Of all the attention I’ve payed to the skateboarding community, it seems that one of the most common complaints from people is a lacking of skatespots.. Or better yet, a lacking of spots where you can skate freely without worry of hassle and such. And what’s the most obvious solution for this dilemma? A local skatepark, of course!
I know what’s next.. “But wait, I live in a pretty small city. I really don’t think that we’d be able to get a park built here..” But just to clear things up, it’s still very possible for you to convince your city officials to get plans for a local skatepark and such. I’m going to tell you how you can go about it.
Write up a petition and get signatures
How effective a petition can be can vary, but it’s certainly worth a shot. But you might be asking “What should my petition say?”
Try to make it as brief as possible, and straight to the point. Don’t write up a statement that’s a handful of pages long, but rather keep it around a few paragraphs. And as for the content, you will need to stress points such as the fact that it’s a safer alternative to skateboard in a designated park rather than on the streets. You also need to emphasize the fact that it will be a great method to motivate the youth of today to put down the video game controllers, get off their couch, and go outside for some good ol’ fashion exercise! And finally, I’ll suggest that you point out that skateboarding is becoming more and more popular among today’s youth, so we should in return make it as safely accessible as we possibly can.
Needless to say, there are many more reasons you can come up with that would suggest that your city needs a skatepark, so make sure you take some time and think of some that you think will appeal to your city counsel.
But now here comes the tricky part.. How do you get signatures? Oftentimes people feel a petition would likely be a somewhat bad idea because they don’t feel there are enough people around them that skate, thus not enough people around them that would sign it. But let me point out that you don’t need to only look to your fellow skateboarders for support. Get out there and knock on all the doors you can, and when you’re asking people to sign, remember to stress the fact that it will be a safer alternative for people who skate to use a park rather than the streets, and remember to point out the fact that it will promote youth exercise. Somebody doesn’t have to skate to understand that a cause like that is well worth supporting! With the proper approach, you can get anybody to sign a petition like this!
Gather up volunteers!
A major concern with the idea of building a new skatepark is where the money for it will come from, and who’s going to actually get out there and do it! In order to make your proposal easier for officials to accept, rally up a handful of individuals and propose some event ideas that would work as a fundraiser, if you will. Have a bake sale, have your friends get out and start cutting grass, and find other methods to raise money that will go to the creation of your park!
A city counsel is going to worry about budgets all the time, you know. They have to make sure that they’re spending the money they have in the best possible ways.. With that in mind, it might be hard to convince them to offer up a large sum of cash for this particular cause. You have to point out that you and other members of the community are willing to step in and contribute time and effort because you honestly feel that it will be a skatepark will be a positive contribution to the community! Trust me when I say that this will make the idea as a whole MUCH more appealing to city officials.
And make sure to point out that some of you have the ability to make plans for a solid skatepark, and that you have the ability to help build it yourselves. The more you guys can do yourselves, the less it’s going to cost in the long run, so make sure you get the point across that you guys are completely up to the challenge! All the city has to do is somewhat just give the okay, and step back and just watch the city become a better place!
Reference other city skateparks
It can be somewhat hard to just walk into city hall and start proposing the idea of a skatepark, and have the people there instantly accepting the idea that it will work out to be a positive attribute to the city. They’re going to have doubts, and you have to prepare to address them. It would certainly be worth your time to find some examples of other small towns that have built skateparks in the past, and you need to use those examples to prove that it was in fact a solid contribution for the city as a whole. If the people running your town can see that other towns have done what you’re proposing, and they see that it was worth the time and effort, it’s going to be really hard for them to have any reasons NOT to get a skatepark built.
Alright.. But how do I actually propose this idea to my city counsel?
That’s a good question, isn’t it? When you have all the support for the idea set up, who do you give it to? Do you just walk into your local city hall and just throw down the facts? Not quite. You need to check out the schedule for your city meetings, and you have to make it to them, because that’s where you will propose this idea. And hey, if you’re a bit young and have a hard time believing you can walk into a meeting and be taken seriously, then find a supportive adult and have them propose the idea for you! Look to your parents for help here, or seek out other people in the city who are active in the community. The more people you can have going to the meeting in support of the idea, the better. So, talk to all the adults you can! Talk to all your friends, and tell them to convince their parents to attend the meeting when you plan to have the idea proposed. If an idea get’s suggested at a city meeting, and it’s followed by a large number of individuals standing up and saying “You know what, I honestly think that’s an amazing idea!”, it’s going to really get the idea some serious consideration, so make it happen!
Alright… I think I am going to try this!
If you want a place to skate in your city, and you currently don’t have a place to do so without getting hassled, then this idea is without a doubt a must do for ya. And I know it all sounds like a complicated process, and in ways, it can be. But let me say I’ve personally been involved in efforts like this before, and I’ve seen city officials coming to say “Yeah, okay, we can make this happen.”
It’s gonna seem like a lot, but don’t let that intimidate you! Because in reality, it’s not as hard as it seems, I have to say. Just propose some good reasons, and stay consistent. If you pitch the idea and they say “let us think about it..”, don’t just wait around to see what happens! Make a point to go to the next city meeting, and ask them what they have come to conclude on this idea. Don’t let the idea simply get “swept under the rug”.. Stick to it!
And before I finish this article up.. Let me finish up by saying that you have to keep in mind you don’t need a massive park. It doesn’t have to be a replication of the latest street course you seen on television. All you need is just a few ramps here and there, a box or two, and a rail or two… It might be a small park, but it’s going to be a fun thing nonetheless. If you want it, get out there and make it happen! Good luck
