Kyiv skater, artist, and founder of Papa Power brand Maksym Pavlenko and his friends-riders are building a skate park in one of the premises of the former factory on Fanerna Street, 4, near the Institute of Chemistry of High-Molecular Compounds (Darnytsia). Four large stationary figures and a number of small movable figures, which can be combined, as well as rest areas will be built in the space of 500 square meters.
In a comment for DTF Magazine, Maksym told us more about how he got the idea to build a skate park, which he has been dreaming about «for the past 20 years», about his plans for it, and how many such places Kyiv needs
Pavlenko recalls that during the first two months after the full-scale invasion began, he, like most Kyiv riders he knew, didn’t get out much and returned to skateboarding when it got warmer.
«We skated the entire season, but refused to hold competitions or shoot videos on the streets, even though these are the most important aspects of our culture. However, the competition is more of a celebration than an “exam”, and we didn’t want to skate on the street so we wouldn’t make noise with the skateboard and so people wouldn’t get nervous about it», Maksym says.
We mostly skated at VDNG (Expocenter of Ukraine) and near lake Lebedyne. But at VDNG the skate spot was constantly occupied by «kids on scooters, whose parents perceive the concrete plaza for professional sports as a playground». And near lake Lebedyne gangs of teenagers picked on riders, taking away boards and money.
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In October, one of Pavlenko’s friends, Denys Soya, suggested looking at premises in a former factory on Fanerna Street. Maksym thought it was «too small and dusty», but another place was found — a 500-square-meter space, from where the service station had just left.
Pavlenko notes that they were not competing with anyone for the lease, because the old plant could be demolished because of the active construction of new residential neighborhoods.
«Denys and I agreed that a skate park would be a good thing for us, because even though a lot of young people have left Ukraine, quite a few of them stayed, and people from more dangerous cities have evacuated to Kyiv. And in general the community needs an indoor park, because I, for one, am tired of going to parkings and arguing with security guards in the winter. I want us to have a decent place to ride and spend leisure time», Pavlenko says.
Pavlenko and his friends created the project of the park on their own. It was developed gradually, based on the peculiarities of the space. Maksym says they created five design options, but settled on «the most universal».
460 square meters of the future park is planned to be used as a riding area and another 60 square meters — as a rest area. It is suitable for both beginner and professional riders.
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So far, the team, which includes, in addition to Pavlenko, Denys Soya, Andriy Krasavin, Oleksandr Protsenko, Pavlo Kirda, Fedir Brynykh, Oleksandr Burchak, Denis Ureniov and Oleksandr Advena, managed to install lighting, repair windows and floor, build the framework for the first figure and begin work on the quarter pipe.
Pavlenko notes that there is still a lot of work, but the opening of the skate park will take place in the near future. After that, they will gradually erect new figures and equip the space.
Locals: Skateboards and clothes by Kyiv brand Papa Power
After the park is fully completed, Pavlenko and his friends plan to open a skate school and hold competitions and events such as film screenings, music nights, and graffiti festivals. They also want to teach displaced children to skateboard.
Pavlenko believes that Kyiv needs at least one skate park, which should be twice as big as the one they are building now: «There are also BMX, MTB and scooter — different disciplines, each of which needs a place. You’re not going to play football on the basketball court when there’s a game going on. There can be one park, but it needs to be large and divided into separate areas. This is very important because each discipline has its own specifics and trajectories, so throwing everyone into the one meat grinder is just dangerous».
How to help the team
Now Maksym and his friends are building the park at their own expense, but they need money for building materials. You can help them using the following information:
Paypal: [email protected]
Monobank: 4441 1144 5672 0851
IBAN UA543220010000026209301262956, Максим Павленко
