STORY BY: Carli Snyder
Managing Editor
Imagine a football team with no field, a swim team with no pool, a volleyball team with no net, a softball team without a pitch, or a cross country team with no trail. For BMX riders in Nixa, they have nowhere to practice their sport. Two years ago, there was hope for a skate park to be built in the Nixa area. Now, there does not seem to be a clear plan for one.
“The skate park was never budgeted for,” Drew Douglas, public information officer for the City of Nixa, said. “It was never agreed upon as part of something to move forward on. It’s still a possibility, and it is something that people want to see.”
Although it is not hopeless for a skate park to be erected, the lack of progress of obtaining one has people feeling disappointed.
“My personal feelings are that the city of Nixa has let the kids down by not prioritizing a bike/skate park,” resource officer Chad McConnell said. “BMX kids are no different than baseball, football, soccer, basketball, disc golf etc.”
“Nothing has changed,” senior Mason Gideon said. “We still get kicked out, and we have to go to Springfield to ride.”
The drive from Nixa to Springfield takes time, gas money, and it can be inconvenient.
“It’s just the time and money,” senior Mason Busch, who moved to Nixa last year, said. “It takes 20 minutes to get there, and it is draining on gas mileage when you do it often.”
There is an additional $5 fee to use the Springfield skate park.
“It’d be better to have an outdoor park, at least, so there isn’t a charge,” Busch said.
BMX riders who do not want to go all the way to Springfield make do with areas in Nixa, although they get kicked out of those places too.
“We get kicked out of everywhere in Nixa,” Gideon said. “I mean, if you even ride on a sidewalk it’s technically a charge because you’re supposed to be treated as a motor vehicle.”
However, it can be pricey to build a skate park.
According to publicskateparkguide.org, “A 3,000 square foot skate spot will be $135,000 and will support a few skaters at a time. An 8,000 square foot neighborhood skate park will be $360,000 and will serve a neighborhood of about 25,000 residents. A 16,000 square foot regional skate park will be $720,000 and will service the immediate neighborhood and attract patrons from the region.”
Nixa has a population of approximately 23,000 people, so about 8,000 square feet of park will be necessary. Despite the cost, the skate park could also be beneficial for Nixa.
“Build the bike park,” McConnell said. “Charge a fee to use or sell yearly passes. Offer concessions and gear. It would be a revenue generating opportunity for the city.”
As of now, there has not been a design proposed for the park. The parks department is still in the process of making their master plan, so it is still possible for a skate park to be added to it.
“Honestly, I’m probably going to leave before I ever see a Nixa skate park,” Busch said. “But I hope that kids in the future will have a place to practice this passion.”