Skaters Finish Concrete Work In The Rain

MARIETTA, OH — The Marietta Skate Park down at Indian Acres Park is about a decade old, and it just got its first major update. It's been in the works for a long time. Earlier last month Aaron Reynolds asked the Marietta City Council for permission and funding for the project.

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Reynolds and other skaters had worked out a design and a plan for the project. He said the project would cost around $3,500 considering there were companies willing to give them discounts. Also, they didn't need money for labor, because Reynolds and other members of SUMO (skaters united Marietta Ohio) would be providing that free of charge.

Marietta granted them the $3,500. It was well worth it too. These guys worked down in that skateboard pit for about a week now. A week of long, hot, blistering days, for no pay. When asked why they would sacrifice all this time Reynolds said because that's what skaters do. "We care about the park down here. We care to keep it clean and maintenanced, but also it needs to have that essence of change to hold the energy it has."

Today they poured the concrete into their new ramp. The skaters had to work under a giant tarp because it was raining today. They had a concrete mixer and a special pump to get the concrete into the ramp. They were tirelessly pouring, smoothing, and shaving concrete into shape. Reynolds even had an old skateboard bolted to a rod that he used to smooth and shape concrete.

To date, Reynolds and the other volunteers, have jackhammered, saw cut, stacked sandbags, stubbed in rebar, cut wood to form the ramp, poured concrete, smoothed it, and shaped it to make what you see in the picture here.

Reynolds said there's a lot of cleanup to do, but skateboarders can probably be riding this thing by Friday or Saturday. He wanted to extend his gratitude to all those who made this possible. The City of Marietta, the other volunteers, all the companies who donated supplies or gave them a discount on materials. That includes:

Ridgerunner Construction, Athens, OH.

Tri-State Concrete Pumping, Belpre, OH.

Pioneer Masonry, Marietta, OH.

Smith Concrete Company, Marietta, OH.

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