New Portsmouth skatepark designs unveiled: When will it open? What about pump and lights?

PORTSMOUTH — New designs have been revealed for the city’s outdoor skatepark at the "stump dump" site off Route 33, and project leaders are hopeful it can be built and open to the public in a year’s time.

Pillar Design Studios, an architectural design firm based in Arizona that has designed more than 400 skateparks globally, has released new renderings of the skatepark coming to Portsmouth.

The designs, which call for 20,000 square feet of skating space and a shaded seating area in the middle of the park, are not finalized, but are likely to see little change going forward, according to Amy-Mae Court, co-chairperson of the city’s skatepark committee.

Construction of the skatepark, along with the addition of a recreational field, are part of a planned overhaul to the stump dump, which has been utilized as a staging area for city projects.

Budget delays pump track

Due to budgetary constraints, a pump track previously outlined in plans to revamp the stump dump has been moved to a future second phase.

“I just want the community to know we’re working hard to get this park built as soon as possible because we know how excited the community is for it,” Court said.

Portsmouth Recreation Department director Todd Henley said a bid for the project will be awarded in the spring of next year and construction will begin shortly thereafter.

"It should take a full construction season to build, so hopefully without any hiccups, we could be opening it by late fall 2023," he said.

What features are included in the skatepark design?

Local skateboarder Chris Rice first started lobbying for a skatepark with former City Council member and current skatepark project leader Esther Kennedy in 2006. A fellow member of the skatepark committee, Rice spoke of the future Portsmouth skatepark’s primary elements, including a kidney bowl, handrails, stairs, ledges and quarter pipes.

The new renderings from Pillar are based off a concept design the company's owner, Brad Siedlecki, presented to community members in September 2021 at City Hall.

“It’s going to encompass all elements of what skateboarding is,” he said. “You’re going to have a more natural, street feel.”

“It’s a lot of features you would find in a city but in a skatepark instead,” Court added. “The thinking for that is that it will keep kids out of skateboarding downtown, so a lot of the structures are city-like structures.”

A Portsmouth city ordinance bans skateboarding on city streets and sidewalks that are labeled as being part of a Central Business District.

The skatepark, Rice said, will contain structures for the most experienced skateboarders and ones for beginners in hopes that those looking to progress in the sport can have the opportunity to do so all in Portsmouth.

“It doesn't matter what level you’re at with skateboarding,” Rice said. “It’s going to bring everyone together. It’s such a positive thing.”

According to Henley, approximately 60 parking spaces will be included in the final design.

The other major component in the first phase of fixing up the stump dump, the recreational field, will purely be grass, Court noted.

“It’ll be more of a place for now, for this phase one, for people to just kind of hang out, kick a ball, play some frisbee, have a picnic. Kind of just a cool hangout spot,” she said.

Committee fundraising for lights for the skatepark

A final portion of the project that members of the Skateboard Park Blue Ribbon Committee are looking to fundraise for is the skatepark’s lights.

Court estimated the lights will cost in excess of $100,000.

“Having the capability for people to be skating till 8 p.m. or however long the city chooses to keep the lights on for, would just be such an asset,” she said.

The committee will be at the city Recreation Department’s Fall Family Fun Fest in October to raffle off skateboard gear to fund the skatepark lights. On Jan. 13 at the Community Campus, the committee will host a battle of the bands competition to continue fundraising.

Recapping the history of the decision to build a skatepark in Portsmouth

Upon the closure of Rye Airfield in 2020, numerous skateboarders attending Portsmouth High School last year approached the previous City Council urging for upgrades to the outdated skatepark at Greenleaf Recreation Center.

The city obliged, later showing off renovations at Greenleaf last summer, while agreeing to pursue the construction of an entirely new skatepark for skateboarders, scooters and BMX bike enthusiasts alike.

In December, members of the former City Council approved the allocation of $2.2 million from Portsmouth’s unassigned fund balance to pay for the skatepark.

The action was followed in July by the approval of a $1.8 million bond by the current city council.

Court noted that the skatepark budget has since decreased by about $100,000 as the city has spent money on the design process.

The initial cost of the skatepark, pump track, field and other amenities, per Henley, was estimated to be over $3 million.

"With the $2.2 million that the city has identified for this, we had to scale back the first phase of the project and just get the skatepark and parking done with limited other amenities," he continued. "We plan to put the other phases including the pump track in the (Capital Improvement Plan) to be completed in future years."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH skatepark new designs unveiled