Bay County skateboarders and BMX bike enthusiasts have an opportunity to weigh in on the design of a new, approximately 18,000-square-foot skate park planned for the Bay County Sports Complex during a virtual public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on July 9.
Team Pain, a more than 30-year-old, Orlando-based firm that specializes in designing and building skate parks worldwide, is hosting the online, interactive meeting via WEBEX. Owner Tim Payne said he aims to introduce his company and garner input from the public about what they would like to see at the skate park.
“Our main goal is to understand what the people of Bay County want in a facility,” Payne said. “There’s so many things to talk about. It’s a fairly large park and there’s going to be quite a bit there to ride. We want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the locals rather than building something that would just be cool in general.”
The $1 million project is a collaborative effort between Bay County government and the Tourist Development Council (TDC).
“It’s time to step up to the big leagues,” Bay County Commission Chairman Philip “Griff” Griffitts said. “We’re building a park that we can market and use for the destination as well as something that our local kids and skaters can go out to and enjoy themselves.”
Skateboarding has been a way of life for Payne for more than 30 years, he said, and every member of his team has a connection to the industry. He said his company has built more than 200 skate parks globally and is one of the premier designers and builders in the world, providing courses for the X Games, MTV Sports and Music Festivals, various movie and television productions and worked with many professional skateboarders and bikers over the years. Team Pain was also one of only three companies invited to submit a proposal for the skateboard courses to be held at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
The July 9 meeting will be the first of two public meetings, Payne said. About six weeks later, he said, Team Pain will hold another meeting to review the concepts that emerged based on the initial input.
To join the WEBEX meeting, click here and enter the following:
Meeting #: : 132 054 4919
Password: : HZqPu2eyQ96