About Us:
The Hot Spot Skate Park officially opened on June 3rd 2009. Phase I of this 21,000 square foot concrete park will be supervised and run by the city’s Parks and Recreation department. Newly constructed park has a plaza section with “street elements” off of the old elevated loading dock which include steps, rails, ramps, ledges, wall rides, a grass gap, and a 2-block section. The plaza section leads into a flow course which has a pyramid with elements such as hips, rails, manual pads, quarter pipes. The lower section of the park is a half pipe with escalators, a spine, camel hump, and an 8-foot vertical ramp off to the side leading back into the pyramid section. Micah Stancil, former pro skater and owner of Origin skateboard company in Spartanburg, describes the park as having most of the major elements skaters need to progress as well as offering some unique structures for more creative skating. The park will eventually have landscaping, a concession building and bathrooms on site and will be connected to the 2-mile rail trail. These enhancements may be a few months behind the initial opening.
Interest in the park began in 2001 when Harriette and Marty Reid began looking into the possibility of building a public skate park. Various sites were considered, including Howard Street, TK Gregg recreational center, downtown, and areas adjacent to Barnet Park. Since that time, a non-profit organization, the Coalition for Active Youth (CAY), was formed to help raise money for the park. Early park plans called for asphalt surfaces and modular ramps. Vivian Jordan with CAY states, “The idea of the park has evolved from a very basic skate park into a quality, concrete park which will be virtually maintenance free and draw skaters and their families into Spartanburg from surrounding areas.” Currently, there are several private parks in Greenville and in other cities but the Hot Spot Skate Park will be the first public, concrete park in the state. Public skate parks open the sport up to kids in the area who don’t have access to transportation to other cities or money to pay the higher entrance fees at private parks. In addition to a small fee for daily admission, annual and family memberships will also be available for purchase.
