There’s a new skate park in Powder Springs, Ga. At a size of 20,000 sq. ft., and a cost of $1.8 million dollars, you would be forgiven if you thought it was going to be amazing.

Designed and built by California Skateparks, the park is located at Silver Comet Linear Park – just a short push from the parking lot, down the paved Silver Comet Trail, to the park. It’s divided into two sections; the bowl is in the back, with the “street area” taking up the rest. Sidewalks lead up both sides. And I do mean UP. For some reason, the park is uni-directional. Start at the top, roll into a bank and hit a rail, hubba, or some of the many, many stairs. There’s a couple of spots to keep rolling down banks into the next section where you can again hit a rail, hubba, or more stairs. And again, there are banks to roll down, through a short flat and into a 5ish ft. quarter pipe that runs the width of the park. It is tall enough that if you drop in you can do something at the first section you hit, but you’ll be pushing into the following section and back on up to the top. Or you can push or walk up the sidewalk to get back. In the one session I had, I did both. Neither was particularly exciting.

Another issue with the design of this park is that it is mirrored along the center axis. Now, I get wanting to make skating the same for both goofy and regular footers. But that can easily be accomplished on either side of a park, while providing some variety and dare i say – fun when building the other side of a park. And this is where I think the city of Powder Springs got fleeced by California Skateparks.

A symmetrical park gives the illusion of size and variety but really only provides the builder with minimal effort at maximum cost. Its like walking into a restaurant with a mirrored wall. It’s there to make you feel like it’s a bigger space without actually having to have that space. It’s a trick and a lie. Even with inflation, the rising costs of materials, and the cost of labor, it is hard for me to believe that this park justifies the cost that Powder Springs put into it.

I don’t really blame the city for this. The location is ideal – right off a major thoroughfare, and next to an excellent bike path. There’s a concession stand at the entrance to the path, with bathrooms. It’s a well thought out location. But the choice to make it a “competition-level park” was a mistake. Especially if you are planning to have competitions. While I like the overall space, there is absolutely no room for spectators if there is any kind of event here. See above photo.

Skateboarding is being funneled into this ideal sport-style activity that makes it more publicly acceptable. It is being mutated into just another dry, boring sport that is being squeezed for every dollar it can generate for big corporations – and California Skateparks is taking full advantage. Skateboarding is about fun, movement, and freedom. By choosing and building this style of park, skateboarding is getting pushed into an unnaturally structured domain. Skateboarding isn’t about straight lines and getting from point A to point B. It’s about starting at any point and pushing and flowing to any other point along the way. More than any other activity, skateboarding is about the journey, not the destination.

I was pretty sure I was not going to like this park from the first time i saw the renderings. But I wanted to see it first-hand and make a fairly informed decision. It’s not all bad. While it is still a competition style bowl, there isn’t anything else like it anywhere nearby. So for bowl and vert skaters, I think it’s a good addition. It has hips, gaps, and walls which definitely make it more interesting, although, the design is getting a bit dated.

I do wonder, though, how long the park is going to last. While we are being allowed to skate, I don’t know that technically it has officially opened. There’s already cracks in the concrete and some other questionable spots. I know nothing is perfect, but this seems a little too soon.

I’m pretty sure this park won’t be part of my rotation. I know a couple of people that live nearby, so at the very least, it will be a more accessible park. And I’m always happy to skate with friends. But for a solo sesh, this is a no-go.

But by all means, don’t take my word for it. Go have a look. Roll around. Everybody has their own opinion. You may like it (which would be weird), but whatever. For me it’s just another disappointment – or maybe it’s just another reason to go skate street.

What do you think?