Skatepark costing

Heres the text of a mail I've just sent to Fingal and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Councils in regard to the gross over estimation of costs in the feasability study carried out by Fingal coco.

"In the interests of forwarding the goal of providing Dublin with public skatepark facilities as allready provided in both Waterford and Galway, I would like to draw your attention to the following.
Last year Fingal county council produced a feasability study on the provision of skateparks BSA/308/02 13/06 (http://www.fingalcoco.ie/minutes/2002/Bsa/0613/BSA20020308.htm ).
In this document the estimated total cost of providing and running a skatepark for one year was deemed to be 437,915 euro. I believe this figure is far in excess of the real cost and can only discourage councils from proceeding with plans for these much needed facilities.I would like to point out the following over-estimations.
First aid/supervisors station € 40,000
In Waterford skatepark a simple wooden garden shed is used as the supervisors station and proves to be perfectly adequate ,as the facility is outdoors and cannot be used in wet weather and any serious injuries ( other than cuts and grazes) should be directed to the local hospital I cannot see the need for a station costing 40'000 euro.
Skatepark equipment,
1 No. 1.5m half pipe

1 No. 1.8m starter platform

1 No. 1.8m quarter pipe

1 No. 2 level quarter pipe

2 No. 3m ollie box

2 No. 4m curb

1 No. 1m ramp

1 No. fun box – slide, rail, curb

95,275 euro

I have recieved 3 quotes in all for the supply of the above equipment

one from Five-O skateramps http://www.fiveoskateboarding.com for

35,000 euro

and two from Rhino ramps http://www.rhino-ramps.com of Belgium distributed through Wooden Delights Ltd of Galway http://www.woodendelights.ie

for 43,409 euro (3.66m wide ramps)

and 53,015 euro (4.88m wide ramps)

Both of these companies produce very high quality equipment to the highest safety certification (Rospa and TUV) .All their equipment is fire / weather and vandalproof and utilises the latest materials including Skatelite tm surface material. I fail to see how the above list of equipment could cost as much as twice the above quotes unless it is to be constructed in concrete and even at that it's still way overpriced.

As regards supervision of the facility the document states " The Councils insurers have stated that to supervise the facility and to inspect boards and safety equipment adequately there must be trained supervisor/inspector for every 6 participants"

and then later states "It should be noted that the insurers may demand a level of supervision equivalent to that required at creches which is one supervisor per 7-9 children. This would increase the cost of running the facility quite considerably".

If they currently demand 1 supervisor per 6 participants but may reduce this to 1 supervisor per 7-9 participants how would this reduce running costs !?

Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurance provide the insurance for Waterford skatepark and do not make such stipulations as regards supervisor - participant ratio there why should they apply such in skateparks in Dublin. One supervisor is employed there and the park runs perfectly well , the average skateboarder is a 14yr old male and does not require the level of supervision present in a creche.

Repairs € 25,000

The cost of repairs is in fact nill as the maintenance contract including weekly inspections is included in the cost of supply of the equipment ( five-O skateramps ).

Thus the real cost of running a skatepark for a year including the provision of a 100,000 excess fund would be in the region of euro to 182,000 to 200,015 euro depending on the equipment supplier.

A saving of between 237,900 euro and 255,915 euro !!

Waterford in fact supplied their park for 100,000 euro .

The only skatepark I have ever heard of that cost the kind of money quoted in this feasability study is Ulladulla skatepark in Canberra Australia, the biggest concrete park in Australia at about the size of 2 football pitchs !

If figures like half million euro for a small skatepark are put forward to interested councils then Dublin will remain without a skatepark for another 30 years.