DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas – Skateboarding advocates in Dripping Springs are working hard to try and bring a permanent skatepark to the city.

  • Organizers try to get the city to apply for a funding grant
  • Currently accepting donations
  • Only 1/5 of fundraising goal has been met

​Since 2015, the Dripping Springs Skatepark Initiative has been fundraising and spreading awareness about the need for the park. So far, a fifth of the total funding needed has been raised.

"I’m not gonna lie, it's been a lot of work. And we've had amazing community support. But yes absolutely at the end of the day, we want to see this park open, see these kids be able to go out there and skate it," said Dripping Springs Skatepark Initiative founder Dennis Baldwin.

The city previously donated more than an acre of land behind Founders Memorial Park for the proposed location of the skatepark. Recently, Baldwin requested that city council approve a motion stating that the city would apply for grants on behalf of the Skatepark Initiative. Baldwin is hoping to receive a Recreation Grant from Texas Parks & Wildlife, but only municipalities are eligible to put in those applications.

Map showing where the skatepark would go. (Courtesy: Drip Skateboarding)

With an estimated cost of $500,000, Baldwin knows a firm completion date for the project is still up in the air, but he's hoping summer 2021 if funding goals are met.

"I tell a lot of people that skateparks become a bit of a destination, if you think about House Park in Austin, Brushy Creek in Cedar Park, there's a lot of different parks in Central Texas that kids want to go to. So it's also a benefit to the local economy," Baldwin said.

Baldwin has been skating since he was 12 and knows what a difference the sport can make in a kid's life. That's why he's organized a makeshift skatepark weekly meetup at Ranch Park in Dripping Springs. Skaters can use the equipment set up including rails, ledges, a bench, a wallie box, two quarter pipes, and A-frame ramps.

"If you just look out here, a lot of these kids and adults are people that don't necessarily fit into organized sports. They want to do something more individualistic and creative. So being able to have skateboarding is just sort of a creative outlet both mentally and physically for a lot of people," Baldwin said. "Having the ability to get into skateboarding, to be introduced to it through a skatepark is definitely less intimidating and you're surrounded with a community of like-minded individuals."

Olivia Doran attends the weekly skate sessions Baldwin arranges. She was introduced to skateboarding early on by her dad, but just within the last year or so did she pick up a board herself.

“My dad built a halfpipe in our backyard and I kind of used it as a slide,” Doran said. "It’s just really fun. I don't know what I'm gonna be when I'm older, I’m 15. I'm still figuring myself out. But I would like to get really good and maybe, just maybe, go into some competition stuff. But that would be a lot of work, like practice every single day. I try to practice every single day, but it's kind of hard when you just have your driveway."

Doran said Dripping Springs is missing out by not having a permanent place for her fellow skaters to go.

"We just need a skate park so bad because everybody here is just taking it to the next level. The community is always growing so fast, like people are getting into skateboarding so often, but there's just nowhere to go. So people, even if they get into skateboarding, they can easily fall out of it because there's nowhere to go," Doran said."

Baldwin has been instrumental in Doran's initial venture into skating. She participated in skate classes offered by Baldwin, which spurred her interest.

Rendering of the proposed Dripping Springs Skatepark. (courtesy: Drip Skateboarding)

"Since I really got into skateboarding, he's always been there, so I've always kind of looked up to him. He's really good, he's super supportive and he's always there to help you learn new tricks and get better," Doran said. "Dennis is like, ‘Okay, you can improve this or you could focus on this.’ And, yeah, so once I learned how to ollie, it just kind of like took off. I got really into it because once you know how to do a few things, it gets fun. And then you’re like, ‘Oh, I want to challenge myself, this is gonna be easy, I want to learn a new thing.’ So I started challenging myself and yeah, so then it kind of took off from there."

Baldwin said council postponed a final vote on his request in order to better determine which resources and support can be given to the skatepark. To donate to the project, click here.