Dripping Springs skate park to be named in honor of Dorian Zev Kweller

DRIPPING SPRINGS — Dripping Springs City Hall was filled on Tuesday, Aug. 15 with supporters of the planned skate park at Founders Memorial Park — but even more so, they were there to advocate for the park to be named after Dorian Zev Kweller.

Dorian was a junior at Dripping Springs High School when he died in a car accident in February 2023. He was a beloved member of the local skateboarding community. He attended the weekly Thursday night skate at Dripping Springs Ranch Park (DSRP) and participated in the fundraising efforts for the skate park.

“I know any of the people who came here tonight on behalf of Dorian would proudly stand in front of you to recommend naming the skate park after him,” said Stephanie Meyer of the Dripping Springs Skatepark Committee. “I am just one of them.”

Dorian also had a love for music. He released music to the public, using his middle name "ZEV," for the first time in July 2022. He would often bring his guitar to skate nights at DSRP for impromptu jam sessions and he was a member of the Dripping Springs High School Tiger Band.

Dorian’s passion for music stemmed from his dad, Ben Kweller, who is an indie-rock artist based in Dripping Springs.

“I’ve been doing music since I was a teenager and signed a record deal when I was 15. I never looked back. I’ve been in music my whole life,” Ben explained. “In 2010, after he was born, we moved to Austin — because Dorian was born in New York — and I started a record label called The Noise Company.”

While Dorian was slated to play at the South by Southwest Music Festival in March, Ben chose to use the opportunity to honor his son instead of canceling the showcase.

“This past South by Southwest, it was going to be our 10-year anniversary for The Noise Company and he was going to open up the show and all of our artists were going to play, including myself,” Ben said. “Then, when Dorian died, it was like two weeks of just absolute mourning and a state of shock, and slowly reality eased back in [with] calendars, life, work and all of that. There was a big question of, ‘What the heck are we going to do about South by Southwest?’ I didn't feel like playing. But we promised so many other artists that they would play and Dorian was supposed to be there.”

“So then, after a lot of sort of soul searching on my part, I decided that the show would still go on and that I would play, because I promised Dorian that we were going to play and so I felt like I had to emotionally and spiritually carry with it,” Ben continued. “One of his friends from the skate club, Walt Bristol, put together a ton of footage that he had of Dorian and made this beautiful tribute video. At South by Southwest at the Mohawk venue, we played this 15-minute tribute video for Dorian and his music and there were a ton of skate clips. All the other bands played and then I performed and it was really emotional for me. I really felt like Dorian was with me and with all of us.”

He is described to have had an inclusive mindset to connect people in the community from all walks of life. Meyer said that the skate park should not be named after Dorian because he died, but “it should be named after him because of how he lived.”

“Dorian embodied kindness, friendliness, inclusivity, creativity, thoughtfulness and an unmatched enthusiasm for not only his life, but the lives of the people around him,” she said. “He was a gifted skater and spent hours helping other kids learn and master tricks and gain a love of skating. Dorian impacted this community in far-reaching ways through his love of music and the incredibly genuine way he touched people’s lives. He was a friend to all. A true artist and poet. A fearless and gifted skater. As his family and many others say, to know Dorian was to love him.”

“He was a member of so many different communities. One of the biggest vibes about him was that he was such a connector and brought all sorts of people together from different worlds,” Ben said. “This place is going to do the same thing. It's almost like Dorian is going to continue to bring people together for years and years. So, it's really a beautiful situation … Dorian will live forever through the skate park and through his music and through his positivity. He was so positive and happy, [he was] such a happy guy. [He] would always put a smile on people’s faces.”

Ben said his family has seen and experienced the overflowing support from the community.

“There's so much gratitude and thanks that we have for everyone in the Dripping [Springs] community and beyond. Nothing will bring back our son, but the comfort that we get from our community is huge. It definitely eases the pain a little bit,” he said.

It was a unanimous decision by the city council: the skate park at Founders Memorial Park will officially be named the “Dorian Zev Kweller Memorial Skatepark.”

“I felt that he really did touch a bunch of people in the community, young and old, in different parts of our community,” said council member Geoffrey Tahuahua.

Background of the skate park

Plans to build a skate park in Dripping Springs have been underway for years.

Dripping Springs City Council first approved the skate park proposal in 2017 and entered into a license agreement in 2019, allowing for construction at Founders Memorial. Later, in June 2022, the council approved an extension of the license agreement, requiring that all construction funding for the skate park be completed within two years. But the idea of the skate park sparked even earlier, in March 2014, when supporters presented the idea to the Dripping Springs Parks & Community Services Department.

The 9,000-10,000-square foot, plaza-style skate park is designed to provide a safe facility for young people to pursue an athletic activity that they love.

Hays County approved $624,500 in park bond funds for construction; Dripping Springs Skatepark Inc. has raised $100,000 through events, grants and donations; and the city of Dripping Springs has $75,000 in the 2023 budget for the project. The Dripping Springs Community Foundation will be responsible for distributing the funds to Dripping Springs Skatepark Inc.

“That puts us a little bit north of $800,000 total funds raised,” said Dennis Baldwin of the Dripping Springs Skatepark Committee.

The city could approve an additional $75,000 in potential site amenities in the 2024 budget, which would make the city’s total contribution to the skate park project $150,000.

Baldwin said that they are looking to have the skate park open sometime in 2024. To learn more about the project, visit www.dripskatepark.com.

Those who are interested in listening to Dorian’s music can visit https://bit.ly/45VegzF.