Brennan Skatepark A Newly Renovated Shredder's Paradise In Salem

SALEM, MA – A 20-year-old skatepark no longer suitable for skateboarding and a baseball field too small for regulation games have been transformed into a skater's haven and the future home of Salem High varsity baseball as part of the The Ryan Brennan Memorial Skatepark at Gallows Hill Park in Salem Project.

The project took four years from planning to last week's grand opening, and faced delays due to environmental discoveries and the coronavirus health crisis, before the $1.6 million project was completed to the point where it could be opened to skaters of all levels.

The new skate park includes a "bowl" where skaters of all levels can zoom up the sides and spin down, while Mansell Field will host Salem High when the Witches return to the field and the grass gets through the growing season this fall and into the start of the spring.

"The skate park is really well-used," Ted Devine, Salem's senior planner in the Department of Planning and Community Development, told Patch. "It's been built to modern standards that skaters look for these days. The skaters really appreciate having that bowl. People were clear that was an important to have. We kept that in mind and we made sure we got the funding we needed to include that."

Jenna Ide, the city's Director of Capital Projects, told Patch she helped initiate the process of renovating the skate park in 2016 when it was determined "it really needed an upgrade."

"There were a lot of things we wanted to try to do — like adding the bowl — but we didn't have the funding," Ide said. "So many parts of the park needed upgrades — the baseball park didn't really have a good seating area — and we were able to get some state grants, so it evolved into a much larger park.

"It's been quite the project with a lot of twists and turns."

The park is named after the late Ryan Brennan, a Salem Eagle Scout who was killed when he was hit by a car while inline skating 20 years ago when he was 15 years old.

Ide said the city secured funding with the help of several state grants and private donations of supplies and services, including Brennan Construction, the Gallows Hill Park stakeholders working group, Salem Sound Coastwatch and members of the Salem Park, Recreation and Community Services Commission.

"It helped the city stretch its dollars," Devine said of the construction donations and volunteers.

Ide said the work ran into some issues when arsenic was found in the area on the periphery of the park — which she said is believed to have been from a tannery located on the site in the early 1900s — but could be isolated and will be addressed in a future project.

Sustainable elements of the project include bioswales and raingardens to collect, filter and manage stormwater. The baseball field is also now handicapped accessible.

"It sort of evolved into a space from the skatepark to the baseball field to the playground where entire families could enjoy all of it," Ide said.

Landscape architects were Kyle Zick and Rob Barella of Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture, the skatepark designer was Mike McIntyre of Action Sports Design, the general contractor was Campbell Construction Group and the skatepark contractor was Grindline Skateparks.

"We envisioned a variety of skill level and all different ages and that's what we've seen," Ide said. "We designed it for multiple types of different people to be able to use it. That was good to see people enjoying themselves on a nice day."