Skaters shred opening day of DZK Skatepark

After 10 years of dreaming, planning, petitioning and fundraising, the community gathered Saturday, July 27, at Founders Memorial Park for the official opening of the Dorian Zev Kweller Skatepark.

Officials from Hays County, the city of Dripping Springs, and board members of the Dripping Springs Community Foundation joined the Kweller family, skatepark initiative leader Dennis Baldwin, skaters and their supporters for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Dennis Baldwin, who spearheaded the effort to bring the park to fruition, welcomed the crowd. “On behalf of the entire skate community during this 10-year journey, I would like to thank the Dripping Springs Community Foundation for your fiscal sponsorship and nonprofit guidance. You went above and beyond in supporting our zany ideas and fundraisers. Thanks also to the Dripping Springs Parks and Rec Commission for your input and advocacy, and for supporting us in naming the park after Dorian.”

And while the community raised over $150,000 to build the park, the lion’s share came from a grant from Hays County parks bond fund. In 2020, the Hays county voters approved the bonds and the Hays county commissioners court approved $624,250 toward the project. He thanked the county for their support. He also thanked the city for donating the land for the facility and the parks and community department for partnering on the project.

The skatepark is named in honor of Dorian “Zev” Kweller, an avid skater and talented musician who was killed in an automobile accident in 2023. The park is known to the skater community as simply “DZK” skatepark.

Dorian’s parents, Ben and Liz Kweller, and brother Judah greeted the audience and thanked them for their support.

“It’s been almost a year and a half without him, and I honestly couldn't say whether it's better or worse; every day is a challenge. Every day is more distance,” Liz Kweller said. She added that she misses his voice the most, “asking me for something, telling me he loves me, or recapping his weekend.”

She thanked everyone from the skating community for an “incredible outpouring of love and support,” adding, “Dorian saw the community. He saw the potential in everyone, and more than anything, he loved connecting people. This park will be a place where old friends and new friends will meet, where new connections and community will be built.”

The Kwellers wore graphic T-shirts spelling out 'ZEV' in honor of their son. They created the Dorian Kweller Memorial Fund, a 501(c) (3) charity to support young musicians under the age of 18 and young skateboarders. For more information, visit www.gofundme . com/doriankweller.

Ben Kweller, visibly emotional, thanked the audience. “This is a great moment for the town of Dripping Springs, a great moment for skaters of Central Texas. It's a bittersweet moment for me and Liz, but here we are, standing on this dream that Dorian had to have a skatepark right in his backyard for all the skaters from near and far.”

He then announced a new music scholarship named after Dorian. “Last year, we created the ZEV Award at the Austin Music Awards, giving $2,000 to a young, talented artist or group in Austin. That will be the ZEV Award every year at the Austin Music Awards.”

Dorian Kweller was a talented musician whose promising career was just beginning to take off when he passed away, shortly before he was scheduled to perform at Austin’s South by Southwest music festival.

The idea for the skatepark originated in March 2014 when skate classes were offered through the Dripping Springs community education program. By November 2014, local skaters petitioned the city’s parks department to consider building a skatepark. Dennis Baldwin, a skater and leader in the initiative, spearheaded the effort to bring this vision to life.

Baldwin recruited Eric Henline, a personal friend and community leader, who served on the DS Parks Commission at the time, to help with the initiative. They partnered with the Dripping Springs Community Foundation, which served as the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for the project. “The foundation’s role has been instrumental in managing funds and navigating nonprofit waters,” Baldwin said.

The lead coordinator for the project funds stewardship was Laura Payne, board member of the Community Foundation, who said, “It is so rewarding to be at the end of this long and winding road to a completed skatepark. Our community owes a debt of gratitude to Dennis and Eric and the others who played a part in this over the last ten years.”

For years, Baldwin and the skater community held classes and sessions at the city’s Ranch Park pavilion, using its concrete floors and temporary ramps. Today, the camps are still being run by local skaters Naya Luna, Liv Doran, and others.

With the completed park, skate club members will have the opportunity to challenge their skills and perfect their tricks. The park is now a destination for skateboarders from central Texas looking for new venues to practice their sport.

After the public remarks, the Kweller family joined Baldwin and Henline, and the supporters of the skatepark, to cut the green ceremonial ribbon held by County Commissioner Walt Smith and City Mayor Bill Foulds to officially open the park to the community. Immediately, skaters young and old jumped on their boards to break in the still pristinely white concrete and try their tricks.

The skaters were of all ages, from a few years old to teenagers and several Gen-Xers. There were a few spills, but the smiles spoke volumes, and the atmosphere was as warm and joyful as children opening their long-anticipated presents on Christmas morning and immediately being allowed to go outside and play.

The skatepark is located at the north end of Founders Memorial Park. It is open every day from dawn to dusk, except during inclement weather or city park-approved events.