The following document was developed by
Consolidated Skateboards as a comprehensive guide to getting a skatepark. I have embellished it with relevant links to resources on this site where appropriate.
The plan is not simple - It is going to take a lot of hard work on the part of you and your friends. The fact is, things that are very important never come easy. They require time and commitment. The best aspect about this hard work is that the feeling of accomplishment lasts long after the work is done.
If all this sounds corny to you, go back to the couch and put your brain on cruise control. You are the wrong person for the job. If it sounds good, read on and motivate now, because starting now will possibly get you a place to ride sooner.
1. ORGANIZE YOURSELVES.First off, get a hold of every skateboarder you know. Your local shop could be a good meeting place. Organize a specific date and time to discuss the issue at hand. Choose one or two people to represent the skating community, and coordinate, organize, and record what is discussed.
Find parents that care and can afford the time, and involve them in what you are doing. They will be your connection with the city and government. Unfortunately, it may be hard for the city government to take a bunch of "teenage skateboarders" too seriously. That is why involving parents is essential. They know how to "work the system" better than you, because they have more experience with it.
After you have set up a good strong skateboarder group backed up by some concerned parents, the next thing to do is contact anyone in the community that you think could help your cause. These people could include:
A. LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERSThese are the guys that are sick and tired of you "ruining" their curbs, benches, planters, etc. You can show these people an answer to the problem for both you and them. Let them know that the real problem is not the skating, but the lack of a place to skate. Try to get them involved in supporting a public skatepark, and have them attend city council meetings not to gripe about skateboard damage, but to show their support.
B. LOCAL POLITICIANSLocal politicians are essential in the power play to get your park. You can find the phone numbers to all your local government offices in your phone book. You would usually want to talk to the Department of Parks and Recreation. It is a good idea to approach these people with some well researched information about costs, locations, numbers of supporters, possible numbers of park users, etc. Use one of your parental supporters to approach this department.
C. RELIGIOUS OFFICIALSWhatever your personal religious beliefs, these people when on your side, have enormous pull in both government and community. When approaching them, explain the need for the park- how it will help kids like you to promote skateboarding in a positive way, help keep you "out of the streets", and out of trouble with the law. Explain the moral and positive values of skateboarding, because that is the side they need to see to motivate them. Give good examples, like the church in San Jose, CA that has a mini ramp, or the numerous churches that set up obstacles in their parking lots on the weekends. Approach as many religious officials as possible, until you find some who are sympathetic to your cause.
D. POLICE SUPPORTYou may not like these guys, but the fact is that right now cops are the watchdogs of society. That is their job. It is their duty to stop you from skating wherever it is prohibited. They don't care that there aren't many places to skate. Hopefully the laws will change soon, but until then they will try and bust you every time. If you can get a few policemen on your side, things will be that much easier. By fighting for a public skatepark, you are actually giving them a solution to the problem. Most cops, whether or not it seems like it, have better things to do than write petty tickets. The bottom line is- get them on your side now, they are very valuable. If you have to, go straight to the chief and ask him his position on a public park. Odds are he or she will be very supportive, and may even go to bat for you when it counts.
2. PETITION TIMEA. INFORMATION PAGEFirst off, you need a well written, carefully researched information page to give to people. This page should address the need for, and benefits of, a park in your town. Be positive- don't get bogged down whining about harassment or getting kicked out of spots, just let people know that a skatepark is no different than any other recreational need- like a park, jungle gym, basketball court, tennis court, bike path, or baseball diamond. List numbers of people that would potentially use the park. Let them know that there are skateparks all over Europe, South America, Australia, and even in the U.S. in many cities smaller than your own. You can look at the
info page we've included for our town of Santa Cruz, CA for ideas.
B. INVOLVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLEWe have already covered this in some detail in section 1. The more people you can get behind you, the better your chances of success. Pass your info page out, even go door-to-door if you have to. Even people who you wouldn't expect may support you. Go to your local newspaper with your story, and ask for their coverage and support throughout the process. Involve your teachers and your school. Make it a project for your class. If there is a college in or near your town, there are hundreds of groups you could ask for support. Copy the user survey we've included, pass it out with your info page, and collect them for your final presentation.
C. SIGNATURE PAGESThis is absolutely essential to your cause. You need to be able to show your city government exactly how many ordinary, voting, non-skateboarding citizens support the park. Use the
petition pages we've included, and xerox them. Leave a copy at your local shop, and collect as many signatures as possible. Go anywhere there are large amounts of people, and collect signatures. For example- sporting events, churches, school functions, malls, and libraries. It's a good idea to make a separate page with all the business owners, policemen, clergy, teachers, etc. Be sure to list their jobs, badge numbers, schools, etc.
3. SKATEPARK PLANSA. EVERYBODY KNOWS A GOOD ARTISTIt's simple. The only people capable of designing a skatepark are skaters. Everyone knows at least one artist- you don't need a degree in architecture to draw, plan, and design a dream park. The best way to approach it is to put all your favorite spots into one area that flows well and has good lines. Consider the entire area you have to work with, and fit everything together like a puzzle. Use clay and sculpt a model of your dream park. Some areas of the park can possibly have uses other than skating. In Benicia, CA the central pyramid is wide enough to act as a stage for bands. This helps make the park more financially attractive to the city. It's worth sacrificing a few days of skating to have the whole park.
B. CONTACT A LOCAL ARCHITECT OR CITY PLANNERWhen you have a basic plan, an architect will help you determine costs and possible sites, and make your plans exact. Remember that his/her work and time will have to be donated. The most important thing to get across to any non-skaters involved is that the actual design of the park has to be done by skaters, or else you'll wind up with a park that's obsolete in a few years. For more ideas, look at the
Skatepark Developers section and the
Ramp Construction section.
4. PRIVATE FUNDING - FULL OR PARTIAL
A. CONTACTSThe less it costs the city, the more attractive it will be to them. Make a list of potential donators, and contact them. Offer them permanent recognition at the park, like a plaque or mural with their names on it. Stress the promotion and free advertising they will get as a result of sponsoring a beneficial, public crusade. Your parental connections are essential in this step. They may know someone who is a cement contractor, or an architect, or even on the city council, and could get materials or time donated or at a discount. Remember to ask all the business owners who signed your petition, and the people who kick you out of "their" parking lots. Challenge them to "put their money where their mouths are!"
B. FUND RAISINGThere are a number of ways to do this. In our town of Santa Cruz, CA we printed "Support Your Local Skatepark" t-shirts and sold them at the local skateshop. The artwork, t-shirts, and printing were donated, so all the proceeds went to a park fund. You can hold a skate contest, benefit concerts, even bake or garage sales. In Phoenix, AZ they formed a non-profit corporation called "The World's Greatest Shows" and held concerts and skate demos to raise money. The money was put into a fund, which the city matched with equal funds. Over $50,000 was raised this way. In Arcata, CA individual and corporate park supporters bought ceramic tiles, decorated them with personal messages or their logos, and now they line the spectator areas as permanent reminders of who helped build this park. The possibilities for fund raising are endless. Check out the
Fund Raising section for further ideas.
5. APPROACHING THE CITYA. PARENT SUPPORTERSArmed with the guidelines in this plan, your petitions, and the support of your community, it is time for your adult supporters to approach the city. The key when approaching the city is to be prepared- bring your petition lists, lists of possible donors, the
statistics sheet from this plan, and park plans and sites if you have them. Get as many people as you can to attend the meetings to show support, both both the skaters and the community.
B. SKATEPARK AS VIABLE NEED OF THE COMMUNITYExplain to the city that a skatepark is just like any other sport/recreation area and should be treated as such. Refer to the Misc. Statements section for support. Make a list of all the baseball, basketball, tennis, and playground areas in your town and visit them. Record how many people actually use these areas, and compare them to one of your local skatespots. Point out that if there were no baseball diamonds, kids would play baseball in the streets and then it too would be outlawed.
6. IF EVERYTHING WORKS OUTA. POLICE YOURSELVESLet's say everything goes according to plan and your town builds a park. Your work isn't done. Keep your park clean and safe. Don't give anyone reason or chance to badmouth your park. Do not tolerate vandalism. If people graffiti, remove it immediately. The most important thing is that you make the rules as well as obey them. If you see people blowing it and jeopardizing your park, use the power that you and your friends have to stop it.
B. ADDITIONSDepending on how much money was raised/donated, there are additions that can improve your park. Certain additions make your park more attractive to the city as well. As we said earlier, the more use your city gets, the more likely they are to build. Marble is very expensive, but is durable and if used sparingly is a great addition to certain areas of your park. Metal edges for grinding are faster, and are easier to maintain than a cracked concrete lip. Landscaping makes the park more attractive, and adding trees can provide that necessary shade after a hot session. Consider things like audience seats, drinking fountains, restrooms, playground equipment, public pay phones, and even a snack shop.
7. FINAL NOTESThe fact is, you have to work within the system to change it. You have to do things the way the city does, not just the way you do. Don't get frustrated, sometimes government takes a long time to move, but as long as you keep fighting for your rights as citizens, they can't ignore you. But it takes someone to get the ball rolling, and to keep pushing. We hope it's you. Call, fax, write or email Consolidated for more info, instructions, or support. Feel free to reproduce any part of THE PLAN and distribute it. Good luck.
CONSOLIDATED SKATEBOARDS PO Box 1279 Santa Cruz, CA 95061
phone: 408-457-8206
fax: 408-457-8219
email: conskate@ix.netcom.com
In our efforts to get THE PLAN into as many hands as quickly as possible, we realize that no general guide could ever be complete or address every problem, and we plan on printing updates and revisions as we go. If you have information that you would like to share or have included in future publishings of THE PLAN, please contact us immediately.
Also, if you use THE PLAN and get a park in your town, let us know! We can include your story in future printings. Remember- every park built makes it that much easier for the next one!
