XMV Skate – Progress Update

Friends of XMV Skate, we’re making steady progress in our project to upgrade the Adam Curtis Skate Park in Manchester. Here’s a quick update:

1) Upon interviewing some of the leading skate park design and construction firms in the nation, we’ve come to verbal agreement with team of Pillar Design Studios L.L.C. (www.pillardesignstudios.com) and Artisan Skateparks (www.artisanskateparks.com) to join our team. These companies have 25 years of skatepark design and construction experience building such facilities all across the nation including having strong experience in the northeast. Its end products are simply awesome.

2) Reps of Pillar/Artisan will be in Manchester from May 6th to May 8th to conduct site visits, meet with various officials, conduct design meetings with users and stakeholders, and start the process of the design of the actual skate areas as well as construction and design budgets of that part of the project. More details to come. This should be a huge boost to our project and an exciting opportunity for Manchester area skaters to give input. Once designs are in hand and budgets are finalized, fundraising will commence in earnest.

3) We are spending time discussing the idea of relocating the community center building to the back of the property opening up sight lines from Maple Street and abutting venues. In theory, with proper lighting and security cameras, this site improvement could be a practical and affordable way to lower the mischief in the area without having to enclose or fence it, provide amenities & an income stream to the facility (and current programs), and allow a modern skatepark to become a visual highlight of the area. A roof over the skating area is still in our plans as a way to extend the seasonal use of the park.

4) Tons of other matters are in process such as the formalization of the XMVSkate entity, creation of marketing/fundraising collateral (powerpoint & video) as well as the fundraising plan/timetables, making a ton of social media/facebook upgrades, and the creation of a penpal account, etc are all underway.

Many of these activities have been advanced thx to the efforts of our SNHU intern, Chris Hunter. He’s been a godsend to this project.

More to come. All comments welcome but feel free to reply to me and not all. Thanx for your continued interest in the XMVSkate project, friends.
Jim DeStefano

 

Teens Robbed of I-pod/Cell Phone

 

MANCHESTER, NH- On Monday, February 11, 2013, at about 6:30 PM, Manchester Police responded to a Clay Street address for a report of a robbery.  On arrival, they met with two 16 year old Manchester teens who reported they had been the victims of a robbery a short time earlier on Somerville Street, near Belmont Street.

 

According to the boys, they were walking in the area when they were approached by two men, one of whom demanded their belongings, indicating his companion had a gun, although no gun was observed.

 

One of the boys surrendered his I-pod Nano and Galaxy S3 cell phone and the men left.  They were last seen leaving the area as passengers in an older, dark colored 4-door sedan operated by a third individual who was possibly wearing a red sweatshirt.

 

The first suspect was described as a white male in his forties, about 6’3” tall with a slender build and dark “stubble” on his face.  He was last seen wearing a dark colored vest and a green “beanie” style hat.  The second man, alleged to have possessed a gun, was described as a clean-shaven white male in his forties with an average height and build.  He was last seen wearing a camouflage shirt and khaki pants.

 

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Manchester Police Department at 668-8711.  Anonymous tips for cash rewards can be made through Manchester Crimeline at 624-4040 or online at manchestercrimeline.org.