Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Appalachian Skatepark Loan Cosigners Appeal For Financial Help From Community

Story by Sam Calhoun

More than two years ago, a group of local citizens answered a need in the community by signing a loan that paid for the Appalachian Skatepark, located off Hunting Hills Lane in Boone in the Watauga County Parks and Recreation Complex.

Without a skatepark in the region, people who wanted to participate in the sport were left with no options—it was illegal to skate everywhere in town, including ASU. Prior to the construction of the Appalachian Skatepark, skateboarders faced fines or were forced to skate in the street just to enjoy their sport. It was on this basis that the Appalachian Skatepark Council was formed. Their mission was, and is, to create a community’s vision for a safe place to skate.

With help from the Town of Boone for paving the park and with a $20,000 match grant from the Watauga County Commissioners, the Appalachian Skatepark Council took on the burden of raising the remaining $60,000 needed for the construction of the facility.

“This was a facility built for safety reasons. These skateboarders had nowhere to go without being ticketed and we didn’t want them in the streets and didn’t want them in business’s parking lots. This was a facility that didn’t exist that needed to exist,” said Buzz Berry, host of Scrambled Squares, owner of BZB Productions and member of the Appalachian Skatepark Council. “This was an example of something that was needed yesterday.”

Armed with this realized need and after initial fundraisers failed to provide sufficient funds to pay for the park, four individuals—Buzz Berry, Lynn Willis, Brian Mueller and Ken Gordon—went to High Country Bank and signed their names on a loan for $60,000. Within weeks, the Appalachian Skatepark was built, providing a safe place for skateboarders to practice their sport.

Since the park was built, fundraisers and private donations have knocked the balance down to roughly $30,000, but interest on the loan has accumulated and raised the balance owed to $38,327.64. On May 17, the next payment is due and the four individuals are appealing to the local community for help to pay for the park.

“We’ve done many fundraisers in the past and have some planned for the future, but this is something we have never done—flat out asked for help from the general public,” said Berry, who added that all donations are tax deductible and naming rights for the park are still available for large donors. “This is a free facility that is more or less being paid for by four people. I don’t want to sound like a martyr—this is just a plea for help. None of us regret signing our name on the loan; we’d all do it all again. But there is not a day that goes by that I don’t wake up thinking about losing my house or business because of the money I owe.

“We truly appreciate High Country Bank for giving us the loan in the first place. They are not the bad guys in this, but they are the only ones making money off this. For the four of us, we are not only putting our businesses and homes on the line, but we’re also the ones picking up the tab on the interest [on the loan],” continued Berry, who added that the loan accrues roughly $3,500 in interest annually. “A lot of folks think that this was a facility paid for by [Watauga] County, but in actuality, four people put their name on a loan so people could have a safe place to skate.”

Berry backs up his plea with the fact that Appalachian Skatepark sees a lot of use year round. Even in the dead of winter, Berry and other Appalachian Skatepark Council members have observed more than 30 skateboarders per day using the park, from young children to adults. The skatepark is also attracting a large tourist crowd, based on inquiries through the park’s website, said Berry.

“It’s such a great place for people to come participate in this sport. Friendships are made out here and kids learn discipline and dedication. If they want to learn a new trick, they have to practice, practice, practice and this is the place they do it,” said Berry. “You see older kids teaching younger kids, parents on the bleachers—this whole place has been a blessing. It was a much needed facility and it’s proven that day in and day out with its constant use.”

In an effort to pay off the park’s debt, form a local skateboard team and create school pride, the Appalachian Skatepark Council is presenting the inaugural Watauga County Schools Skate Off to Pay Off skateboard and roller-blading competition at the Appalachian Skatepark on Saturday, May 24, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Students from all nine Watauga County Schools, as well as students from Two Rivers Community School, are welcome to attend. Participation in the event costs $15 per skateboarder or roller-blader and includes a t-shirt.

To donate money to the Appalachian Skatepark, make checks payable to WAMY and write Appalachian Skatepark on the check’s memo line. Send checks to Appalachian Skatepark, c/o BZB Productions, 245-Unit B Winkler’s Creek Road, Boone, NC 28607.

For more information on how to donate to the Appalachian Skatepark or to request information about naming rights for the park, call Berry at 828-268-9898. All donations are tax deductible.

For more information on the Appalachian Skatepark, click to www.appskatepark.com.