Skateboarders back on ramp, for now

Skateboarders are back on the 13.5-foot tall vertical ramp built last year without permits in a Town of Grafton barn.

The town had issued a cease and desist letter in November to the ramp’s owner Jeremy Trasser barring events on the property and ordering him to stay away from the ramp until it is compliant with building codes.

Trasser said last week that he had completed the town-imposed work over the winter, adding supports to the ramp and bringing its stairs and railing to residential standards, as well as tearing down an outdoor patio that was put up without approval.

He said his efforts to comply with the town show his good faith approach, even if he disagrees with the concerns that he doubts are even legal.

“It’s frustrating but I want to move forward with the town,” he said. “I want to be a partner with the community.

“It seems like they are afraid because it’s something new or different and it isn’t a traditional sport like basketball or baseball.

“When they are making me spend thousands of dollars but they have nothing behind it, it’s just because they are afraid.”

Town Chairman Lester Bartel said last week that the town’s main concern is liability if someone is injured on the ramp. 

Someone could make the argument that the town knew about the presence and availability of the ramp and did nothing to stop it, he said.

“What you tolerate, you give permission to,” Bartel said.

If Trasser only allows family and friends to use the ramp, then it would likely be OK, Bartel said, comparing that to having a trampoline in your backyard.

However, if it becomes a public area or a business, then it wouldn’t, he said, like if you started charging tickets and had a trampoline competition instead.

Last year’s letter came after Trasser operated the ramp essentially as a business. Trasser sold shirts, collected donations, maintained open hours and, during a large event, offered campsites at the location.

All of those activities have stopped, Trasser said last week, and he intends to solely use the ramp for private use with friends. He wrote on the Facebook page for Midwest Vert Ramp, “This is not a business.”

“I am not charging anyone for anything. I am not trying to run it as a business,” he said.

Even still, Trasser posted open hours for the ramp earlier this month and plans to have a party there soon.

Bartel said Trasser is “walking a fine line,” noting that he doesn’t think Trasser has fully thought out the potential ramifications of operating the ramp.

“He seems to be open and I am going to try to make contact with him,” he said. “There can be serious consequences to good intentions.”

Trasser said that while safety is “100% his concern,” liability isn’t.

“As a general rule, skateboarding is dangerous and every skateboarder assumes that risk,” he said, noting he hadn’t heard of a skateboarder suing a ramp owner over injuries.

Trasser built the ramp for his son Leif, who hopes to become a professional skateboarder. The Trassers would previously have to drive five or six hours to go to Minneapolis or Detroit, where the nearest vertical ramps are located.

Now, semi-professional skaters who faced the same dilemma come from across the state to the ramp, some driving more than two hours, Trasser said. There are a handful of skaters who come regularly.

“To the people it’s important to, it’s very important,” he said. “My objective is to grow the sport and have athletes benefit.”

He said most people who visit the ramp simply watch others skate it. Trasser said he hasn’t ridden it.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t many vert skaters because it is intimidating. That ramp is scary.

“Most people are sensible enough not to do it.”

The 1910 barn is on a quarter-acre of residential property at 2319 Hwy. W, where Trasser plans to build a home. The ramp cost Trasser $21,000 and took 10 months to build, he said.