Wheels are starting to roll on Unity Skatepark

Northville’s first skateboarding park scheduled to open later this year

They have a name, a designer and timeline. So, the wheels are rolling on Northville Unity Skatepark, a passion project of Gabriella Duhn whose son Dominic was killed while skateboarding along Sheldon Road in 2020.

Unity Skatepark is slated to open in Millennium Park during late summer or early fall.

Los Angeles-based Spohn Ranch Skateparks has been hired to do the design and construction for the new 10,000-square-foot recreational facility on Six Mile Road, near Northville High School. The company has built nine skateparks in the state, including those in nearby Garden City and Milford.

The schedule is tight with groundbreaking set for spring.

“They know what they are doing, and they have done these before,” said Debra Bilbrey-Honsowetz, Northville Township interim parks and recreation director. “They are very experienced, which is a comfort.”

Spohn Ranch was hired to do the job for $594,000. The Northville parks and recreation department will likely bring in a contractor to relocate an irrigation main, which is expected to take the project’s price tag closer to $600,000.

Northville Township board of trustees approved the contract with Spohn Ranch at its Nov. 17 meeting.

The board’s move marked another significant milestone for the grieving mother whose dogged two-year pursuit to turn a gut-wrenching tragedy into an uplifting public endeavor has captured hearts.

“I feel so grateful because

By Larry O’Connor

I know there is no way I could have done this myself,” Gabriella Duhn said.

Dominic, 20, died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on Sept. 20, 2020. He was survived by his mother Gabriella, father Drew, and brother Enzo.

Gustavo Godinez, 22, of Westland was sentenced from two to five years in the fatality. Godinez’s earliest eligible date for parole is in November.

Amid the heartbreak, Gabriella set out to shine a positive light on skateboarding, a solitary activity whose participants are often misunderstood by those outside its tight-knit community.

In doing so, Gabriella wanted to create a gathering place for people to celebrate life — while honoring Dominic’s memory — and feel safe. Unity Skatepark will include a memorial to the 2018 Northville High graduate who was majoring in agricultural business at Michigan State.

She enlisted community members and embarked on an ambitious grassroots fundraising campaign. The Duhn family and a nonprofit foundation in Dominic’s name raised $359,000 toward the project.

Northville Township put forth $150,000, along with $83,327 the municipality received from the Wayne County parks millage allocation. The city of Northville also contributed $8,123 as part of its county parks millage share.

Vince Onel, who is Spohn Ranch co-owner and vicepresident of skatepark development, was swept up with the groundswell of community support for Unity Skatepark during a one-day visit in January.

The Iowa native visited Jan. 24 and took part in a design forum at township hall where 20 or so people provided ideas on what amenities the new skatepark should include.

High schoolers made up the bulk of the attendees. Organizers were pleased with the turnout despite it being finals week at Northville High.

Spohn Ranch also solicited input through an online survey posted earlier this month.

What is clear is people don’t want gravity-defying drops or punishing snake runs. They’d like to see Unity Skatepark distinguish itself from Riley Park in Farmington and Ann Arbor Skatepark.

“As far as the public meeting, the biggest takeaway is that the community really wants something a little beginnerfriendly than some of the skateparks in the area,” said Onel, 36, who has been skateboarding since he was 10. The University of Southern California graduate has more than 14 years of experience in the skatepark industry.

“A lot of the skateparks in the area have really deep bowls and pools, which are great and super fun and serve a purpose. But the community feels like that need is already filled, that box has been checked.

“With this skatepark, they said, ‘Let’s create a space that it is inviting, encouraging and accommodating, and doesn’t intimidate folks.’”

Onel visited the skatepark’s future site and, after the public meeting, joined Gabriella for dinner at The Exchange Bar & Grill. He also surveyed downtown Northville to gauge the vibe, taking a multitude of photos along the way.

The designer noticed the heavy use of brick and stone in downtown architecture, which are elements he’d like to incorporate into the finished product.

“Believe it or not, skateboarders do like textures in a skatepark,” he said. “They want the skatepark to look and feel as close to real-life architecture as possible. When it has those details and textures, they like it because it makes what you ride out in the street.”

To withstand harsh winters, Onel said materials to construct the skatepark will need to be “robust” due to the extreme freeze-thaw cycles. Such facilities are built to remain safe and functional for “decades and decades,” he added.

The Iowa native shares a kindred spirit with his latest customer.

‘In general, I would say people in the Midwest crave outdoor spaces,” Onel said. “They really value outdoor recreation because they are stuck inside for so many months of the year, and I remember that growing up as a kid in Iowa when it would get in the mid30s, that was warm enough to go outside. Even though I was wearing five different layers, that was warm enough to go out and skateboard.”

Gabriella Duhn shows no signs of cooling her dedication to the project. Fundraising continues and “every penny will still go to the skatepark,” she said.

The mother is concerned about how inflation might affect the $600,000 budget. She also envisions something grander than just another recreational outlet.

“Not only are we building the skatepark, but we are also trying to build a gathering area,” Duhn said. “So even if you are a teenager who doesn’t skateboard, but you just want a place to go and hang out, we want to make it where the perimeter of this is very inviting, whether the mom wants to bring her 3-year-old with a scooter or the grandfather wants to see his grandkids do some cool skateboard tricks.

“We want it to be where everybody feels welcome and there is an area for them to enjoy it. So, that is going to cost money too.”

In meeting Gabriella, Spohn Ranch’s chief designer knew he was tasked with something more than drawing up a skatepark.

“Granted, I only met her for a few hours, but she seems focused on the future and I appreciated that,” Onel said. “That is what I am going to help her and this community do, focus on the future and not let that tragedy be the end of Dominic’s story.

“We are going to write a new chapter in Dominic’s story and it’s going to be a positive chapter, a chapter about bringing this community together and finding closure and finding healing.”

For more information, visit Skateparkproject.wixsite.com/ northville.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

As designers continue to plan the Unity Skatepark in Northville Township’s Millennium Park, what ideas do you think they should incorporate?

Please email your opinions to Editor Kurt Kuban at kurtkuban@ thevillemagazine.com.

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