A new BMX park project is beginning to take shape in Kinston, driven by a hometown rider’s long-held vision to create opportunities for the next generation.
Kevin Albritton, director of The Line Action Sports Park being created, said the idea is rooted in both personal history and a belief that BMX can offer young people more than just a place to ride.
Albritton, a lifelong BMX rider who grew up in Kinston, said he has been involved in the sport for nearly three decades. As a young rider, he spent time in Greenville during what he described as an era when the city had one of the strongest BMX scenes in the country.
“When I was younger, Greenville had an incredible BMX scene that was known as ‘Pro Town,’” Albritton said. “There were amazing riders there and some of the best pros in the world had private warehouses and places to ride, along with a great skatepark. Being around that environment really gave me a lot growing up.”
Now, he wants to help build something similar in Kinston.
“Now that I’m older, I want to bring that same kind of opportunity and environment to the next generation and hopefully help a kid the same way BMX helped me,” he said.
The project is moving forward through a partnership with smART Kinston Foundation, which Albritton said grew naturally out of years of effort to find the right location.
He credited Stephen Hill, along with smART Kinston Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Brea and Dean Baker, with helping advance the vision.
“Stephen Hill has been such a champion for the city because he truly cares,” Albritton said. “He saw the effort we were putting in and got involved years ago trying to help us find a location.”
Because BMX and skateboarding share strong ties to creativity and self-expression, Albritton said partnering with smART Kinston made sense once the right site became available.
The project’s location, at 800 Manning Street in downtown Kinston, holds both practical and personal significance. Albritton said the warehouse selected for the park is only a few blocks from where he grew up and where his parents still live. He also believes the building is nearly ideal for the kind of indoor park the group hopes to create.
Among the park’s key assets are the legendary “The Unit” ramps donated in 2019 by BMX icon Ryan Nyquist. Albritton said he had long imagined those ramps finding a home in that very building.
“The warehouse itself is almost perfect for a skatepark,” he said. “It’s actually a little bigger than the building the ramps originally came from.”
He also sees the project as part of a larger effort to bring new life to a historically significant part of Kinston. The building is tied to the legacy of Glen Raven Mills, and Albritton said restoring the site could contribute to broader revitalization in the area, especially with the Riverwalk project also planned nearby.
Beyond local impact, Albritton believes Kinston is well-positioned geographically to attract riders from across the East Coast.
“The East Coast is actually lacking indoor skateparks,” he said. “Geographically, Kinston sits in a great location in the middle of the East Coast and BMX riders will absolutely travel for a great place to ride.”
At the same time, he emphasized that the park is intended first and foremost to serve local youth.
“Kinston is a lower-income area and there aren’t always a lot of things for kids to do outside of organized sports seasons,” Albritton said. “With BMX and skateboarding, all you really need is a bike, scooter or a board and you can ride every day. We want to create a safe place where kids can hang out, ride, and even find mentorship if they need it.”
The project remains in an early phase, but Albritton said significant work has already been completed inside the building over the last several months. Improvements have included replacing lighting, removing old equipment and machinery, building out a pro shop space, and making repairs and painting the interior.
Much of that work, he said, has been self-funded so far.
The next major phase is design and construction. Albritton said the team is working with renowned ramp builder Ron Kimler, whose resume includes work for the X Games and riders such as Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist.
According to Albritton, the goal is to create a park that is accessible for beginners while also being advanced enough to attract elite-level riders.
“We’re working with him to design and build the absolute best park possible for our building so it’s welcoming for beginners but also capable of hosting top-level riders and even Olympic-level training,” he said.
Once complete, Albritton hopes the facility will become both a local resource and a regional destination.
“First and foremost I hope to see a lot of local Lenoir County kids using it,” he said. “But I’d also love to see Olympic hopefuls and professional riders training here.”
He said the park could eventually host after-school programs, lessons, structured training, birthday parties, competitions and larger events. One long-term goal is to bring the Monster Recon Tour to Kinston, which he said would be a major addition to the East Coast BMX scene.
Albritton also sees the park as a way to introduce young people to skills and careers beyond the sport itself.
“One of the biggest things for me is giving kids something to do outside of screens,” he said. “For some kids, a place like this can become a second home.”
He said BMX culture often exposes riders to mechanics, photography, videography, carpentry, welding and fabrication—skills that can translate into long-term careers. In his own case, Albritton said learning to work on bikes helped lead him into becoming a mechanic.
Right now, fundraising remains one of the project’s biggest needs.
Albritton said the effort has an angel donor who is matching funds up to $35,000. While the park has already benefited from an estimated $350,000 worth of donated ramps from Nyquist, the group still needs financial support to redesign, rebuild and install them properly with Kimler’s help.
The fundraising goal is to reach $35,000 so it can be matched, bringing the total to $70,000 and helping keep the project on schedule. Current fundraising efforts include events, T-shirt sales, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle raffle and a GiveButter donation campaign.
For Albritton, the project is about more than BMX.
“Kinston already has a strong tradition in sports like baseball and basketball, but I think it’s also important to embrace some of the more unique things,” he said. “Even if someone doesn’t follow BMX or skateboarding, the core idea is simple—giving kids a positive place to be and putting Kinston on the map in a new way.”
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