The Clemente Skatepark Committee is working wonders to get Grand Rapids, Michigan it’s first free public park. No, it’s not easy. Yes, it’s been needed for years. Maybe we can get your help along the way. As the city explains, there is no money to go around, so our whole endeavor is fully funded by the interested people and businesses of Grand Rapids. Besides public fundraisers, private donors across town and the country are being approached as well as specific grants being applied for to help reach our full goal of nearly $700,000 to fund the park’s construction. The organically shaped concrete space will shape out approximately 200 x 300 feet of space and will include everything from transitional features such as a snake run into a clover pool to street features such as China banks with integrated benches. Find more technical details here.

Clemente Skatepark isn’t just any park either. This will be one of the most unique skateparks in the world. Over 50 extremely unique and creative forms will integrate into the beautiful woodlands of Roberto Clemente Park, an existing unused space near the intersection of Godfrey Street and B Street. Gorgeous 15 foot wide trees rest all over the proposed space and are proposed to be fully integrated into the park design. Whether it’s a surrounding skateable volcano shape, or a planter ledge that hugs them, the trees will remain as part of the course, offering shade, oxygen and good old skater peacefulness. It shall be skate mecca. Read more on the importance and advantages of concrete skateparks.

Besides leaving trees in place, our “green skate” approach has also inspired us to allot a nearly 20′ x 100′ space for a community garden proposed to be run by the surrounding Black Hills Elementary students. The skatepark design will allow for drainage of runoff rain water into garden and additional storage for water maintenance to the garden in dry times. More information can be found on our Community Garden page.

This skatepark will not only supply a place for hundreds of Grand Rapidians to skate and appreciate, it will supply a very unique travel destination for skaters from around the world. The unique concept is certain to draw attention from the skate park community worldwide, and will perhaps set an example for future parks to follow. With all of this extra traffic to this less than booming area, the surrounding businesses are certain to feel some growth. Local youth will be given productive activity to take part in, and the general well being of the surrounding community will be noticeably enhanced. We ask you to please consider the benefits of having this beautiful park, and make a donation of any amount toward it’s construction on our donation page. We want to improve Grand Rapids, but we need your help.

Our beautiful skatepark will sit at the far end of Roberto Clemente park, a perfect setting for a forward thinking project such as ours. Given all this great land, we would like to improve upon the quality and nature of the space to best improve the plot and the community. As part of our goal, we would like to fill a 20′ x 100′ plot at one end of the park with vegetables and native Michigan plants. We want to make a place for Grand Rapids to grow together, because, after all, not everyone skates, but we all eat. We want to provide features in the park that everyone can enjoy and appreciate.

The skatepark itself is being designed with the garden in mind. The shape will allow for water to drain from the surface and channel down into a water storage system that will be used to supply the garden with water. This will help displace the amount of water that will not be soaked up by our freshly concreted spot and it will feed the garden for free. Not only does this solve issues of water drainage, it also better disposes runoff water by filtering out unnatural additives naturally with native plants as opposed to sending them into our rivers via city sewage.  Check more information on rain gardens.

In cooperation with Black Hills Elementary we are proposing a student led garden that will help supply both the school and Hands On Hunger, part of our non-profit project, with fresh vegetables for consumption and a general knowledge of gardening. In a time where most of our processed vegetable come from outside sources that grow with chemicals both harmful to humans and our environment, we want to set an example and show the great option of growing vegetables yourself, organically. We feel that this garden is truly fitting for this space, because as a hunger fighting humanitarian, Roberto Clemente himself would support us with full force. Read more about Roberto Clemente and his charitable and astounding existence.

To find out more on how you can help support Hand On Hunger by growing a row in your garden to help fight hunger, please visit Hands On Hunger online.

The Clemente Skatepark Committee is working to get Grand Rapids, Michigan it’s first free public park. No, it’s not easy. Yes, it’s been needed for years. Maybe we can get your help along the way. As the city explains, there is no money to go around, so our whole endeavor is fully funded by the interested people and businesses of Grand Rapids. Besides public fundraisers, private donors across town and the country are being approached as well as specific grants being applied for to help reach our goal of $1.26 million to fund the park’s construction.

Anything you can donate to the greater cause of building Grand Rapids’ first free public skatepark will help make it happen sooner and better. Our plans call for a great amount of park and garden construction, but if we can exceed our target goal, we will have the ability to update the outdated bathrooms, place more drinking fountains and even build a new pavilion.

Our non profit status will allow you to write off your donations as a tax exemption, just save your google checkout receipt. If you would like to make a cash donation, please contact us, or visit Premier, and we can write you a paper receipt. All checks can be made out to Clemente Skatepark and mailed to 14 Weston St. Grand Rapids, MI 49503. We thank you for anything you can give. Even small donations help us to further what we currently have rolling down at the park space, so from our hearts, thank, thank you, thank you.

Be a donor. The following donation levels have been suggested as levels of commitment to the cause. Each of them come with some benefits (besides the ability to use this as a tax write off that everyone receives):

$1-$99: Park Friend: You get the good feeling of knowing you done good.

$100-249: Park Member: We will send a personal thank you.

$250-$499: Bronze Honors: Receive a free Clemente tee.

$500-$999: Silver Honors: Receive 5 free 3 hour skate lessons.

$1000-$4999: Gold Honors: Get a foundation brick with your name engraved on it.

$5000-$20,000: Humanitarian: Get your name listed in the donor section of the park entry sign.

$20,000-$50,000: Major Sponsor: Get your logo listed on the site as a major sponsor and your logo/ name in the sponsor section of the park sign.

$50,000-$250,000: Park Pillar: Various elements in the park can be purchased and branded with your logo or name into the cement of the park feature.

$250,000 and above: Park Owner: Get your own sign placed in the Park Owner’s Alley (along the wall facing the park in picnic/ grilling area).

OR ask about purchasing the park in whole. Beneficial branding or signage is negotiable.

The Clemente Skatepark Committee operates as a branch of the non profit organization, 6th Street Bridge. 6th Street Bridge operates in many forms, all which aim to help enhance the general quality of life in the Midwest Michigan area.

Hands On Hunger, another branch of 6th Street, has been a driving force to eliminating hunger in West Michigan with programs such as “Plant a Row,” a program which Clemente Park will be helping to facilitate with it’s community garden. The program is pretty much what it sounds like: farmers and small time garden growers are asked to donate a row, or any amount of food, from their organically grown garden to be used in feeding the hungry around West Michigan. The vegetables are used to create delectable meals for the less fortunate on a normal basis. Everyone deserves to have a good meal, and Hands On Hunger understands and facilitates that. Using the great force of Feeding America, Hands On Hunger helps provide 4 meals a day to homeless people on the westside.

Thanks again to our great team of do gooders. All of our committee members and volunteers have great hearts and brilliant minds that help lead us towards solid solutions to improving our local community. Never give up, because your efforts can make great change, and that will not go unnoticed, and if it does, do it anyway. Thanks again.