The Flounder Memorial Skatepark in Valparaiso, IN is ramping up as a one-of-a-kind design. With numerous never before seen features, including a musical manual pad, flounder shaped bowl, wheelchair adaptive snake run lane, and all designed around the central Fibonacci sequence that so much of our world emulates.

Dug Ketterman lost one of his close friends Ray "Flounder" Wampler when they were both involved in an auto-accident in 1997. To commemorate and build an homage to his friend Ray, Dug then dedicated the following months to planning, fundraising, and designing the first concept for a skatepark in Ray's memory. Dug's hard work has finally paid off with the City of Valparaiso ready to rebuild the new and improved design to pay tribute to the original park built 24 years ago.

Grindline became involved in the Flounder Memorial Skatepark to provide early cost estimates for the one-of-a-kind concept. Recently Grindline was brought in to work alongside, Abonmarche Engineering, and the Valpo Parks team to develop Construction Documents, cost estimates, technical specifications, and coordinate civil engineering. This process is expected to be completed by early 2023, bringing the Flounder Memorial Skatepark concept one step closer to reality - with a plan to start construction in Early Spring of 2023.

What type and size projects have you been involved with before this project?

Our main priority on this project was to listen to the community and provide them with the best platforms and opportunities to voice their opinions by voting on what matters most to them. We created an early-phase questionnaire with visual guides that helped facilitate our initial public input meetings. From there we generated first round concepts based on temporary site plans while the teams searched for viable locations to put the park. After the park’s location was decided, we created an overall concept that included all the community's most crucial elements and worked with the existing topography and site conditions. From there we talked with the Valparaiso Creative Council to imagine an integrated artistic approach to the project.

The first steps included gathering community input, reviewing and selecting potential sites, concept generation and concept refinement in coordination with Abonmarche, the local engineering firm.

The biggest design challenge has proven to be figuring out the saw-cut pattern for the musical memorial manual pad. I am working on transposing 2 measures of the song ‘Bro Hymn’ by Pennywise into a series of saw cuts that unlock the rhythm when you manual across the pad. Personally speaking, dealing with my rooted history in this project; the retelling of the accident, and my involvement has been emotionally difficult throughout this process.

This is my home town. I’ve had many ideas for the old park wanting to bring it up to date for the next generation, but listening to the present community’s desires is what it’s all about. It’s an honor to be able to come full circle and apply my knowledge and experience.

I wanted to start with a design from nature, taking inspiration in the way nature organizers herself. I started researching the environment from small to large scale, with the goal of organizing the flow of the park and features into an efficient and memorable space. Many of the patterns I found led back to the Fibonacci sequence or the Golden Ratio. This mathematical equation is the foundational growth pattern in our universe, from the shape of DNA to the ever-expanding cells of the chambered nautilus. I used this key shape as the core design element to follow for the design. The design also allows for expanding growth and openness to the growth of the sports and community as a whole. This shape lends itself to exploration and the possibility of endless lines. Within this overall design language, we were able to integrate all the requisite items on the communities list of desires for the ideal skatepark.

It has taken a team to get this project rolling for sure, Grindline coming in to help provide early cost estimates and is now in the process of helping engineer and draft the construction docs for this project. The Valpo Parks team and Abonmarche Engineering have also done the lion’s share of the groundwork on this.

I was involved with public community engagement, creating questionnaires, generating concept designs and renderings, schematic design and design consultation services

I was given the green light to shoot for the moon with the initial concepts, then had to cut back due to budgetary priorities, which is always rough. This, however, gives a vision into what the next phases could hold.

Here is a link to Dug's website page for more information regarding the Valparaiso Project.

For more information on how you can donate to the project, please contact Lisa Kusbel. To donate online visit the Valpo Parks Foundation Website.

Please direct questions to skatepark@valpo.us.

They are a local skatepark advocacy group that is focused on driving awareness and youth engagement. For more information on the VSC, please visit their Facebook page.

Planning a new park? To get additional information about Grindline, including multiple examples of our past projects with size and budget data that will prove helpful as you think through the terrain and scale of the park you need, click here.