Photos by Collin Richie
Snap. Grind. Grip. Those are the words you see on banners alongside BREC’s Perkins Road Community Park. They serve as a welcome—or even as a fair warning for some—that this place is a haven for adrenaline junkies. It’s known as BREC’s “Extreme Sports Park,” and it features a skate park, BMX raceway, a rock climbing tower, the concrete track for speed cycling known as the velodrome, and other sports facilities. The park’s success since its overhaul in 2010, especially among teenagers, ushered in a shift in how locals and BREC see and use public parks. Gone are the days when a playground and some green space were all you needed to draw a crowd. The public parks of today aim for excitement, with amenities for every age group, not just the little ones.
