Local skaters have voiced their frustration at Mount Alexander Shire Council’s decision to cover the Castlemaine Skate Park in anti-graffiti paint, claiming the painted surface makes the park slippery and dangerous.
ONI Street Wear owner Josh Salmon said customers had told him they’d stopped using the facility because the surface no longer had any grip, making it unsafe to do technical moves.
“Professionals and people in the know are staying away and it was a waste of money because it’s still being graffitied anyway,” Josh said.
“Little kids won’t use the half pipe. But if they go up a little way, they will slip.
“The space needs to be made safer for little kids anyway, with more flat areas with ledges and lighting.”
Longtime skater and owner of Mobile Skateboards, Aslan Oram, told the Express that since the park had been painted people could no longer skate the ramp.
“I’ve been skating on and off since 1987 and skating in Castlemaine for the past five years,” Aslan said.
“I went there a few weeks ago and the ramp is super slippery now it’s been painted, it’s virtually unskateable. I have slid out doing kick turns, which is just going up and down.
“The council should have used concrete with a matte finish to give it texture.
“I don’t understand why they’ve painted it. I’ve been to lots of skate parks with graffiti walls, which encourage kids to be artistic,” he said.
According to one local skater the paint, applied a few months ago, covered a commissioned artwork and had graffiti scrawled across it within a few days.
“And the condition of the park is stopping people from skating there anymore.”
Jordan, a regular skater at the park, said that after the half pipe was painted his board slipped out from underneath him and he fell and tore ligaments in his wrist.
The Express contacted Mount Alexander Shire Council regarding the concerns. A council spokesperson said they were unaware of any negative comments regarding the improvements.
“Council recently completed upgrades to the Castlemaine Skate Park,” the spokesperson said.
“Improvement works were undertaken by a contractor who specialises in skate park upgrades, and included; repairs to cracks, chips and holes, graffiti removal, and applying Skate FX anti-graffiti coating to ramps and a clear skate park sealant to flat areas.”
