Good First Week

Well our first week of being a legitimate non-profit organization has come and gone. Have to say that we are really optimistic about the direction everything is going and the response that we are getting from others in the community. Big thanks to Sky High and Bigfoot Bike & Skate for spreading the word to all their friends about what we are trying to accomplish. We have started reaching out to various companies about donations/products for fundraising and have been getting positive results on that front also. Some different fundraising ideas have been thrown around and we are hoping to have a large fundraising event within the next couple of weeks. By the end of this week we plan to have some donation jars spread around town in some key locations to start collecting spare change, remember every penny will help to get us closer to our goal. In the meantime, we always have the "Donate" button if you can spare a few bucks to help out. If you would like to get involved email us at rideMKE@gmail.com or "Like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @rideMKE

Needs / Wants / Wishes / ETC.

The initial quarterpipes that we plan to build through the NE corner of the tennis courts in Estabrook Park will be 5' high with  two 12' long sections joined by a radius corner. We are planning on putting a 3' deck at the top and building the QP's with a 6.5' transition. We are going to need approximately 260 8"x8"x16" blocks to build the retaining wall to support the structure, this should cost around $215. I have a line on free scrap lumber that can be used for forms. Dirt for fill can typically be delivered for free, there are craigslist posts everyday from people who are looking for someplace to put their extra dirt. We will need to come up with another $300 or so for the rebar and steel coping. A full truck of concrete (9 cubic yards) will be enough to pour this feature plus some additional and will cost around $900. So overall we need to attempt to raise about $1500 to get a good jump start on improving Estabrook Skatepark. Our intention is to start the fundraising effort immediately and start by purchasing and placing the block, we can move forward as the funds become available to reach the next step in the construction process. I met up at the park during lunch with Jeff Klugiewicz, Cole and some others within the local BMX scene, they are pumped to join our groups together and make things happen. We are looking forward to getting everyone involved and making this a community effort. So go out and sell your old baseball card collection and donate the profits to the future of public skateparks in Milwaukee County. Stay tuned for updates on fundraising events and construction parties!

What Would Axl Rose Do? (WWARD)

So my mind has been full of all sorts of crazy fun ideas for fundraising to make these parks happen. Not sure if any of you have seen our flyer up at Estabrook Park, but here it is just in case:

This got me thinking, what are the chances Axl Rose would do a benefit concert in Estabrook Park? Probably a long shot, but what the hell, I'll give him a call. Maybe he still has that setup and would join us for a quick session!

Seriously though, fundraising is going to be huge for this effort and I have quite a few good ideas, but would love to get some more ideas from others within the community and will definitely be looking for a list of volunteers to help out with future events. Leave a comment for me on this post if you want to help out and I will get in touch to set something up.

Goals for May

We have targeted the existing skatepark within Estabrook Park on Milwaukee's North Side as our initial spot to begin improvements. We are planning to begin constructing a quarterpipe that runs along the NE corner of the park. We have removed the existing ramp that was in this location and cleared the area to begin improvements. First thing that needs to happen is a concrete block wall will have to be built to act as a retaining wall for this feature. If anyone has or would like to donate some CMU block and mortar it would be greatly appreciated. We hope to have a few good features built in this park by the end of the summer. If you would like to help out the effort, please get in contact with us so that everything can be done in a consistent manner. There is a right and a wrong way to build these features and we want to make sure everything is built properly so that it lasts for years to come. I am overloaded with information to distribute at this time so I will be adding more on a daily basis. We are all really excited to make this happen and look forward to teaming up with everyone in the community to bring this to reality.

Welcome to the Resistance!

Welcome to the new headquarters for RideMKE! We are a charitable non-profit organization committed to the development of FREE public skateparks within Milwaukee County. Our group is a mixture of people from within the local skateboard / BMX scene that have a vested interested in improving the quality and number of skateparks in the county. If you are not aware, within the Milwaukee County Parks system there is not a single public skatepark that has been sanctioned or constructed by the county, we are looking to change that status. Through a do-it-yourself (DIY) effort we are moving forward with the permission and guidance of the county to  build new facilities within some of the existing spaces that are already being used by the skate/BMX community. Look for information on our group at your local skateshop and check back here daily for new information on upcoming events. We are excited to hear from all of you and are always looking for new volunteers to join our organization.