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After a decade of planning, fundraising, and construction, the Dorian 'Zev' Kweller Memorial Skatepark will officially open on Saturday, July 27, at 9:30 a.m. After a commemorative ribboncutting ceremony, the park will be open for skaters to enjoy.
Named after Dorian 'Zev' Kweller, a Dripping Springs High School student and avid skateboarder who tragically died in a car accident in 2023; the skatepark honors his memory and his love for the sport. Kweller was also a talented musician, playing the bass drum and tenor/quad drums in the DSHS music program, which reached the State Finals two years in a row. His promising music career was just beginning to take off when he passed away, before he was scheduled to perform at Austin’s South by Southwest music festival.
The idea for the skatepark originated in March 2014 when skate classes were offered through the Dripping Springs community education program. By November 2014, local skaters petitioned the city’s parks department to consider building a skatepark. Dennis Baldwin, a skater and leader in the initiative, spearheaded the effort to bring this vision to life.
Baldwin recruited Eric Henline, a personal friend and community leader, who served on the DS Parks Commission at the time, to help with the initiative. They partnered with Dripping Springs Community Foundation who served as the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for the project.
“The foundation’s role has been instrumental in managing funds and navigating non-profit waters,” Baldwin said.
For years, Baldwin and the skater community held classes and sessions at the city’s Ranch Park pavilion, using its concrete floors and temporary ramps. Today, the camps are still being run by local skaters Naya Luna, Liv Doran, and others.
The skaters dreamed of a permanent park with features to challenge both novice and experienced skaters. Fundraising efforts of note included an art auction at the Real Ale brewery, where over 100 artists painted blank skateboards for auction, raising $50,000. Young skaters held lemonade stands in the Belterra neighborhood and raised $1,000 for the park. Additional donations and grants brought in another $100,000.
In 2017, recognizing the need for more substantial funding, the skaters petitioned the city of Dripping Springs to partner in the project. The city council, after hearing from a packed house of skaters, created an exploratory commission to study the idea. Later that year, they approved a proposal for a 12,000 to 15,000-square-foot park at the north end of Founders Memorial Park on a 1.5-acre tract donated by the city. Due to increased construction costs, the plan was scaled back to a 10,000-square-foot design.
In 2020, Hays County commissioners approved $624,250 in park bond funds for the Dripping Springs Community Foundation to use in the park's construction. Ground was broken in March 2024, ten years after the initial idea, and construction began.
Dennis Baldwin emphasized the collaborative nature of the project, crediting the skaters and the community for raising more than $150,000 since 2019. SPA Skateparks and New Line Skateparks were entrusted with the design and construction, incorporating input from the local skater community.
“In 2019 we kicked off the design of the park with SPA Skateparks (the builder) and New Line Skateparks (the designer). The final design represents hundreds of hours of input among a dozen skateboarders in our committee who scrutinized every feature in the DZK Skatepark,” Baldwin said.
And while the city played a key role in making this park a reality, the design and construction was managed by the skater community’s leadership who will in turn donate its stewardship to the city on opening day.
Ownership and maintenance of the skatepark, affectionately called “DZK” by skaters, now fall under the city of Dripping Springs and its Parks and Community Services department. The park’s design includes flowing ramps, ledges, steps, rails, and open spaces, complemented by surrounding trees and amenities for families.
Andrew Binz, Director of Dripping Springs Parks and Community Services, expressed excitement about the new addition to the parks system, highlighting its role in providing physical activity spaces for youth and visitors. Hays County Commissioner Walt Smith praised the community- driven project for its role in connecting the community and fostering diversity and resilience.
The park is open to the public after the ribbon cutting on Saturday. The park is not lighted so operating hours are dusk until dark. The skatepark is closed during inclement weather. There is no supervision and the park is open to skateboarders, in-line skaters, scooters and bikes. Motorized wheel wheeled vehicles are not allowed. Children under 10 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Pets, other than service-animals, are not allowed on the skatepark surface, nor is food, gum or drink.
For more information, visit dripskatepark. com or email dripskatepark@gmail. com.
