You don’t have to venture far into the city to see them. If you stroll by the Liberty Pole, over through Gibbs, and on towards Manhattan Square Park, you’re going to encounter about five different groups of skaters trying their best to land tricks and generally having a good time (when they don’t fall and scrape the skin off their knees). Unlike skaters in other cities, these Rochesterians have two kinds of places where they can board. They can either risk the fines and skate publicly, or they can pay costly entrance fees to the few private parks around the local area.

The Roc City Skatepark project hopes to change that by creating the largest, free, public skatepark in the country right here in Rochester. It started when a father of four became fed up with paying a fortune to take his children to the private parks. He had no experience with progression-oriented sports, and so he went to the locally famous Krudco Skateshop for advice. Since then, the project’s grown and has taken several steps towards realizing the creation of Roc City Skatepark.

Although as with any large-scale construction project, there have been some challenges and setbacks. The originally intended site for the park, underneath Fredrick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Bridge, had some particularly large hurdles like the development of other businesses and bureacratic red tape. Instead, the City of Rochester offered up the Genesee Crossroads Park as a new potential site. If successful, other smaller skateparks could be built around the city near schools and other recreational sites.

Having a public skatepark in the city has clear appeal. On a personal level, it means that there’s a safe place for people of all ages–children especially–to get physically active, socialize in the community, and, most importantly, be safe about it. Not only will the park help to facilitate supervision, it can also enforce the use of protective gear, such as helmets and pads that children are less likely to use if they’re unsupervised. Considering the fact that children make up about 30% of emergency room visits, there’s a clear call for a safer place to let kids skate.

On a community level, the Roc City skatepark means big things for Rochester. The majority of the skating community is out West, which means that having the largest public skatepark in the country here can draw hundreds of tourists. Hosting competitions at the skatepark can also garner big-name sponsorships, meaning it’s a potential money maker that can help revitalize the city.

Considering the large, local skate and BMX community, it’s a wonder why the city hasn’t gotten a public skatepark underway sooner. In addition to creating a safe place for kids to be physically active, it can also bring new money into the community. With the call to action being clearly articulated, the Roc City Skatepark offers several ways for individuals to get involved. Perhaps once it’s built, Rochester will see new levels of growth.