Two Potential Options for New Multi-Use White Park Skate House

The Concord Parks and Recreation Department presented options for a multi-purpose skate house for White Park last week.

The presentation, co-sponsored by the Friends of White Park, unveiled two potential designs for a new skate house – one at 3,000 square feet and a smaller version, at 2,400 square feet. The proposed skate house would be constructed on the southern part of the parking lot, directly adjacent to the current skate house. The skate house would feature event space, a skate shop, vending area, full bathrooms, and lost of views and natural light. The event space would be constructed to handle either 60 or 80 people, depending on the size, with a fireplace. 

“It’s a little bigger and a little better than what we’ve ever had at the park,” said David Gill, the director of Parks & Recreation.

Jay Doherty of H.L. Turner Group donated the design services for the building, about a $50,000 value. He said it was designed to feel like it belonged in New Hampshire, with stone accents and open beams, similar to the historic trolley stop along Centre Street, giving it a lodge feel. The smaller building just “shaved some space off things” off the larger design. The larger design though could potentially bring in more rental clients, according to both Doherty and Gill.

The cost of the building would be somewhere between $590,000 and $690,000, and would be paid for by a combination of public resources and private fundraising, with Gill noting that it won’t be “100 percent on the taxpayers.”

On Monday night, the Concord City Council will hear a presentation of the committee’s recommendations and Gill hoped that some consensus could be reached after the meeting. He and others will be “flushing out more details” about upkeep and operating costs, as well as revenue generation. Gill hoped to finalize details by summer “and then we can start making this a reality for the community.”