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Top Bid Will Get Name on Park by Angela Carbone
From the Wednesday, May 24, 2006 edition of The Republican
WEST SPRINGFIELD - What's in a name? When it comes to skateparks, officials hope the right name will help get a skatepark here rolling.
That's the thought behind a proposal to solicit businesses, individuals or agencies to name the city's planned skatepark at Cook Playground off Amostown Road.
The city has advertised for bids for the naming rights to the new skatepark. The minimum bid must be $25,000, and the successful bidder's name will be placed on a sign at the park.
Park and Recreation Director Domenic G. Longo Jr. said yesterday the idea of naming the park originated with a local company. Officials of the company, whom Longo would not name, approached the city with the proposal a little more than a month ago.
It's something the city has never done before, but it's attractive, Longo said.
"I think it's going to be a wave of the future," he said. "If MassMutual can do it, we can do it," he said referring to the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.
Mayor Edward J. Gibson is also supportive.
"I have no problem in today's world, given city finances, for major donations," he said. "Something like this (skate park) is a pretty major undertaking."
Because it involves a significant amount of money, the city had to go out to bid.
Gibson said he's pleased that someone came forward in this way because the city will be able to get the skatepark refurbished without asking for funds from the property taxpayers.
The original skatepark opened in 1999. Three years of work by parents and teenagers raised the funds to build it. The city also contributed some money to the project. It had proved a popular spot for skateboarders and in-line skaters. An average of about 3,600 youngsters used it in each season, from May through October.
The city closed the park last May, citing safety concerns. The support mechanisms for the ramps and other features of the park were rotted, ramps were unstable, and the weakened base caused the covering - Skate Lite - to come up in spots. The skate features have all been removed because youngsters continued to climb the fence to use the equipment.
The plan is to rebuild the skate park using newer materials, which would cut down on maintenance costs and add to the lifespan of the park, Longo said.
The Park and Recreation Commission appointed member Maryruth Kane and Recreation Supervisor Victoria L. Connor to head the research on renovating the park. They have looked into different types of apparatus and materials, Longo said.
The deadline for submitting bids is 2 p.m. on June 7.
Balise Funds Skate Park Revamp by Angela Carbone
From the Thursday, June 15, 2006 edition of The Republican
WEST SPRINGFIELD - Balise Scion Skate Park will be the name of the soon-to-be-renovated city skate park, thanks to a $60,067 donation.
Balise Motors, headquartered in this city, was the successful bidder for the naming rights. In fact, Balise was the only bidder, and the amount is an exact match of the cost of buying and installing the equipment.
Neither factor is a coincidence.
Mike DuBois, Balise vice president of finance and a West Side native, learned that the skate park at Cook Playground had closed due to safety reasons. He brought up the subject to Balise senior management, who thought helping out the city was a great idea, he said.
At first, Balise considered a matching grant, but when Balise President Jeb Balise heard that fund raising would take time, company management decided to fund the entire amount.
"When Jeb gets his mind set on something, there's not a lot he won't do to make it happen," DuBois said on Tuesday.
City officials were interested in the proposal, and the Park and Recreation Commission appointed Victoria L. Connor and Maryruth Kane as a subcommittee to research what needed to be done. Three local teenagers and skate board enthusiasts - Bill Fitzsimmons, A.J. Pare and Brett Berchulski - were enlisted to advise on what equipment would attract and satisfy novices to experts.
To withstand the New England weather extremes, the park would need $60,067 worth of equipment.
That meant a glitch. The price ensured that the city needed to seek bids, which it did. Balise was the only company to respond.
In addition to donating the funds for the equipment, Balise is donating personnel - mechanics from the collision repair division - for installation, under the supervision of the vendor, O'Brien & Sons Inc. of Medford.
The half-pipe, rails and other equipment have already been ordered. The hope is to have the park up and running by the Fourth of July or soon thereafter, DuBois said.
The naming coincides with Balise's new Toyota dealership and the new Toyota brand, Scion, he said. Cognizant of the fact that the average age of a Toyota buyer is 54, the company is looking to attract a new generation of Toyota owners. Sponsoring a skate park or a bicycle race fit in with the Scion image, DuBois said.
Connor, who is recreation supervisor for the city, said her department has great relations with many businesses in the city.
"But this donation has been over the top, such a positive donation," she said. "It's huge for us. The kids are going to love it."
Connor said the skate park, when it was in use, would draw 100 people a day, from age 6 through young adults.
Once the installation is complete, Balise plans to schedule an opening ceremony for the park.
Good Place to Park
Editorial from the Friday, June 16, 2006 edition of The Republican
When skateboarders and in-line skaters in West Springfield are old enough to get behind the wheel of a car, we bet Balise Motors will be on the top of their list of places to shop for a new set of wheels.
In return for the naming rights to the skate park, the locally based auto dealership is donating $60,000 to tune up the park's equipment for a new generation of youngsters. The skate park at Cook Playground off Amostown Road has been a labor of love for parents and teenagers since 1999 when they raised funds to help build it.
When West Side native Mike Dubois, vice president of finance at Balise, learned that the park had closed due to safety reasons, he approached senior management with a pitch on how the company could help.
Balise President Jeb Balise liked the idea and generously funded the project, which coincides with Balise's opening of its new Toyota dealership and offering of Toyota's new brand, Scion.
The city hopes the new Balise Scion Skate Park will be up and running by the Fourth of July - thanks to the generosity of one of the region's finest corporate citizens.
Volunteers Get Skate Park Ready to Roll by Patrick Johnson
From the Sunday, July 16, 2006 edition of The Republican
WEST SPRINGFIELD - More than 20 volunteers from a local auto dealership pitched in yesterday to get the town's new skate park ready to roll.
"We're making short work of the project," said Mike DuBois, prime benefactors for the new Balise Scion Skate Park at Cook Field off Amostown Road.
With hydraulic-powered wrenches zipping, volunteers from the Balise collision repair department started putting it all together just after 8 a.m. and planned to work until it was done.
Domenic Longo, the town director for parks and recreation, said the park would be nowhere had the company not come forward.
"Balise came up with a great concept. It's never been attempted in the area before," he said. "(Balise President) Jeb Balise was very generous."
The auto dealer supplied $60,000 for the materials and the labor in exchange for the naming rights, something the town had gone through before, Longo said.
"We felt like we were naming the Fleet Center," he said.
The project is the merging of two objectives for the town and Balise.
West Springfield needed a new skate park to replace one run down by New England weather and countless roller wheels, but didn't have the money to pay for it.
Balise was looking for a new way to connect its new Toyota dealership and the Scion line with the youth market.
Thus the Balise Scion Skate Park.
DuBois, Balise vice president for finance, said the idea originated from a staff meeting about new ways to promote Scion beyond traditional advertising, such as sponsoring skate parks or bike races.
DuBois, who knew of the town's run-down skate park, said, "I'm the only townie in the meeting. I hear that and go 'hmmm.'"
The new park is made of a steel frame and a Park X decking, a composite material recycled from old newspapers and a polymer and designed to last as much as five years without needing replacement.
"This is a really great thing for the town, the kids and the community," Longo said.
The park is scheduled to be officially dedicated in a ceremony planned for July 25 at 10 a.m., but will be open for use beginning tomorrow.
Its Summer hours will be weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
There is no admission fee.
West Side Skate Park Dedicated by Bill Zajac
From the Wednesday, July 26, 2006 edition of The Republican
WEST SPRINGFIELD - When the town and Balise Auto began planning the new skateboard park that opened yesterday at Cook Field, they needed expert technical advice.
Three town teenagers came to their rescue.
Brett A. Berchulski, Andre Pare and William J. Fitzsimmons scoured trade magazines and Web sites to make sure Balise Scion Skate Park had a hip and hubba, half and quarter pipes, boxes, benches and other skateboard apparatus that would last longer than the plywood equipment that preceded it at the Amostown Road site.
Yesterday, the equipment received rave reviews from the Durham, N.H.-based skate and bike stunt team Maximum Velocity and town skateboarders who used the park at its official opening.
Meanwhile, town officials and community leaders celebrated the park's opening 96 days after Balise Auto approached the town about rebuilding the skate park that had closed in the spring 2005.
"We are lucky in West Springfield. People come out of the woodwork to help one another," said Mayor Edward Gibson at the morning ceremonies that drew several hundred people.
Balise donated $60,000 for the equipment, and Balise and town workers made a cooperative effort to erect the equipment.
As members of Maximum Velocity sailed through the air and sometimes tumbled onto the asphalt, local skate boarders marveled at their skill.
"It's inspiring. I couldn't do any of that," said 13-year-old Jesse C. Geary of Northampton.
"Consultant" Berchulski said that the park will attract as many as 30 skaters at a time.
"This will be great. It will keep us off the streets," Berchulski said.
Aldo A. Pare, chairman of the town's Parks and Recreation Commission, agreed.
"When the previous park closed here, the kids missed it. And I think the kids will really take care of this," Pare said.
Skaters were asked to police the park and, despite the performance of the Maximum Velocity bikers, to keep bikers out of it.
Fourteen-year-old Ryan K. Parent, who is not a skater and pedaled his bike to the opening, has no desire to ride in the park.
"If I tried any of that, I'd kill myself," Parent said while watching Maximum Velocity.
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