Over 11 years ago, two teenagers asked the Alexandria City Council for a skate park, and now their wish is finally coming to fruition.
Alexandria Mayor Andy Schabell said in 2013, two 13-year-olds asked the council for a skate park after being tired of getting kicked out of businesses and wanting a safe place to skate. One of them kept in touch with Schabell to ensure the ask was fulfilled.
“I told the one young man named Chris Mardis that I would keep on this, and I would stay on it and keep this in mind to have a skate park in Alexandria,” Schabell said. “Chris texted me on Monday (Sept. 30) night and said, ‘Hey there’s a skate park for sale.’”
Fort Thomas was selling its skate park, for which they paid $30,000. The bid for the park ended Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m.
Schabell said he sent an email at 8:47 p.m. that Monday after Mardis texted him. He said Fort Thomas was selling the park because it was no longer meeting the city’s needs. In June, they received a $125,000 check from the state for the new Highland Hills Park Skate Park.
The current bid at the time? $700.
The skate park consists of two ramps and a rail. Schabell said he instructed the city administrator to bid up to $1,500 on the item. The city’s final bid was $1,025 ($1,300 after taxes and fees.)
“I thought for sure we would get out-bid, but we did not,” he said. “So, Alexandria is the proud new owner of a skate park.”
Schabell said he didn’t know where the city would store it, permanently place it, or what the insurance would cost because they had about a day and a half to make the decision to purchase it.
He said one of the biggest complaints the city hears is that there is not enough for the youth in Alexandria.
“$1,300 on a $6.5 million budget for a piece of equipment that would have cost us over $30,000 was kind of a no-brainer to me,” Schabell said. “Let’s do it, see what happens.”