HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A new skatepark is coming to Huntsville!
This new addition to the Rocket City is called the Get-A-Way Skatepark. The firm overseeing the project, Team Pain Skateparks, will build the new skatepark across three acres of land between Kids Space and the Championship Soccer Fields at John Hunt Park in Huntsville.
Groundbreaking is said to take place at the beginning of 2022 and the park should be completed by the end of the year.
Many people in Huntsville, especially those a part of the skating community, have wanted a park like this for a while now.
"If you notice this last summer skateboarding is now an Olympic event and quite frankly, we think this facility represents the future of that sport at that kind of world-class level of competition and we love the fact that we're meeting our citizen's daily desires with facilities we can genuinely call world-class," said Huntsville City Administrator John Hamilton.
The city provided the following information regarding the park.
The Huntsville City Council approved a resolution on January 14, 2021, that authorized the Mayor to enter into an agreement between the City of Huntsville and Friends of Parks & Recreation for the construction and maintenance of the John Hunt Park Skatepark.
Today's Get-A-Way Skatepark is inspired by a Get-A-Way Skatepark of the past - the 1978 Get-A-Way Skatepark.
1978’s Get-A-Way Skatepark, created from the design inspiration of the Atlanta professional skateboarder Bill Underwood, was a revolutionary balance of function and fashion. Underwood dreamed of a skatepark that offered features challenging to skaters of any style and skill level. His design made Huntsville a model of futuristic skatepark environments that skatepark designers and builders are still inspired by today.
One such designer is Team Pain owner and President, Tim Payne, who shared a personal relationship with Bill Underwood and is designing a complex for John Hunt Park that blends the iconic and historical portions of Huntsville’s Get-A-Way skatepark with the modern elements exciting and challenging to both Olympic and street-style skateboarding. Team Pain brings over thirty years of experience creating specialty and municipal skateparks to the project.