Respect the Skatepark

By SHELLEY HANSON
WHEELING — Each evening they arrive, skateboards in tow, at their new gathering place — the Wheeling Skatepark.

Timid at first, they ask with the utmost respect, ‘‘Can we skate?’’

The answer for the past week or so has been, “Yes.” But the young skaters first must earn their keep by helping the park’s builders sweep its smooth surface and pick up equipment.

For the past three months, a group of eight men with Grindline of Seattle have worked to build West Virginia’s first concrete skatepark near the J.B. Chambers Youth Sports Complex in Elm Grove. The park is estimated to officially be complete Wednesday.

Even if one can’t skate, one’s appreciation of art likely will kick in upon seeing the structure. Its smooth lines and numerous curves are pleasing to the eye and provide the builders, who appear as rugged-looking athletes while skateboarding, the perfect surface to move fast — to show the youngsters what they can do in the future with a lot of practice.

On a hot Tuesday, builders Eddie Lawrence, Chris Collette, Zack Powell-Burns, Scott Hughes, Tim Klemonsky, Joe Wartes, Edward Peck and Aren Reynolds expressed their pride in the structure. They said they hoped the children and adults who use it do, too.

‘‘Take care of the park. We worked very hard, and we want to come back and skate on it. We would be very disappointed if it was not the way we left it,’’ said Reynolds, a native of Marietta, Ohio.

Each also reminded the park’s users to take their time — try not to do too much all at once. The park features areas where less experienced skaters can sharpen their skills before taking the plunge into the deepest parts of the bowl, which takes up most of the park. Its design allows for continuous motion.

When they aren’t working, the builders usually are skating on their handywork. For many of them, skateboarding is not just a sport or something to do, ‘‘it’s a lifestyle,’’ said Lawrence of Deland, Fla.

For Thatcher, Ariz., native Hughes, skateboarding has been a lifesaver.

‘‘It’s all I know. If I didn’t skate, I possibly would be in prison or dead,’’ Hughes said. ‘‘It kept me occupied.’’

For about the past six years, a committee led by city resident Diana Mey has worked to raise $330,000 for the 10,000-square-foot park, made of 525 cubic yards of concrete.

Mey and her son, Nathan, started the grassroots effort to have the skatepark built in the city. The lack of nearby skateparks, along with a city ordinance prohibiting skateboarding on city sidewalks, prompted the drive to create a public place where people of all ages could skate legally without disturbing the peace.

The builders have been skating for most of their lives, and making skateparks from two to 15 years. Wheeling Public Works Director Russell Jebbia has been the project’s overseer for the city. He is impressed with their craftmanship and dedication.

‘‘Some guys go to work just to get paid. ... They really put their heart and soul into,’’ Jebbia said of the skatepark builders.

A dedication ceremony is expected to occur sometime in October. But that hasn’t kept Wheeling skaters Jason Knicely, 11, and Brandon Murphy, 12, from visiting the venue. They were the first to arrive one day this week to help clean up the park before being allowed to skate.

‘‘It’s awesome. I’ll probably skate here every day. They’ve worked hard to get it done. Their dogs are awesome, too,’’ Knicely said of the builders’ pets, named Cow Dog and Rebar Rhubarb.

Murphy also described the park as awesome. He noted his grandmother has been in favor of the park for years, writing letters in support of it.

‘‘Since I was 10, I was always hoping for a skatepark. I like to do tricks and to show tricks to people,’’ Murphy said.