\u201cI\u2019ve been skating since the polyurethane wheel came out,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Nearly 40 years later, he and his 14-year-old daughter Annie may soon get their wish.<\/p>\n
A fund drive to raise money for a skatepark at Market Square Park\u2014across M-22 from Frankfort Elementary School\u2014has attracted $11,000 from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians<\/a>. Additionally, an anonymous donor has promised to cover the remaining cost of the estimated $125,000 needed. After a couple years of planning and fundraising, the park is scheduled to break ground in July, confirmed by Frankfort superintendent Josh Mills.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is kind of a dream come true,\u201d says Hessler, who claims that, in his day, he won skateboard competitions in Frankfort, Onekama, and Traverse City.<\/p>\n But Hessler\u2019s recent push for a skatepark is more inspired by his daughter and her friends, who love to skate around town on longboards\u2014three- to five-foot boards with larger wheels that are capable of greater speeds than a traditional skateboard. Longboards are especially popular with the millennial generation. <\/p>\n Annie Hessler and her friends, Helen Erginkara and Reagan Fombro, all 14, say they skate in the streets, on sidewalks, in alleys, or at the beach turnaround late in the evening, when fewer cars are present. However, they would prefer to have a skatepark that could also be used by any non-motorized wheels, such as trick bikes and rollerblades.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be nice to have a place to go,\u201d Fombro says. \u201cThe cars don\u2019t always stop for us, and sometimes they get really mad at us. This would be a nice area for kids to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeff Hessler took the girls to visit existing skateparks in Michigan so they could determine what kind of park would be suitable for Frankfort. They were particularly impressed by a skatepark in Belding, near Grand Rapids, and how friendly it was for longboarding. The Belding skatepark was designed by the Evergreen Skateparks company, based in Portland, Oregon. Evergreen will reportedly break ground on the Frankfort skatepark in July. <\/p>\n \u201cSkating is an excellent activity for kids of any age,\u201d Hessler says. \u201cKids in skateparks are in great shape. With health issues looming for today\u2019s youth in this country, skating offers amazing health impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n Download the complete skatepark design here (Adobe PDF)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Plus, Hessler says, parents can sleep more easily at night knowing that their kids aren\u2019t skateboarding in the streets.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t a sport that requires a lot of money to participate,\u201d Hessler points out. \u201cSkateparks are free. You just buy the board, and we always recommend a helmet and pads. It\u2019s not like with skiing or golf\u2014you don\u2019t need to come from big-income families.\u201d<\/p>\n Beachnut Surf Shop<\/a>\u2014located on the east side of Frankfort\u2019s Main Street\u2014has also been involved in coordinating plans, doing groundwork, and fundraising for the new skatepark. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve sent staff with Jeff to skateparks around the state to gather ideas,\u201d says Nancy Bordine, co-owner of Beachnut Surf Shop. \u201cWe\u2019ve had two different fundraisers, put on by kids who are excited about the skatepark. We had one event where we did a skate clinic, conducted by Annie Hessler and others, that raised a few hundred dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, Bordine says, Beachnut Surf Shop has increased its line of equipment, including pads for knees and elbows, high-end socks that are built specifically for skateboarding, as well as a new line of downhill boards.<\/p>\n \u201cFrankfort kids come into the store every day and beeline for the skateboard section,\u201d she says. \u201cThey pick up the boards and \u2018ooh\u2019 and \u2018ahh\u2019 over them. They\u2019re excited.\u201d <\/p>\n She adds that it\u2019s not just kids, though\u2014there are a lot of people with a surprisingly wide range of ages who enjoy skateboarding, especially when Frankfort\u2019s population surges in the summer. <\/p>\n And although it is notable that there is currently a skatepark in Beulah, constructed more than a decade ago, Bordine has heard from customers that it\u2019s \u201cjust not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe park we\u2019re working to bring to Frankfort would be somewhere between what Beulah has and what Traverse City has,\u201d Bordine says of the future park\u2019s size and style.<\/p>\n The dimensions of the skatepark coming to Market Square Park will be determined on June 6 during a meeting with Evergreen. Hessler envisions a 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot concrete park with a pedestrian path around its perimeter. The park will feature smooth, fast ramps with coping steel at the top that allows boards to slide on it. The vertical ramps will be less steep than some parks, says Hessler, so it won\u2019t be dangerous. He wants to add lights so that kids can skate at night and to prevent random passersby from accidentally stumbling onto the ramp.<\/p>\n \u201cSkateboarding is a fun thing to do, and the park would help keep kids out of the street,\u201d Bordine says. \u201cIt\u2019s a sport where kids encourage each other doing tricks and such. It\u2019s a healthy, socializing opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n Market Square Park is already a destination for kids of all ages who are on break from school in the summer\u2014it features a picnic area, playground equipment, tennis courts, and a basketball court that is also lit at night. Drive by on any cool summer evening and you\u2019re sure to see a half dozen people using it, but Hessler hopes the addition of a skatepark will add a new dimension. City superintendent Mills agrees. <\/p>\n \u201cThe primary benefit that we hope a skatepark may bring to the community is to provide our youth a safe place to congregate that will promote and benefit mental and physical well-being,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Frankfort community provides many wonderful amenities, and the addition of a skatepark should prove to be beneficial in many aspects to the overall health of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n Moreover, the skatepark should not compete with events that go on in Market Square Park like the Port City Art & Crafts Fair on July 18 or the 39th annual Frankfort Art Fair on August 14 and15, because art booths are set up around the perimeter of the park. <\/p>\n An added benefit, Annie Hessler and her friends point out, is that the skatepark could make Frankfort a hotspot destination for area teenagers. Towns up and down the west coast of Michigan cater to beachgoing or boating tourists, shoppers, diners, wine- and beer-drinkers, but too seldom offer activities for action-starved 14-year-olds. Annie Hessler estimates that dozens of Frankfort High School students skateboard and that the skatepark would also draw kids from Beulah, Empire, Manistee, and beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a $2.5 billion industry in this country, and it\u2019s only going up and up,\u201d Jeff Hessler offers. \u201cI think we\u2019re ready for a skatepark in Frankfort.\u201d<\/p>\n To watch a video of skate action at an Evergreen skatepark, visit EvergreenSkateparks.com<\/a> online. Stay tuned to FrankfortMich.com<\/a> for a posting of when a public meeting on the skatepark will be scheduled. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n Short Skating Videos<\/h2>\n![\"Longboards](\"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/frankfort-skatepark-girl-skater.jpg\")
<\/a>Scoping Out Skateparks<\/h2>\n
![\"Frankfort](\"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/frankfort-skatepark-design.jpg\")
<\/a>Adding Value<\/h2>\n