Who will pay for the renovation of the oldest skatepark in Europe?

Sep 12, 2024

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 726 times

No less than 400,000 euros. That is what it costs to properly renovate the oldest skatepark in Europe, located on the recreational lake Het Hulsbeek in Oldenzaal. A lot of money, as initiators Jos Wissink and Marko Matic know. “It is an investment in youth.” They hope for help from the municipality of Oldenzaal. How much money should it make available? And who else can contribute? With their plan they want to convince the political groups in Oldenzaal to think about the renovation of the old skatepark on the recreational lake Het Hulsbeek. Jos Wissink and Marko Matic do this with dedication. “Skaters from all over the world came to Oldenzaal to use the skatepark at Het Hulsbeek. The job had a kind of international allure, a worldwide status,” says Matic. “There is little left of that at the moment. The park requires a lot of maintenance. It's a kind of patchwork.”

Cuts already announced
They submit a so-called City ID. In this way, the political groups are obliged to consider the idea. “We are not here to keep our hands on things. But we really need the municipality of Oldenzaal. In any way possible. In our view, we have struck gold with this skatepark. We hope you see that too,” says Wissink.

Noes Nevels of the VVD admires the enthusiasm of the men, but at the same time she has doubts about the associated costs. “4 tons is a lot of money. In Oldenzaal we are not only dealing with urban sports. We also have several football clubs, tennis clubs and so on. There are many sports clubs. Who can we help? And who isn't? I find that difficult.”

She receives support from Marijke Egbers of WG. “The plan is fantastic, but we have doubts about the finances,” she says. “The municipality of Oldenzaal announced a round of cuts not very long ago. Many indoor and outdoor sports clubs are being cut back on all sorts of things. It would be special if we went with you 100 percent.”

The added value of renovation is clear
GroenLinks and Solidair Oldenzaal, among others, would like to see Wissink and Matic's plan appear on the agenda of the council meeting. “We clearly see the added value of the renovation of the skatepark. As the municipality of Oldenzaal, we must do our best to see what we can do for each other," says Rutger Bouwman of Solidair Oldenzaal.

Wissink and Matic's plan will be placed on the agenda of the council meeting, thanks to the majority of the political groups. The city council will then reconsider the idea for renovating the skate rink.

What do you think?
Should the municipality of Oldenzaal make an amount available for the renovation of the skating rink at Het Hulsbeek? Or not? How much money would you have to restore the oldest skating rink in Europe? Email your opinion to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or respond below.

Newspaper article translated by Google translate. Jos Wissink has been the FATBMX.com webmaster since day 1.