Authored by: cgrotke on Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 06:57 PM GMT+4

Thanks for this. I looked at their city website and found some more information that could be useful here.

1. The site plan for the 12,000 square foot park.

2. The mayor's letter of support from 2005 says it is an intergenerational project and a testament to the community. It helps foster "cooperation and skill development with and amongst peers."

He says it will "actively connect youth" to city initiatives and praises all of the listening that has gone on. He says youth in the community are tremedous assets.

3. The proposal that got it all going is a great argument for a park, made by citizens. In it, they describe the plan for the park.

"Twenty five percent of SLAM’s skate park is intended for beginners, while the rest is for average and experienced skaters. Because of the integrated nature of the park, skaters will gradually move to the more difficult areas as their skills improve. One enters the park on the northwest side onto the deck of the beginner mini-ramp. Although linked to rest of the park, it is intended as a sanctuary for inexperienced skaters. The upper deck of the park doubles as a skating track. Sprinkled throughout the park are several smaller, street- oriented obstacles.

The bulk of the park is the flow course, a multi-leveled reservoir comprised of roughly half banked and half transitioned walls. It features all the skate park staples like pyramids, ledges, and pump bumps, as well as a few unique features like the saddle and the architectural bank. It blends elements of both street and transition into an area intended for multiple riders. Furthest away from the entrance is a 4,500 square foot bowl featuring three different levels. Each level is linked via waterfall forming an integrated whole. The shape of the bowl is a combination of organic curves and flat wall and has a total of seven hips ensuring adequate speed and flow."

Authored by: AEames on Friday, July 24 2009 @ 06:17 AM GMT+4

LA has a skate park now as well - Courtesy of Skate
Spot. Read on (I love the part about the world's
biggest skateboard)...

-- "There's only one in L.A. Everything we skate to
this day still is illegal," says Rob Dyrdek.

The Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation
started the Safe Spot, Skate Spot to support legal
and safe skate spots.

The first, the 9,000-square foot Los Angeles
Lafayette Park, was dedicated in February, when Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Dyrdek rode
the world's largest skateboard, measuring 38 feet, 6
inches.

Dyrdek said safe skate spots don't necessarily have
to be huge, as long as they replicate real obstacles.

"You don't have to spend $1 million. Spend
$150,000 and build ledges and a couple of rails in a
corner of an existing park," he said. "I had the
mayor of L.A. say that city of Los Angeles will no
longer look down on skateboarding, it will embrace
skateboarding. That's huge for us."

On the other hand, Rodriguez said part of the fun is
skating natural obstacles, even if means doing it
quickly before getting kicked out.

"I don't necessarily view myself as rebellious, but I
just love to skate and if an obstacle is so good to
skate that it's just calling my name, I've got to try,"
he said.

-- Check out the link:
http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/Sports/Nation
al/2009/07/19/Street_Dreams_takes_look_inside_ska
teboarding/?printable=1

Authored by: spinoza on Monday, July 27 2009 @ 05:24 PM GMT+4

Skaters Eric Koston and Paul Rodriguez threw out the first pitch at a Dodger game last week. It's gratifying to know not everyone has such a disparaging and derogatory view of this popular activity.

Authored by: cgrotke on Friday, July 24 2009 @ 01:24 PM GMT+4

Look, Brattleboro already has a proposal. It was done in 2006:

Skatepark Proposal

It says it would only take about 8 weeks to make, once funding and a location were found.

Authored by: GSamson on Saturday, July 25 2009 @ 10:47 PM GMT+4

Funding and location are obviously the key issues here, and I think the
ease/difficulty in finding both will be indicative of majority sentiment,
which should be considered with care and respect. Tossing around
terms like "NIMBY" can be another way of rhetorically trying to shove
something down people's throats; if there isn't enough broad-based
support for a skate-park to fund it and find a place where people are
ok with it, putting one in just to satisfy a very small group seems
pretty undemocratic and more than a little oppressive.

That said, I tend to be sympathetic to the idea of providing facilities
for people's recreation, even when the proposed project is as
conformist/clichéd in spirit as this one (skateboarding as "rebellious"?;
what is this, some sort of 1950's era Marlon Brando movie?). It
seems to me that physical activity and exercise should be encouraged.
Although I'm not sure that visions of beautiful Lewiston, Maine help
the cause......