Homemade halfpipe
Fans enjoy snowboarding, but town manager concerned for safety reasons
BY DOUG HARLOW, Staff Writer
FAIRFIELD -- There it is, on a residential street in the downtown area of Fairfield -- a 70-foot-long halfpipe of ice and snow.
Staff photo by David Leaming A MAZING: Clinton Peterson walks through a maze of wood supports that hold up one side of a halfpipe skating park he helped build at the home of Rick Clark in Fairifled.
In Rick Clark's backyard.
Resembling a miniature Olympic snowbowl, the 16-foot-high structure is built from 2-by-4s and wooden pallets, then loaded with snow.
The kids love it, saying it's wicked cool; but the town manager rolls his eyes, saying it could be wicked dangerous.
Code Enforcement Officer Cindy Tuttle says Clark's halfpipe and adjoining 40-by-70-foot hockey rink on Flood Avenue are not violating any local codes, so the kids are good to go.
"It's something. It's amazing, really," said hockey grandfather Melvin Nale of Waterville. "The kids that they entertain here on the weekends -- Rick has done a heck of a job."
Nale's grandson Brandon is one of 10 or so area youngsters who join Clark's sons, twin 11-year-olds, Dylan and Dustin Brown, skating and sliding on the huge halfpipe.
"It's fun, you can do tricks on it and we get a lot of people over here and they skate on the rink, too," Dylan said. "We can do whatever we want; we can skate, we can sled, we skate from the top to the bottom and skate down the other high point of it."
Clark, 41, who owns an electronics recycling business, said it all started four years ago with a flat skating trail around his house and garage. He said the ramps and platforms -- and the challenges -- grew as the boys grew, too.
"I think the course was really fun, and some really hard work," Dustin said. "I mean we are one of the only people in the world that have something like this in a backyard.
"I think that (Olympic snowboarder) Shaun White is so crazy doing his 360s and stuff. I also think that Shaun White would go crazy over the course. He would probably get his snowboard and do his tricks on the course and show us how it's done."
Clark said all the pallets and timbers come from area transfer stations and construction sites, along with some he had to purchase as the course expanded over the past couple of years.
Snow is shoveled and snow-blown into the bowl and then hosed down with water to mold it to the skeletal frame of what Clark calls the ice pipe.
"The steepest pitch on it is about 65 degrees; 65, 70 degrees -- it's almost like a free fall for six or seven feet," he said. "It would be dangerous if we didn't have them put their hockey equipment on; they have to have full equipment on -- helmets, pads and all that stuff to go ahead and skate on it -- so I'm really not worried about kids getting injured because the angles actually invite soft falls."
He said Tuttle, the Fairfield code officer, visited the park and a police officer came by to take photographs.
"She was pretty receptive on it," he said of Tuttle. "From her perspective, she wanted to know if I was far enough from the (property) line and I told her I got permission from the neighbor. I told her how the kids had to have full equipment on. She seemed pretty at peace with it."
Tuttle said on Thursday that it appears to be a good structure and there is supervision of the children on site.
Fairfield Town Manager Paul Blanchette said that the site meets town codes, but still wonders how safe the structure is.
"As far as I know, none of his neighbors have complained about it," Blanchette said. "Personally, I would not want it on my property. I think it's dangerous; I think that structure, as a non-experienced person, looks shaky to me."
Clark said his neighbors are OK with having the snow park. His closest neighbor, Arthur "Joe" Reid, whose property abuts the halfpipe, declined to comment on the project.
As for the structure of 2-by-6s and 2-by-8 lengths of board holding up the pallets, Clark said he is not worried about it collapsing.
"It's over-supported, if anything," he said. "I watch it throughout the year and if one spot looks like it is starting to get loaded up with weight, I just add a bracing to it."
Clark said he dismantles the entire structure each spring and rebuilds it again each fall as winter approaches, ever growing and morphing into a bigger, more challenging project.
"It's never really done," his son Dylan said. "It's always something to work on, even if he thinks it's done."
Doug Harlow -- 474-9534
dharlow@centralmaine.com
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Copyright ©2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.
14 COMMENTS
said...
Cool!!!
February 21, 2010 at 5:03 AM Report abuse
said...
snowmobile accidents motorcycle accidents atv accidents kids falling off christmas parade trucks kids hangin from vehicles as parents drive killed while walking train tracks woodstove fires runnin over infants kids shakin to death people fallin though thin ice trucks fallin though ice people drivin into water speeding & crashin into trees Yea , i would say Maine has a tad higher than normal number of freak,irresponsible accidents in the state over the years, and the question of safety should be brought up
February 21, 2010 at 5:21 AM Report abuse
said...
At least these kids probably know punctuation. Leave these guys alone! What happens on is private property is his business. Why is it these days that the only place a child is safe, is when he is wrapped in bubble wrap, parked on a couch watching some "PC" cartoon and eating CheesyPoofs.
February 21, 2010 at 6:54 AM Report abuse
Donald Chase Jr said...
Pray that nothing goes wrong. It would be a shame if anyone were injured in this project that gives so much pleasure to everyone
February 21, 2010 at 9:42 AM Report abuse
Les Butler said...
Isn't it about time we let kids be kids and have fun. Many of us growing up did a lot more dangerous things than kids are allowed to do today and we survived. Political correctness has gone way to far. Some people ought to mind their own business. I grew up in Maine and remember hitting a small pine tree with a toboggan filled with several friends. It didn't kill us, only made us be sure we didn't do it again. Now, I have retired and live in Florida nine months out of the year but if I was in Maine I would love to go see it. Continue to have fun kids and thank Mr. Clark for building it.
February 21, 2010 at 10:18 AM Report abuse
Kate said...
This is a great example of a parent being motivated enough to do something to engage their child and work to keep them out of trouble. He is also helping neighborhood children to do the same. The are outside exercising and are supervised, likely better than the teens who walk the streets and skip school.
February 21, 2010 at 12:23 PM Report abuse
wollydevil. said...
The town manger said it meet all codes but he says its unsafe but yet it meets all codes so how can it be unsafe if he such an expert than he should take over the code offers job than an save the town money.I bet he will get something pass so they can't have that next season.
February 21, 2010 at 12:59 PM Report abuse
Fedup in FF said...
If Code is okay with it, Than the Town Manager should keep out of it...Oh yeah I forgot he can't seem to run his own town, so he may as well runs someone elses life. Set behind your desk and eat your twinkies moron.
February 21, 2010 at 1:05 PM Report abuse
Sunshine said...
The picture of the half pipe looks unsafe. Whatever!
February 21, 2010 at 1:26 PM Report abuse
said...
Kids having fun is great , who can knock that? But dont you think Maine has kinda above normal number of kids being hurt or killed in accidents? Say. once every other week. Then 2 weeks ago posters were saying how a Lake George event was all fun&games for kids but parents were getting sauced while driving vehicles with their kids half hanging on.
February 21, 2010 at 9:20 PM Report abuse
said...
Come to think of it, Maine parent(s) are starting to sound like minority parents. if their kids get killed, they can always have another one.
February 21, 2010 at 9:24 PM Report abuse
Kait said...
What a wonderful thing this parent has done! I'm glad to hear that there are safety measures in place and the kids are supervised! What more can anyone ask for? Kudos to you! Have fun and who cares what the critics say!
February 23, 2010 at 6:14 AM Report abuse
said...
For you Mainers saying ' o leave them alone, let the kids have fun' Do you know how trailer park that sounds? Sounds like the same logic Mainers parents that let infants play in driveways use. How many infants run over in Maine driveways this year 3?
February 23, 2010 at 6:26 AM Report abuse
I said...
What is it with the Maine bashers? Jealous? In the US fifty states children are being backed over by vehicles EVERY week. If we only had 3 in a year, we are way below. And allowing these children to have fun sounds trailer park? I bet your children are on the couch with seat belts and are obese little protected beings...and those type of "untrailer park" wimpy type kids would never make it comes hard times.
February 23, 2010 at 8:03 AM Report abuse