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Skatepark's cracks 'are not defects'
WHITBY'S skatepark has needed urgent repairs after cracks started appearing in the concrete.
The council said it was not a serious fault and is common among skatepark constructions.
Coun Joe Plant, who was behind the work to get the skatepark opened, was made aware of the problem by youngsters using the park.
The work has now been repaired and Coun Plant said he was pleased the problem had been rectified.
He said: “The reason behind the problem was explained to me and while I was very disappointed it has happened after just a couple months I am pleased it has been fixed.
“Apart from this it has been a great success and the feedback I am getting from the people who use the skatepark is that it is exactly what they wanted.”
Chris Bourne, Scarborough Council’s projects’ manager, said: “The hairline crack found at the skatepark, known as a spalling, has been repaired.
“It is important to emphasise that this is not a defect,” he said.
“Within concrete construction, typical engineering methods result in controlled cracking through the use of expansion joints.
“However in a skatepark environment, the presence of expansion joints would negatively affect the usability of the park for the users due to the unevenness of the surface.
“The majority of skateparks throughout the world are constructed without expansion joints, however the result of this is that you experience hairline cracking which is not felt by the users in their ride and is still structurally sound.
“Some hairline cracks are therefore to be expected and are not defects but are part of the design.”
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Weather for Whitby
Friday 25 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
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