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City, Pour It Now Skating Toward New Park 
Construction of Facility at Owens Field Could Start This Summer
BY NICK MCCORMACEver since a skate park at Owens Field was demolished in 2007, local skateboarders havehad to practice their craft on Columbia’s sidewalks and streets instead of one central — and legal — location.But before the end of the year, skaters in the metro area might finally be able to return totheir old skating grounds, which are slated to become home to the only custom-designedconcrete skate park in South Carolina.Local skater Ryan Cockrell formed the nonprofit group Pour It Now in an effort to savethe old skate park after City Council decided to tear it down to make way for a track andfield facility for Dreher High School.But after the council’s decision, Cockrell thought local skaters might be better servedwith an improved park. “Our mission was to show how the city could harness the positiveenergy skateboarders have and use it to build something beneficial like [a new park],”Cockrell says.City Council, in a partnership with Cockrell and other local skaters, agreed to support theidea. In June 2008, the council approved allocating $500,000 from the city’s hospitalitytax revenue for construction of a new park.Pour It Now has raised an estimated $35,000 for the project — $10,000 in donations anda $25,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation.Damon McDuffie, a city park planner, says he hopes construction will begin in the nextfew months. McDuffie says he plans to evaluate bids from construction companies andrecommend one to City Council in July.While some council members were hesitant about a new park at first, they eventuallyopened their arms to the skating community thanks in part to enthusiasm and supportamong local skaters.“I thought Ryan made a good case to the council,” says Anne Sinclair, a former councilwoman who championed the issue. “He showed us there was a niche that neededto be filled, and the council thought we could do our part to fill that gap.”A mother of skateboarders, Sinclair says she believes that there should be a wide range of recreational opportunities available to residents. “People might find skateboarding moreinteresting than team sports, so we owe it to them to provide numerous wellness, fitnessand sporting opportunities,” she says.Cockrell was surprised to see such a warm response from council members. He says herecently discovered that skateboarding is the fastest growing sport in the country and he believes that the new park will help Columbia’s estimated 5,000 skaters flourish.
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