Q. Why isn’t the skatepark kept in better shape?

Graphic/Ian-Alijah Bey

Answered by Ian-Alijah Bey (ian-alijah@theenterprisectr.org) and William Newlin (william@chattamatters.com)

A couple weeks ago, Logan Lewis posted to Instagram a picture of a broken ramp, dirt debris, and barbed wire strung up at the Chattown skatepark. His question: “Every other park receives proper care and maintenance, why are we constantly neglected and rejected!?!?”

Lewis told Chattamatters in an interview that the facility — the only skatepark in Chattanooga — is “dangerously dilapidated.” He said vandalism is frequent, the lights don’t function properly, and there are no permanent bathrooms.

The City of Chattanooga is well-aware of the issue. A 2020 report developed in part by Outdoor Chattanooga said the city needed an all new skatepark, calling Chattown “aged and in poor condition.” 

And there is a new park in the works. In an email, Parks & Outdoors spokesman Brain Smith said designs are almost complete. But the department would need another $2 million allocated in the upcoming city budget to build the updated park, which would include a 30,000 square-foot skating area, bathrooms, and a rebuild of the nearby Chattanooga Chew Chew Canine Park.

In the meantime, Smith said skaters should encourage others not to vandalize Chattown — something Lewis has used the Chattksates Instagram account to do in the past — and request park repairs through 311.

“We know the skating community is frustrated,” Smith wrote in the email. “It’s slow as we await the final $2 million requested for July. Once received, hopefully (we’ll be) breaking ground soon after.”