United we stand on skate park

Will Hampton — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:35:00 GMT

Warning: Long post ahead.

We had 45 skaters and parents and half a dozen City staff meet this morning (Tuesday, Aug. 21) at the Clay Madsen Recreation Center to talk about the problems facing Round Rock's skate park. The atmosphere was fantastic. There was very little finger pointing or complaining. The focus was on what we -- and we do mean WE -- have to do create a family-friendly, safe, inviting environment at the park. Clearly, this is an effort that will succeed when city staff, especially from parks and police, work hand in hand with skaters and their families. Everyone wants the same thing: a park that's a pleasure to skate and hang out at, no matter your age.

Parks and Recreation Director Rick Atkins opened with a presentation of the problems the park has faced -- vandalism, trash and criminal mischief, primarily. He then outlined some of the planned improvements for the park:

Trails
Footpaths to the skate park as part of a playscape that will be constructed between the skate park and the basketball court
A new gate at the south end of the park (an idea much welcomed by skaters. Many kids had been hopping the fence there to avoid getting their shoes muddy, which resulted in damage to the fence. Muddy shoes make it difficult to skate safely.)
Water fountains
Removal of the pavilion from the area north of the skate park. The pavilion used to provide shade for the former playscape, which has been removed. It now gives people a place to hang out that is out of sight from the parking lot behind the rec center. It simply attracts the wrong kind of behavior now, so we're taking it out.

It's worth noting here something we didn't bring up in the meeting. The skate park is actually a component of a larger project: the Greater Lake Creek Park Development. We did the skate park first because there was so much demand from skaters we didn't want to hold it up while the rest of the project was under design. So the playscape, water fountains, trails, etc., have always been planned. The skate park has been so popular that the problems created by lack of footpaths, water fountains, etc., have really been exacerbated.

Among the City's other recommendations are:

Increasing park staff and police presence at the park
Banning consumption of alcohol and tobacco at the park
Trash pick up events

We then broke out into small groups to brainstorm other suggestions. A common theme was for skaters to set a positive example by picking up trash and behaving responsibly. Another idea was to create a skate park team, comprised primarily of skaters, that would monitor the park on a regular basis and maybe conduct trash pick up events. All agreed we need to do a better job of communication on skate park issues.

Here's the list of points brought up by the small groups:

Proactive vs. reactive
Communication between All!
Accountability
Construction of skate park constitution
Volunteering (parental and older skater population)
Taking pride in the fact that this facility is available to us ... and if we can make this successful the possibility of future skate parks
No Bikes ...
Add recycle bins
Lock the gate
No warning when lights go out (10 minute warning needed)
More police presence at night
Free decks for clean up go-getters
Remove "no food and drinks" rule from sign -- it undermines credibility of other rules
Plug in security cameras
Every 2-4 hours "clean-up" sign with clean schedule
Signage promoting positive behavior
Later [hours] for adults
Self patrolling by skate team with t-shirts
People not being respectful to property should be disciplined -- up to CTW (criminal trespass warning)
Bleachers for observers
Skate at own risk on registration waiver
Entrance improvements (jumping fence because of muddy conditions)
Helmets
Schedule to accommodate different age groups
Bolt trash/heavier -- more permanent
Register -- name, address, emergency contact or sign in each time. Pull cards
BMX sessions or scheduled times
Emergency phone outdoors
Park police
Designated smoking section or pavilion to sit and take a break
Fix the cameras (we know they don't work)
Sign with number to contact police (text ability)
Back pavilion: really bad stuff going on
Fund raisers
Drug/cigarette man -- arrest
Bike rack (no bikes at all in gates)
Fountains (more than 1)
Officers with rapport
Most trash in evenings
Suggestion box at Matt's (Mustache Skateboards)?
Recycling bins
More tables outside gate
Gate at front
Rubber tables (picnic)
Razor wire, alligators

We'll be evaluating these suggestions in coming days and weeks. Some are easy and quick to accomplish, like recycling bins. Others will take more time. We're open to any and all suggestions. If you couldn't make the meeting but want to provide input, this blog is the place to do it.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the meeting. Those who did got cool T-shirts that read "Thrash It, Don't Trash It." Thanks to Matt Messner from Mustache Skateboards for his help in publicizing the meeting and encouraging skaters to bring positive attitudes to the meeting. They did. That positive vibe, as Matt noted at the meeting, needs to be firmly established at the skate park. Today's meeting was the first step in making that happen.

Tough love on skate park closure

Will Hampton — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:49:00 GMT

The City on Friday, Aug. 17, made the decision to close the new skate park for a week because of vandalism and other irresponsible behavior by park users. Kids have been climbing the fence, damaging it, instead of using the gates. Trash not finding its way into trash cans has also been an ongoing issue. Police have been called out frequently to the skate park on everything from theft to criminal mischief.

Closing the park the last week of summer vacation may seem especially harsh to some -- particularly the many responsible skaters -- but the City feels a strong message needs to be delivered. The City Council made a significant investment in the skate park -- $390,000, to be specific -- and is dedicated to doing all it can to ensure the skate park is a safe, clean place for kids and families to enjoy.

We're interested in what skaters have to say about the problems, and their ideas for solutions, so a meeting has been set up for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21, at the Clay Madsen Recreation Center. You can also share your ideas here.

Decision Points : skate park

United we stand on skate park

Tough love on skate park closure