As some of you may know, I spent a good deal of time last year helping to build Pop’s Skate Space in Fishtown. This project took an unused portion of a playground in a not-so-great neighborhood and turned it into a safe place for kids and grownups alike to participate in a fun sport for anyone! The most amazing aspect of this project is that all of the work was done by volunteers from the neighborhood, and all over Philadelphia. Since I been recently laid off, and also very new to the area at the time, having this project just falling into my lap was a like a miracle, and it was one of the best summers of my life. Coming from the software/cubicle world, I’m always eager to work on real, physical projects and while working on this project, I learned some amazing new skills, like working with concrete, laying brick/block, and even some metalworking. I also met some really awesome people and hung out in the sun all day. I really don’t know what more I could ask for from a new city.
But, wait! There’s more! It looks like the people who helped push that project to fruition have set the bar even higher this year by identifying six potential sites for future skate-spot development. One of those sites is literally right around the corner from Hive76. This is a great opportunity to give back to the community AND promote the DIY movement in totally new, awesome way! If you would like to be involved in anyway, feel free to contact me personally (adamk at hive76 dot org!), or get in touch with one of the guys over at Franklin’s Paine Skate Park Fund, Exit Philadelphia, or Pop’s Skatepark. Thanks to Haveboard for getting the word out on this! HACK SKATE ON!
Hey,
I wonder if we can do something tech-wise to help out. Like build some decent LED lights into the skatepark or something…..
I live down the street from that park.. Just wanted to say thanks. I, myself am a bit too old to use it but when I was younger there were no skateparks anywhere so we were constantly getting kicked out of places and often harassed by cops. I always wished we had somewhere like that to rock out. It’s nice to see a run down old playground turned into something useful, instead of a haven for rats and used heroin needles.
If you ever hear of a project like this again in the future feel free to email me. I would love to help out.