The Chattanooga Skatepark Project is an ongoing effort to build a new regional destination skatepark. The effort began with a grassroots community organization and has since grown to include collaboration with the City of Chattanooga. While the skating community is vibrant and growing quickly, the current Chatt Town Skatepark is aged and does not adequately support and represent the talent and passion of our skaters. A new facility will serve as both a recreation space for the community and a training facility for athletes.
"Chattanooga has been called the outdoor Mecca of the South. People come for the mountains to hike, bike and rock climb, for the rivers, to canoe, kayak and fish, and to the city for the Aquarium, Riverwalk and interconnected park system. A new skateboard park has the potential to round out these outdoor activities for the whole family and bring more visitors into the City of Chattanooga."
-VDZ+A
Are you a skatepark user?
Tell us what features you'd like to see in a new skatepark by taking this quick survey!
Project Timeline:
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May 26, 2019
Kick-Off Events and Community Engagement
The consultant team and our local Skatepark Advisory Committee set up booths to collect information at two events. The feedback from the community was overwhelming. Between the respondents from the booth at “Nightfall”, the “Battle at the Bend” annual skate competition, and the online survey, there were over 500 responses. Given the general difficulty in obtaining public input for new projects this was an outstanding response.
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Feb 6, 2020
Feasibility Study
The consultant team completed the feasibility study and provided recommendations for future skatepark growth, both in size and location, to meet the needs of the community and region now and over the next ten years. You can view the full report here.
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IN PROGRESS
Site Selection and Design
The Feasibility Study evaluated more than 10 potential sites for the new Regional Skatepark in Chattanooga. Potential sites were evaluated against several factors that included: Location, Accessibility, Site Suitability, Landscape Integration, Amenities, and Utilities. The most preferred site from both the Feasibility Study and from Public Feedback was the TN Riverpark site. Unfortunately, due to conflicts with the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department we were unable to secure the use of that site for a Skatepark. We are re-evaluating the existing sites and a few other potential sites in an effort to provide Chattanooga with the best option. This is important and we want to get it right.
Once the site selection is finalized the Open Spaces team will issue an RFQ for Construction Design Documents. This Phase will seek additional public feedback to finalize the exact design of our new concrete Skatepark. We will post more information as the project moves forward. We anticipate this phase starting Summer of 2021.
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Construction
The Open Spaces Division is currently seeking Construction funding from the City's budgeting process (Budget For Outcomes - BFO process). We are requesting $1.8 million to complete this project. The annual budget is set each year on July 1. Additionally, we will seek funding sponsors to supplement and/or offset the City's cost for this project. We will update this section after the budget is determined.
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Grand Opening
This is the fun part! A grand opening of our new Skatepark. Check back for more details when Construction is taking place.