Elvehjem Park All-Wheel Spot

Update March 19, 2025
By: MSF Spokesdude Patrick Hasburgh

Work on the All-Wheel Spot is still in progress. Fundraising efforts continue, and the project team is preparing to resume construction this spring as soon as weather conditions allow.

We’re exploring the possibility of opening parts of the park this spring, but this is still uncertain and will require discussions with the City. We’ll provide updates as soon as we know more.

Thank you for your patience and support! We’re hopeful for an early start to work this year and appreciate the community’s enthusiasm.
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Update November 27, 2024
By: MSF Spokesdude Patrick Hasburgh

We have been working at LVM! I think we were able to sneak in 5 pours this fall including our final and largest pour of the season on November 16th. Here are some pictures of the crew working.

The area will remain closed until spring and we will talk to the City to see if we can open portions of what's there. The plan is to be back there building next summer as conditions allow. 
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Update September 10, 2024
By: MSF Spokesdude Patrick Hasburgh

Sorry for the lack of updates - it has been sitting for a while now. Of course you know rain hindered progress through July. Then we sort of had a perfect storm of some of our key members off on vacation for most of August. Another of our key builders joined a crew re-building The Turf Skatepark in Milwaukee where he has been working very hard to stay on schedule. The good news is folks have been working at LVM the last 3 weekends so some progress is finally being made. I'm also pretty sure most of our folks are done with vacations and the cooler weather should make for more pleasant working conditions. I know many members of the building crew are excited to get back at it.
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Update July 18, 2024
By: MSF Spokesdude Patrick Hasburgh

The wet spring/summer has prevented us from being able to do much down at the site but the City recently dropped off some fill and the plan is to get in there as soon as possible. This next week looks drier so hopefully soon!
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Update March 8, 2024
By: MSF Spokesdude Patrick Hasburgh

With it being "winter", we still aren't building right now, and I've been focused on fundraising for phase two of the project... which we plan on finishing this year and for $15-$20k.

As far as design planning goes, we don't have anything on paper but we'll be adding on to what we built last summer and hopefully will be finished by this fall! It's going to be a very cool space!

We have to wait for the ground to dry out before we can get any meaningful work accomplished back there but we're hopeful we can start work soon!
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Update December 1, 2023
By: MSF Spokesdude Patrick Hasburgh

We had a great fall of building down at LVM! See pictures from our last workday for current status. We may get another pour in if the weather permits, but the plan for the winter is to focus on fundraising and planning for next year when we hope to finish our work over there. The space will remain closed until the City approves the space for use. "Finish" is sort of a loose term when it comes to DIY projects because there will likely be small additions or changes we may make as time goes on but for the most part, we hope to have things buttoned up over there next year.
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Update September 5, 2023
By: MSF Spokesdude Patrick Hasburgh

We had our first pour at the LVM All-Wheel DIY on Friday and everything went very smooth! We had a concrete truck come in and about 20 volunteers (including several currently working on the new McFarland skatepark) that did a wonderful job. We spoke with several neighbors who were curious about what was going on and heard nothing but positive encouragement for the project! The area is closed off until the concrete dries (see photo).

Now that things are rolling I'm sure we'll be down there many more times until the snow flies!

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! -Patrick
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Update April 5, 2023

We recently received an email from Madison Skate Fund (MSF) Spokesperson Patrick Hasburgh informing us that the Elvehjem Park All-Wheel Spot is a GO for 2023!

After delays in 2022 sidelined the project, MSF got approval from Parks to build a revised design (render pictured).

They also received donations of large metal benches from East High School (as a part of their reconstruction) that will be incorporated into the build.

As far as a build timeline, MSF is ambitiously targeting end-of-summer this year but weather will be the ultimate determinant.

🚨 Volunteers needed for the build! If interested, Email: madisonskateparkfund@gmail.com
💰 Donations can be made HERE (or here if tax deductible is desired)

History

The all-wheel spot is located in place of the irreparable tennis courts at Elvehjem Park.

In June 2021, an 'All-Wheel Spot' was proposed and the MOU (memorandum of understanding) was approved unanimously by the Board of Park Commissioners for Elvehjem Park.

The ENA Board has received an abundance of local support for this initiative and are excited to see it materialize. Benefits of such a feature:

  • new physical activity for kids and adults in our area

  • privately funded, community-lead operation

  • built with help and support from Elvehjem residents

  • excitement about having a place to skate nearby (instead of Monona, e.g.)

  • good use of a deteriorating public space (Parks have stated they won’t continue to repair the tennis courts, citing poor ground conditions)

FAQ

A few neighbors (primarily those bordering the park) have voiced reasonable concerns, so we wanted to use the space below as a FAQ via Patrick Hasburgh for others that may be unsure about this idea.

  • “Madison Skatepark Fund is. I can tell you that the MSF has just over $10k in hand towards this project. We are optimistic about a $3k grant we hope to hear back from soon, and we haven't even started a social media push for donations to our PayPal. We are shooting for $20k for LVM.”

  • “Have you had problems with tennis players causing trouble back there? How do the police currently monitor the tennis players? The skatepark downtown has been open since 2015 and sees dozens of users per hour. There is lots of visibility at that park but I haven't noticed the police monitoring and I'm not aware of any police calls to that park. I don't anticipate there being any problems at LVM but if you see any illegal activity I would encourage you to report it to the police. Additionally, if crime gets to the point that police feel there is a need to monitor the park, I'm sure they will find a way... or the City will simply close the park.”

  • “The trees will actually provide great shade for the all-wheel spot. One of the biggest complaints about the Goodman Skatepark downtown is that there isn't any shade. Debris from trees will make it difficult to use the LVM park at certain times of the year but DIY projects like this are not only built by the users, but also maintained by them. The LVM all-wheel spot will have an assigned park steward that lives in your neighborhood to monitor the park and help keep it clean.”

  • “I’m not sure how close your house is to the tennis courts but Google maps tells me the closest house is about 300 feet from the tennis courts. Of course you know this is also down a hill and through the woods. I believe that the trees will absorb much of the noise that comes from the all-wheel spot. If you'd prefer a more scientific answer, here is some information from a study the City of Portland did:

    "One of the earliest and most comprehensive skatepark noise studies was conducted by the City of Portland, Oregon in 2001. The chief noise officer for the Portland Sheriff’s department concluded in a report that skateboarding noise was negligible at 50 feet but that sounds from some tricks (like ollies) could reach 65 to 71 decibels; about the sound of a bat hitting a ball. Other tricks (like grinds) reach between 54 to 65 decibels. Overall, a skatepark is about as “noisy” as a playground.””

  • “The all-wheel spot at Elvehjem will be built through fundraising and volunteer labor provided by our group, The Madison Skatepark Fund at no cost to the City or taxpayers. We have been working with the City since 2019 to identify a place for a DIY, all-wheel park project. The pilot for this model made its first steps forward just this morning when the City dropped off a dump truck load of asphalt fill at a small, decommissioned bleacher pad in Warner Park. Similarly, the tennis courts at Elvehjem are in disrepair (despite being fixed just 5 years ago) and the City doesn't have plans to repair them again so they are allowing us to build there...provided things go well at Warner. I agree that Kennedy or Droster could be fine locations for an all-wheel park but our group can only work with properties that the City will allow us to build on.”

  • “The Goodman skatepark in McPike Park downtown is what you would call a "destination" skatepark- this is not what is being proposed for Elvehjem. The all-wheel spot at Elvehjem is part of a network of smaller, neighborhood parks that the Madison Skatepark Fund is working with the City on developing. This network includes professionally built, new construction and a DIY component. The Goodman Skatepark is a large, state-of-the art facility and will remain the "crown jewel" of that network. The Elvehjem DIY all-wheel park will be on a much smaller scale and funded through small donations to the Madison Skatepark Fund. It will be built by volunteers from the local wheeled-sports community and we will invite anyone from the neighborhood to help as they can at designated workdays. Several members of our group that will be leading the workdays work, or have worked in the professional skatepark construction industry and are very experienced in skatepark construction.”

  • “I don't think you'll notice much in the way of new traffic. If we are hosting a workday at the park you'll probably notice some vehicles around but if people are parked on Painted Post, I imagine they will be close to the school as that is the most direct route to the tennis courts from that street. Keep in mind that there are other streets surrounding Elvehjem Park where users could park. Academy Drive provides an equally direct route to the tennis courts and I believe that the trail access from Meadowlark is the closest access to the courts.”

  • “If there's one thing I learned from the Lily Pad project in Warner Park, our progress depends entirely on the availability and turnout of our volunteers. Email madisonskateparkfund@gmail.com if you’d like to join us in the build process.”