Chris Gray watches with pride as his young daughters, ages 3 and 7, wobble on their skateboards during a weekend skateboard workshop in Grand Rapids’ Clemente Park.
Gray, 41, was in his 20s when he began an effort to build a skate park in Grand Rapids. Nearly 14 years later, he’s still working toward a dedicated, professionally built skate park in the city.
Gray, a 30-year resident of Grand Rapids and art director at Premier Skateboarding, founded Clemente DIY in 2010, reclaiming an abandoned set of tennis courts in Roberto Clemente Park on the Southwest Side and turning them into the city’s first skate park. With the help of volunteers, they patched cracks, replaced ramps, and built new features, all in an effort to give skaters a place to call their own.
But Gray believes their work isn’t finished.
“That’s Clemente DIY. DIY stands for ‘do it yourself,’” Gray explains. “I was young when I first wanted a skate park in Grand Rapids. And I still do. When I first reached out to the city, they connected me with the head of parks at the time, and we took our ramps down there. But wooden ramps don’t last. They decay. So, over the years, we progressed. We learned how to pour concrete. We taught others how to do it, and together we built the park you see today.”
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Courtesy of Chris GrayThe volunteer-driven Clemente DIY is one of three options for skaters in Grand Rapids.The other two are temporary structures.
While the grassroots approach has created a beloved local skate spot, Gray acknowledges its limitations.
“It’s a great thing. It’s community-driven, and it teaches people skills,” he says. “But when skate parks are built without input from actual skaters, they don’t always work. We know what distances and heights make sense. We talk about it together. But this park is always needing repairs. The ground shifts. Cracks form. It’s not optimal. We need something professional, something lasting.”
Nurturing a culture
For Gray, skateboarding is more than a sport. It’s a culture, an outlet, and a way to connect with people who don’t always fit into traditional athletics. He wants his daughters and the city’s youth to have that opportunity.
“Skateboarding has always been a safe space for me, a place to be creative and challenge myself,” he says. “I want that for every kid in Grand Rapids.”
Despite the city’s 75 parks, Grand Rapids lags behind in skateboarding facilities. By comparison, Detroit has four skate parks, including the expansive Riverside Park, while surrounding suburbs offer larger, professionally designed spaces.
The city’s only other skate options include a temporary wooden skate park at 555 Monroe Ave. NW, which is slated for removal, and Weston Commons, a small pocket park that can accommodate just four or five skaters at a time. The city’s master plan for the area that includes the Monroe location does include a permanent skateboard park. That concept has city support but still no funding.
“We’re a growing city, and skateboarding is more popular than ever,” Gray says. “We need spaces that reflect the interests of our youth and provide a healthy, social outlet.”
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Courtesy of Chris GrayDespite the city’s 75 parks, Grand Rapids lags behind in skateboarding facilities.
Skateboarding is an inclusive and accessible sport. A 2021 Aspen Institute survey found that 58% of high school students do not participate in traditional sports, yet skateboarding ranks among the top recreational interests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points to physical inactivity as a key factor in youth obesity and mental health struggles, issues that skateboarding can help address.
Despite strong support from the city’s parks department, funding remains the biggest hurdle. Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, a local nonprofit, is helping to bridge the gap.
“The city has been fully supportive in all ways except financially,” Gray says. “Friends of Parks is prepared to focus their resources and time on securing funding.”
Stacy Bare, executive director of
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, expresses his group's support.
"We have so many amazing parks in our city and opportunities in the wider region for all sorts of amazing recreation opportunities – but a city our size needs a professionally designed park,” he says. “Everyone is appreciative of the planned skate park as part of the river restoration. The skaters have been incredibly patient waiting for a park.
“Amenities like a skate park bring benefits for everyone--not just skaters. One of the stats that always amazes me about skate parks is how well received they are by police chiefs because it gives kids something really awesome to do.”
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Photo by Teddy SeeleyChris Gray believes a professionally built skate park could boost economic activity, noting that well-designed parks attract visitors from other cities.
Targeting Heartside Park
Gray envisions a state-of-the-art skate park in Heartside Park, a centrally located area that he believes could benefit from revitalization.
“Heartside Park should be a unifying space for everyone, but right now, it’s underutilized,” Gray says. “A skate park could bring new energy to the area and create a space that welcomes all residents.”
The proposed design includes a 30,000-square-foot concrete park blending street and transition-style features, including a bowl and mini-ramp. These are amenities currently lacking in Grand Rapids’ skate scene.
Inspired by successful skate parks in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Farmington Hills, Gray wants to incorporate elements unique to Grand Rapids, such as a “Grand River Run” feature and artistic sculptures reflecting the city’s history.
He believes a professionally built skate park could boost economic activity, noting that well-designed parks attract visitors from other cities. This can lead to increased foot traffic for local businesses. The park could also host competitions and events, integrating skateboarding into the city’s cultural fabric.
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Courtesy of Chris GrayFor Chris Gray, skateboarding is more than a sport. It’s a culture, an outlet, and a way to connect with people who don’t always fit into traditional athletics.
Bare agrees that a skate park would be an economic asset.
“We lose visitation and tourism dollars right now without a skate park,” he says. “Folks travel to Traverse City not for the Up North feel, but for the skate park. If you look at what's happening out on Venice Beach (California), for example, skate parks can also blend public art really well."
The cost is estimated at $2.25 million. Corporate sponsors, local businesses, and major skateboarding brands are potential funding sources. Gray has already reached out to the Frey Foundation, Meijer, Wolverine Construction, and DC Shoes, among others, to gauge their interest in supporting the initiative.
City officials recognize the need for better skateboarding infrastructure. David Marquardt, director of the Grand Rapids Department of Parks and Recreation, points out the city has included a new skate park in its master plan, along the River Corridor on Monroe Avenue NW under the I-196 overpass near the temporary park at 555 Monroe.
Marquardt noted that the Heartside has not been vetted through the master plan process.
Gray says his focus on Heartside may shift fully back to the location shown in the master plan depending on the timeline of the river restoration.
“Chris has been incredibly patient and understanding as we work through the necessary steps to make this a reality,” Marquardt says. “We are committed to making sure that resident voices are heard and that we create spaces that reflect the needs of our community.”
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Courtesy of Chris GrayClemente DIY skate park exists because of community members such as Chris Gray.
Filling community need
He adds the city has seen a shift in how residents use public spaces. While traditional sports fields remain popular, there is growing demand for alternative recreation, such as bike trails, rock climbing walls, and skate parks.
“There’s been a national shift away from organized sports like soccer and baseball toward activities that focus on trail connectivity, outdoor adventure, and individual physical challenges,” Marquardt explains. “That’s what our residents told us in a 2017 survey, and that’s what we’re responding to in our planning.”
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks has played a key role in moving the project forward. As a nonprofit, the group can more easily accept private donations and move quickly on initiatives than a government entity.
“They fill an important gap,” Marquardt says. “They can help us reach a broader audience, initiate planning processes more quickly, and secure funding in ways the city cannot.”
He credits Bare with bringing a national perspective on outdoor recreation to the organization.
“Stacy brings direct experience and valuable connections to help us achieve our shared goals with residents,” Marquardt says.
Gray remains hopeful that his years of advocacy will soon pay off. Until then, he continues to rally support, organize events, and maintain Clemente DIY as the best space the skateboarding community has for now.
“We’ve come a long way, but there’s still work to be done,” Gray says. “A proper skate park isn’t just about skateboarding, it’s about building community, creating opportunity, and making Grand Rapids a better place for everyone.”
The Parks-People-Possibility series, made possible through a partnership with Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, will spotlight community-led initiatives to improve, create, and sustain the city’s parks and green spaces.