department, but Dunwoody officials acknowledge that more supervision is needed to help with oversight of the facility. An operations agreement with Senpaii Skateboarding LLC since 2020 was terminated in October.
At the Nov. 27 city council meeting, Dunwoody Parks and Recreation Director Brent Walker said that out of the five bids received, Action and Adventure was the best choice, as the group had a proven record of operating recreational facilities.
“The biggest benefit for the city is the oversight of the park, keeping it clean, keeping it up, and keeping the clientele in line,” Walker said.
Walker acknowledged that supervising the skate park is beyond the capability of the park and the police department’s staff.
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Mayor Lynn Deutsch said that more oversight is needed, based on her limited observations of the park.
“When we inherited this park, DeKalb County was paying $40,000 (annually) to manage the park and was working under a pay-to-play model, which sort of justified the cost, but we moved away from that,” she said. “We’ve had different things at different times, but basically zero supervision.”
Deutsch recounted one of her few encounters with skate park users when she saw children sitting on the roof of the skate park building.
“I had to call you all [the parks department] so there was someone other than the mayor asking people to get off the building,” she said. “I also had another conversation with a mom of a skater who was upset that her daughter had cut her hand when she was on the roof of the amphitheater, where she shouldn’t have been.”
J.M. Wilkerson, the general contractor for the skate park, designed the facility featuring a fully concrete construction, down to the clubhouse, which had 10 overhead doors, that would remain open to allow skaters access to the restrooms and the snack bar area.
That enclosed area was the topic of discussion at the November city council meeting, with members asking the operators, Anthony Wells and Elliott Smith, if they had plans to expand their services beyond monitoring the skaters and maintaining the facility.
Wells said Action and Adventure wants to start with a limited concession menu, after-school programs and birthday parties, and on-site mentoring and instruction for new and developing bikers, skateboarders and skaters.
“We also want to partner with other areas within the park,” Wells said. “This is a developing program, and we are always up for new ideas.”
Council members suggested offering the 2,500-square foot space for use as a public meeting place, but Deutsch stressed that its primary function for the first year should be “making it a community asset that is safe.”
“Let’s focus on the kids and establish an acceptable level of behavior for everyone who uses the park,” she said.
The council agreed to discuss modifying some of the language regarding the contract and revisiting it at a future council meeting.