Skaters still use old hangout near RGC

Christina Chapman

Staff Writer

The City of Austin through the Austin Recreation Center at Shoal Creek plans to build a skate park adjacent to the parking garage that ACC is building for the Rio Grande Campus.

While construction for the parking garage has begun, construction on the skate park is at a standstill.

"City Council just keeps pushing it back," said Jake Nunn, local skateboarder and No-Comply skate shop co-owner.

Skateboarders, however, continue to use the space near the RGC parking lot for practice and recreational use.

The skate park will provide a service to skaters in the area, since there are no other skating venues in central Austin or near RGC.

At least three indoor skate parks provide a spot for skateboarders in north Austin. Skatepark of Austin is located in north central Austin at Rutherford Rd. Austin Skatepark has two locations: Ramp Ranch Skatepark in Liberty Hill and Capital Skatepark in Round Rock.

An outdoor skate park is located at Mabel Davis District Park, located off I35 near St. Edward's University. The Mabel Davis skate park, opened in 2005, boasts Austin's first skate park, according to the City of Austin website.

The new outdoor skate park and BMX bike course, to be located where the current temporary RGC parking spots are ,will cover 30,000 sq.ft. on an acre of land. New Line Skate Parks, a Canadian firm that has designed over 100 skate parks worldwide, has provided the project design. Construction was expected to start this Fall.