Irmo is well on its way to having a skatepark.

The Friarsgate community in Irmo is preparing to add the amenity in the old Dutch Fork Tennis Center, with construction beginning next year. The Town of Irmo and the Friarsgate Skatepark Committee are working together to bring what they hope to be an inclusive and free public park where youth are able to play outside.

 “This is what our community needs,” said Marie Ryan, who has spearheaded the project. The committee consists of a group of volunteers appointed by the town to help the park come together. 

Ryan said the hope is to have the park completed by March 2023.

Ryan said she approached a pastor at an Irmo church last Decemberabout an afterschool program the church ran. The program, called YouthZone, is located a couple of blocks from the future skatepark. She said these are the kids the committee hopes the park will reach — kids from single parent homes, those without the financial means or those who need positive social interactions. 

After she met with the pastor and other community members, the committee, which functions as a nonprofit organization, was awarded two grants earlier this year — an $80,000 grant from the Town of Irmo and a grant from the Tony Hawk foundation. The total cost for the park is $342,000, perhaps less depending on how many skate bowls that end up being included.

Right now, the park, which is set to exceed 9,000 square feet, is in the design phase as well as the fundraising phase, having pulled in and continuing to pull in donations from local businesses and community members.

According to the town website, the skatepark, set to be part of Rawls Creek Park, is expected to increase property values, increase revenue for local businesses and improve the overall health of the community. The town is also helping pay for the park’s infrastructure, which includes sidewalks, drainage, lighting, a parking lot and bathrooms along with upkeep of the park. 

At this point, the park has an array of sponsors and donors, including Bluetile Skateshop, a skate store in Columbia that has donated shirts and supplies to students in the afterschool program.

Another partner is 5th Pocket Skateparks, which helped with the design process — it released a final rendering of the park last month.

The park will be for anyone who has wheels, Ryan said. This includes skateboards, scooters, roller blades and BMX bikes. Plans also include a dog park, playground and community garden in the vicinity.

While there will be no sections set apart for beginners, Ryan explained there will be transitions in the park to keep skaters from going too high. She said skaters often have an understood agreement to not get in the way of young skaters or those on scooters. She also noted that loaner helmets will be available for those without one.

Ryan pointed to a skatepark in Florence where younger kids and seasoned skaters cooperate and have mutual respect for each other. 

“There are four-year-olds on scooters and seasoned skaters, all aware and cautious,” she said. “There’s nothing so high that would propel them to get up to dangerous speeds.”

Ryan pointed out that Owens Field Skate Park in Columbia tends to be for more experienced skaters with the skate bowls that are incorporated into the design. She said the Irmo park will be comparable to the one in Florence.