Chesapeake church seeking an OK for skate park

CHESAPEAKE

When young people began using the Greenbrier Church parking lot for skateboarding, church officials welcomed them.

They installed rails and ramps, half-pipes and quarter-pipes, to create their own skate ministry. Midway through skating hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays, guests get a short life lesson that relates to Scripture and skating. About half the church’s membership is younger than 18.

But the church didn’t have city approval to build the skate park. On Wednesday, the Chesapeake Planning Commission will consider a request from the church for a special-use permit for the park.

Tim Howlett, a planning administrator for the city, said it’s common for people to build things without realizing they need permission from the city and the planning department tries to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Church officials said they have talked to neighbors about the park and addressed many of their concerns. They said they expect the commissioners to approve the permit. The City Council will make the final decision in February.

Matt Ruckel, a youth pastor, said church leaders saw the park as a creative way to connect with young people and the community.

“It’s a place where even if you don’t skate, you can come and hang out,” Ruckel said. The free park is open to everyone, but most who use it are in high school.

Located on Volvo Parkway in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake, the new skate park is less than a mile from the city’s skate park on Greenbrier Parkway. Church leaders said their skate area will not compete with the city’s because it is much smaller.

Eric Watt, senior pastor for the church, said church members oversee the park while it is open. “We want to be about providing alternatives for our community and be about something beyond our four walls,” Watt said. He said he hopes it gives children a safe place to skate and establish a spiritual foundation.

The semi-permanent structure cost the church about $20,000, and skaters began using it this fall. Church officials said they will host skateboarding competitions and have a grand opening once it is complete.

 Amy Coutee, (757) 222-5216, amy.coutee@pilotonline.com