Red Run owner and builders praise new 45,000-square-foot skate park in Warren City

Lauren Papazian, owner of Red Run Skate Shop, said the new skate facility at Eckstein Park will bring visitors and community life to Warren City while giving local youth a low‑cost recreational option. “You can't just build a park and have the culture kinda create itself,” Papazian said, urging continued local support so the skate community can develop programming and safe use practices.

Papazian told meeting attendees that Red Run opened to serve the East Side, which she said lacked skate resources, and that the shop has worked closely with city officials since early conversations with then‑Mayor Fouts. “At 45,000 square feet, this is the largest park in Michigan, and we're one of the eight largest in the country,” said Matthew Tomashevsky, shop manager at Red Run, noting the park’s potential to attract out‑of‑town visitors.

City parks staff and Evergreen, the contractor, described how the project overcame funding and site challenges. A parks official said grant funding covered the concrete work but left the city to secure money for parking, bathrooms, sidewalks and landscaping; that funding gap was a major hurdle to finishing the site. An Evergreen representative described a design‑build approach in which the same crew handled site selection, drainage and construction: “The same people that started it are the same people that…carry it through the whole project,” the representative said.

Contractors emphasized that preserving trees shaped the park footprint. Evergreen staff said they kept roughly 15 established trees and designed radiuses and circulation to avoid cutting them, a decision they described as central to the final layout. Evergreen also said the company considers Warren one of its largest and most complete projects and that the park’s size and features could support tournaments and attract sponsorships.

Several residents and users praised the park’s accessibility and community impact. One resident said the park drew people from across the region and that its open, no‑fee design makes it easy for families and casual users to visit. Speakers described regular volunteer cleanup and graffiti reporting by users and neighbors and said early opposition often fades once a modern, well‑maintained park opens.

Speakers emphasized the long lead time for the project, noting the idea dated back years and that detailed planning — including a multi‑park review of designs and adaptations to local site constraints — guided choices about features and budget. Papazian said Red Run and local partners drafted a lengthy proposal that helped shape what would work at Eckstein Park and that the city has been receptive to community input.

The speakers offered few specifics on remaining timelines or exact funding sources for finishing parking and bathrooms. Contractors and shop staff said they look forward to holding events and tournaments once final infrastructure is complete, and residents said the park has already begun drawing people to the area. “We can't wait to open it up for everyone,” one Evergreen representative said.

The remarks focused on community benefits, design decisions and the promotional potential of the new park. No formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript; the discussion consisted of presentations and public comments about the park project and its expected local impacts.