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With construction of the $6.2 million Riverwalk project slated to begin in a month, the project’s leaders are facing an outcry over a pivotal feature: the Riverwalk Skate Park. City council members received several emails over the weekend from adult leaders of Bradenton’s skateboarding community objecting to the choice of Hardcore Shotcrete Skateparks Inc. to build the skate park.
“Bradenton has a unique opportunity here to be at the forefront of a progressive urban environment,” Darrah said. “We’ve got a shot at being an example for small and big cities all over the country. With such a high-profile project, it doesn’t make sense to look at a contractor that the skateboarding community has always asked not be involved.”
Cantwell and Darrah said they first asked NDC in May not to consider Hardcore. The two said the company’s owner, American Ramp Co., has a bad reputation among skateboarders for building municipal skate parks that weather poorly and require extra maintenance.
They’re concerned that serious skateboarders, and the high-profile events they can generate, will be driven away by the Bradenton park’s association with American Ramp Co. Darrah cited several websites formed specifically to warn against American Ramp Co., and also sent city council members links to stories about cities who have had issues with the company. “(The park) is not going to give the business draw that they’re expecting,” Darrah said. “It’s not going to meet the needs of the end user, which is the skateboarding community.” Cantwell said more than 200 local skateboard enthusiasts have expressed support for Team Pain as the subcontractor. But Allen said his staff members had spoken with several cities who expressed satisfaction with Hardcore. A spokesperson for Hardcore denied that Hardcore was owned by American Ramp Co., although Missouri’s division of corporations lists American Ramp Co. as the company’s owner.
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