Ultra Violet is Looking for FacilityAndy Rauworth continues his search to find a 10,000 to 15,000 square foot facility with a minimum of a 16-foot ceiling to house his indoor skateboard park in Speedway. Rauworth made an impromptu visit at the Speedway Park Board February 19 meeting to explain his non-profit entity’s mission. “Skateboard is the draw to help kids,” he said. Rauworth’s goal is to use skateboarding as a means to educate children to not use alcohol, drugs, avoid teenage pregnancy, to promote good health and to take education seriously. “The indoor skateboard park will be closed during school hours so they stay in school,” he said. Although the park board has no indoor facility to offer Rauworth, the board members were interested in his presentation because of growing public sentiment for a skateboard park in the community. Although it was not included in the master plan, the board has examined the possibility of constructing an outdoor skateboard park at Meadowood Park. “They were very rough estimates,” park board member Tim Smith said. Rauworth cautioned the board against that idea of an unsupervised outdoor park because it only invites trouble and becomes a target for graffiti. Rauworth, the current owner of Ultra Violet, closed his for profit business to transform it into a non-profit business. He plans to donate 24,000 square feet of ramps and wood to the non-profit if he can find facility. Rauworth claimed the market is under served and the March 1 closing is having a ripple effect throughout the skateboarding community. “It leaves them on the streets and sidewalks like here in Speedway,” he said. Smith inquired what would make this non-profit different than his for profit business. “The $9,000 rent was killing my business. “Rent has hurt me the whole time,” Rauworth said. The plan is to find a rent-free facility, so he could drop the current $10 fee for three hours to $4 or $5. His non-profit status will now qualify him for grants. “An indoor skateboard park would solve our problems. It is too bad we have nothing to offer,” park board member Rachel McKay said. In other matters, the board members will officially request the town council’s approval to start a bond issue for park improvements. Board member Ray Lawrence did not want to piece meal the project over time, so the board will request for about a $2 million bond issue with its prioritized list. The board also plans to seek grant money as a contingency incase of cost over runs that would strain the bond money. McKay also requested that a specific amount be made available so the taxpayer knows exactly what the park improvements will cost them in property taxes. “The public has right to whittle this down. It shouldn’t offend us,” he said. . |
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