DRIPPING SPRINGS – The highly-anticipated skate park in Dripping Springs is still in the planning stages.
Dripping Springs City Council first approved the skate park proposal in 2017 and then entered into a license agreement in 2019, allowing for construction at Founders Memorial Park. On June 7, 2022, the council approved an extension of the license agreement, requiring that all construction funding for the skate park be completed within two years.
However, the idea of the skate park started in March 2014, when skate classes emerged with the Dripping Springs Community Foundation and then in November of that year, supporters filled city hall to present the idea to the Parks and Recreation department.
Dennis Baldwin of the Dripping Springs Skate Park Initiative said they are currently sitting at close to $800,000 for the project.
“Materials and labor costs have gone up so that’s why we have been pushing hard to continue to raise money, but I think we are pretty close in that regard,” Baldwin said.
The skate park, aimed to be 12,000 to 15,000 square feet, will be housed at Founders Memorial Park. Because the surrounding area has become more developed with additional housing, the location is considered to be ideal to attract the community to gather together.
While other cities may put together a budget and request bid proposals, the skate park project in Dripping Springs is a little different.
“In our case, the city was not able to do that,” Baldwin said. “We moved forward with raising the money, doing all of the work and formed a strong relationship with the city that says, ‘Hey, we support you guys but since we don’t have the money to contribute to the project, we are going to let you guys go forward with the design and the bill.’ At that point, we’ll donate the project to the city so it will fall under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation [department].”
Baldwin and his team are still finalizing the logistics before construction can begin.
