American Ramp Company called out on misleading references

On paper American Ramp Company may look like God's gift to skateparks, but when held up to the microscope of skaters and skater organzations, it appears that some of American Ramp Company's claims about their skateparks are exaggerations used to steer cities toward purchasing their product.

Here are a few examples of American Ramp Company getting into trouble on Skaters for Public Skateparks, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education on skateparks. about claims found in their concrete skatepark catalog.

Claim Number 1 - Discrediting a competitor

On page 14 it shows a picture of the Wichita Falls, TX skatepark built by Grindline. The captions read, "...often quirky because it maybe the first time a contractor has built a park". In fact, that park is not really quirky at all and Grindline has built numerous parks. It's hailed as one of the best parks in the state and attracts users from all over the country. Very misleading!!! - Carter Dennis, SPS Board of Directors

Claim Number 2 - Misleading claims about the warranties of competitors

On page 15 under the precast and PIP comparison list it states, "poured in place concrete generally has no warranty". Again very misleading I just went through 11 SOQs regarding poured in place builders and every single one of them offered a warranty. In fact, we have had poured in place vendors repair a park after the warranty has ran out. - Carter Dennis, SPS Board of Directors

Claim Number 3 - Misleading skatepark references

On page 32 it states Mark Leone designed and was the project manager for Pascagoula, MS. However, the builder of the park Ideal Skateparks said they never even heard of Mark Leone and worked strictly with SDG employee Kanten Russel on the project

According to Kanten Russel with SDG, he claims you guys are over stating Mark's responsibilities especially with jobs like Pascagoula. Seth Johnson with Ideal Skatepark who built the facility said he only worked with Kanten on this project. - Carter Dennis, SPS Board of Directors

Claim Number 4 - More misleading skatepark references

On page 45 it states Mark Leone designed the Aztec, NM and Silver City, NM skateparks, but those parks were Grindline design/build. In fact, I know the foreman Donnie Penzotti and he said he has never heard of Mark Leone.

Next I think it is very misleading to include the Aztec and Silver City references without referencing Grindline as the final designer and builder on both projects. - Carter Dennis SPS Board of Directors

Neighbors Sue City because of American Ramp Company Skatepark

In 2008, noise complaints from neighbors in Wesport, Washington shut down an American Ramp Company skatepark. The city bought steel ramps from American Ramp Company to save money. Neighbors of Dorland Municipal Park filed a $250,000 damage claim against the city because of the loud noise coming from the skatepark. City officials removed the steel ramps a week later to avoid the lawsuit.

"Skaters say the real problem was the park design, using metal ramps instead of concrete to save money." Click here for the full article from the Seattle Times.

American Ramp Company Warranty

From the American Ramp Company "Skateparks 101" document:

"Equipment should be inspected weekly to ensure that all screws, nuts, blots, and nails are firmly in place. Should the purchaser neglect any suggested maintenance, this warranty is rendered invalid. Purchaser assumes all liability for site location and any anad all problems resutling from such placement (noise, vandalism, traffic, etc.)."

From the same document, here are some quotes from the Skatepark Maintenance Schedule:

Weekly:

"Inspect the riding and pad surface of all obstacles."

Monthly:

"Inspect all hardware to ensure that the nuts and bolts are secure. Tighten as needed."

Quarterly:

"Your steel components have been coated polyester powder coating or galvanized. However, if scratched deep enough, the steel underneath will rust. Although there is no structural danger in this, spend an hour or so touching up with ARC provided color/texture to match paint to maintain aesthetics."

What we get from this is that you have to be conducting maintenance checks on your skatepark weekly or American Ramp Company's warranty on the skatepark becomes invalid. They also suggest painting the skatepark every few months. The best skateparks are done right the first time, and do not require these frequent maintenance repairs.

Another interesting point is that when an American Ramp Company skatepark starts rusting, they say this doesn't present any danger. We feel that a rusty skatepark is very dangerous because it causes skaters to fall and hurt themselves, and possibly fall on the rusty surface which can cause tetanus.

Misleading References?

American Ramp Company has a list of skatepark references that they send to cities to convince them that they are great skatepark company whom they should buy their next skatepark from.

There seems to be a disconnect though, between these references and what the parks actually end up looking like.

Kilgore, Texas

"Our park consultant highly recommended American Ramp Company's all steel construction ramps as it would provide the best equipment at the most reasonable cost, while also providing longest product warranty. The skate ramps look great and have held up under constant daily use. The city of Kilgore would highly recommend American Ramp Company for their quality of equipment." - Karen Custer, City Clerk

If I am a Parks and Recreation director or City Council person this sounds pretty convincing, but take a look at this video of the skatepark with rust clearly showing, loud clanking noises every time a skater rides up/down a ramp, and only a few skaters in it and decide for yourself if you think Karen should really be recommending this product.

Raytown, Missouri

"I am happy to say we have been very satisfied with the equipment thus far. More importantly, our skaters are happy. I have no hesitation in recommending your product, and your sales staff, to any agency who may be in the market to acquire skate equipment" - Rick Lowderman

If I am a Parks and Recreation director or City Council person this sounds pretty convincing, but take a look at this video of the the skatepark with rust clearly showing, loud clanking noises every time a skater rides up/down a ramp, and only a few skaters in it and decide for yourself if you think Rick should really be recommending this product.

American Ramp Company's Steel Skateparks & Noise

One of the main concerns that can halt a skatepark project dead in its tracks is the issue of noise. For most people it is obvious that a steel skatepark would be more noisy than a concrete one, but American Ramp Company has been able to convince cities that their skateparks aren't noisy at all.

From their Steel Pro Series catalog, "Third party testing showed that our Pro Series only gave off a few decibels more than other building options and that with whatever ramp option you choose, ramp sound will blend in with the background noise within ≈100'. If ever in the future you wish to quiet the ramps down even further, ARC or the customer can install sound dampening to the underside of the equipment very easily, but for most customers it is not even an issue."

We've seen so many skaters put effort into a skatepark project and then wind up with an American Ramp Company skatepark that is so noisy that has to be shut down. Not only is this terrible for the skaters who are now left without a park, it also makes community members and non-skaters believe that all skateparks are noisy disturbances that should be moved as far away as possible.

Did this "third party testing" actually visit any American Ramp Company skateparks? Watch this video to see get an understanding of noise levels in American Ramp Company skateparks.