We got the following email from local Atlanta rider Nick Jenks about the Factory Skatepark switching owners along with an interview with the new owner. If you are in the Atlanta area and want to know what’s going on with your scene, here’s the scoop…
“It is Nick Jenks here in GA. I have some important news about Factory Skatepark in Atlanta (Newnan). Most of the bmx world doesn’t know, but Factory, a 40,000sf indoor park, was weeks away from closing down due to the same economic challenges that everyone else is facing and all of the free public parks that are going up in Georgia. Dean and Ms. Patty have had a great run with owning the park and we should all applaud everything they have done for the scene here in the Atlanta area. Unfortunately, towards the end things were too difficult for them to keep things moving in the right direction and they have elected to sell the park to Scott Moore who has been working with the youth ministry nights at the park for a while now. Scott has no prior experience in owning a skatepark, as most of us don’t, but he is a very successful business man with a passion for giving back to a community, and in my opinion will do wonders for the bmx scene around here. Below is an interview that was put together by myself with help from Jason Williams here in ATL to inform everybody as to what is about to happen and why they should be happy that Factory will be around for a long time to come.”
- Nick Jenks, Felt co-sponsored rider
What is the Factory, and why should I care that they are staying?
Well, that is a loaded question. The Factory is the premier, privately owned park in GA. If you have never been here I’m sure you have seen it in many videos as Props has been here along with, Levi’s team, Kink, Local Exposure, Free Flow, and many more big name folks. It is a 40,000 sf facility that has been very bmx friendly over the years (as in no bmx only sessions, we are allowed anytime they are open). It has something to suit everyone’s style. Big boxes, good street section, and even a 13’ tall vert ramp if that’s your thing.
It is important that we keep the parks open that support bmx. It seems like you read about a park closing at least once a week now. This sport is growing and it important that those who want to pick up a bike and start riding have great places to go and learn. Somewhere that’s not going to tell them to take their pegs off, or that they can’t ride there at all.
Why bother with a private park in GA, given the # of publicly funded parks available?
First and foremost, the Factory is the center of BMX in Georgia. Over the last 6/7 years, Factory has provided a conduit through which Georgia was able to create and maintain a national image. During these years, countless teams, riders, magazine representatives, videographers, photographers and considered the Factory a destination if they were in any part of the Southeast.
In terms of semantics, the buzz these days about our new public skateparks is that they are all the same – cookie-cutter parks, no variety, and no plan other than dig a hole. Plus, they are still considered part of a “park” which makes it that much more difficult to single out the “skatepark” from the rest of it. On top of that, the county runs/funds their activity, which means little or no direct communication with the powers that be. Whereas, the Factory, while being private/for profit, still was able to maintain a sense of individualism through local ownership, and by way of the contest, the Mega-tours/bike company tours, etc,
Even beyond this, there is a loss of something absolutely KEY with the current run of local, public parks: A sense of being “local.” Honestly, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’d consider themselves “local” to Brookrun or Duncan Creek (some of the local public parks); sure people live close by each, but their claim to the park is lost. Yet, I can think of about 40 people who I would consider “local” to the Factory – many of whom don’t necessarily live right next door.
Vibe is important. Creating a vibe is impossible to plan, though at the same time, it is something I think most patrons of a skatepark want. A cold, dense, Concrete Park next to some baseball fields provides nothing except forced inclusion with other sports where BMX and skateboarding don’t fit. A stand-alone park, with music playing, and ramps that were designed for a purpose, run by people who are a part of the BMX scene… builds atmosphere.
We are going to make it a point to make this worth your time and money. We want you to walk away from our park feeling like you genuinely had a great time, heard some awesome music, rode some new and interesting ramps, learned a trick or two, and maybe even made some new friends. So that next time you are debating on where to ride, you will think of us.
As a result of the Factory’s publicity over the years, everyone is relatively familiar with the park, it’s layout, management style, etc – What are the changes you have in store?
Given the previous owner and the general feeling of some of the locals, we have a long list of things that will be changing. First and foremost we are going to be up front with you…Obviously, yes, we are expecting you to pay $$$$ to ride, and in turn we are providing a park you can consider your own, something to feel proud of – something you would consider yourself local to. We truly want the park to have a “rider owned” feel and we will do our best to build the park around that idea. I think the idea of listening to the riders went out the window a while ago with the old Factory. Customers/Riders being priority number one, there are a lot of other things that will happen. Here are the major points:
1. There will be a rider’s lounge to offer a laid back place to chill in the A/C and catch up on Fuel TV, the latest video, or what you and your buddies are going to do that night after riding. It will be a place that you may stop by just to hang out even if you are not going to ride.
2. The parents are also getting a lounge upstairs cause let’s face it, taking your kid to the park for hours upon end can get a little tiresome. So wi-fi, a/c, and more for the parents.
3. The store front is getting remodeled with a full service bike shop and more inventory of bikes, clothes, shoes, so on.
4. Along with the store front, the website is getting a make over. You will be able to order online similar to other web shops, but we will try and stay competitive price wise and get stuff to you quick. I hate waiting on parts!
5. The most exciting to all the locals around here is the idea of a new layout. Aside from a few rails or stairs, the Factory has been the same since they finished the park. We are going to tear the whole thing apart, move everything around and build several, completely new ramps to give a new set up and feel to the park. Along these lines, we will also try to build/change something like every other month or so to make it interesting and not just riding the same stuff for years. Half of the park will be getting all new, big flowing tranny while the other half of the park will be getting a “true” street feel with obstacles modeled after stuff you would find while out riding the streets of ATL or anywhere else for that matter.
6. The entire park is getting re-surfaced with new masonite.
7. Foam and Resi being added to give the riders every advantage while trying to obtain their goals in riding.
8. We are working on getting big contest into this park. Look for Big Money, Big Names, Big tricks, exposure and good prizes at some contest here in the future.
9. Along with the short list of things we shared here, there will be rider management to keep things running smooth.
With the current economic situation, people want something for their money – We want people to understand that they will be supporting a park that supports them. I can remember a theme that used to run through BMX a while ago, that’s pretty much been lost: Do what’s good for BMX… Supporting a park that supports BMX fully (and not as an afterthought) is certainly a good thing.
Introduce who is in involved; their role, who’s to be contact about future events, questions, concerns, problems, suggestions, etc, etc:
Well, first off, I am Nick Jenks. I am 25, and have been riding for about 10 yrs now and currently on sponsorship from Felt BMX. I have been offered the management position at the park and will be responsible for designing the new layout, building of ramps, managing the bike shop/store, and the day to day business of the park.
Scott Moore is the new owner and will work more from behind the scenes. His son rides and Scott has been working with the switch program here at the Factory for a while now. The program consist of coming to a bible study 1 night a week and you get to ride for free afterward. It has been a hugely accepted program around here. Scott owns a successful business outside of this new venture and plans on putting as much money as possible back into the park.
If you would like to ask any questions, send ideas for the park, inquire about events, or just give us some feedback/support, please email Nick at jenks03@msn.com . I will try to get back to everyone that writes, so be patient.
Community involvement: What is my place/role, as a patron, in the park – suggestions, events?
This is a great question. You guys are the reason we are doing this. Please feel free to bring any suggestions or concerns to our attention so that we can make the park the best it can be for the riders. As for events, we are going to try and give the park a great vibe with contests, live music events, video premiers, and so on. We encourage everyone to come out and see what is going to happen at Factory. If you think that you can help in any way with art, music, video, etc. please let us know.
What type of events are you planning in the near future? Contest, road-trips, BMX-BBQ’s, local-bands, food-drives, etc, etc…
A long list of things: Rider art shows, live bands, charity drives, lock-ins, summer camps, a bigger and better contest series, bike/part swap, BBQ’s, church and school demo’s, Switch nights, Pro Team Demo’s at the park, and more. We will be working on giving the park a feel that you just want to come hang out even if you don’t ride that day.
We will also be working on keeping the big boys wanting to come to our park to film on their road trips so look for more info on that as we move forward.
Oh, and there will be a Factory team of riders that will hit some contests and jams via their backing by Factory Skatepark. Kids that may not normally have the means to get the exposure they deserve.
When can the public expect to be able to show up and ride?
As of the time I’m typing this, I have heard the official contract will be signed on Wed, July 15th. After the contract is signed, and the place changes hands we will start moving and building new ramps. We expect the park remodel to take 3 or so days before we can be open to the public and we will be having a grand re-opening on Aug. 1 and by then most of the other stuff will be taken care of. The festivites will include tons of food, music, prizes, riding and more! Look for an official flyer here in a week or so with all the details.
I just want to say thanks for anyone who has supported Factory in the past and thanks for reading about what is going to happen. We hope to get a ton of feedback and support from the BMX community as we move forward.
