Kennesaw Approves 'Phased' Skatepark Construction

More than a year after Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews announced a partnership with the Rob Dyrdek Foundation to design and build a state-of-the-art skatepark at Swift-Cantrell Park, the Kennesaw City Council agreed Monday to move forward with the construction of the $1.7-million project.

The 40,000-square-foot park will be constructed in two phases. Phase I, the construction of a $740,827 skatepark plaza, is estimated to take six months once it starts, said Pam Davis, the city's spokeswoman. Because work will begin only on those portions of the project that have full funding in place, the start of Phase II will depend on the availability of funds, she said.

So far, Kennesaw has $1.4 million that was approved by voters as part of the 2011 SPLOST. More than half of that, about $750,000, is earmarked for the skatepark. Another $650,000 is for a parking lot addition and landscaping improvements.

Kennesaw will seek out donations to close the funding gap. None of the money will come from the city's general fund, Davis said.

During Phase II, a skatepark flow course, skate pool and skate bowl perimeter concrete will be constructed at a cost of $309,024. Landscaping, additional parking and restroom, lighting, and site furnishings will total $740,742.

No word yet on when ground will be broken on the skatepark.

"A date has not yet been set because it depends on the availability of the contractors, although we anticipate it will be within the next few months," Davis said.

Click here to watch Dyrdek talk about the skatepark. For more information on the skatepark, visit https://access.foundationsource.com/nonprofit/kennesaw-skate-park.

MORE FACTS ABOUT SWIFT-CANTRELL SKATEPARK

On the mayor's Facebook page, someone asked how operational costs and maintenance would affect future tax expenditures. Here's what the mayor had to say:

No day to day operational expense. There will be power costs related to lighting when needed. It is not a staffed facility and falls within the day to day responsibilities of the Park Monitors. Maintenance will be budgeted annually just as any other but for the first few years as the design is tweaked by Street League Skating there will be minimal expense. Barring faulty installation or eathquakes, the majority of the facility is concrete and should not just "break."