"Built without permission, by skateboarders and later sanctioned by the city, Burnside is the preeminent example of action.... Like a magnifying glass in the sun, Burnside can witness a concentration of skill level unmatched anywhere. You can see crazy, crazy things there. Go, watch, learn, be humbled, excited and inspired. It is amazing."The Park, Parking, and Portland Parks
Monday, November 29
Burnside was well represented by Sage, Kent, and myself at a meeting concerning some issues dealing with the park today. The parks department called the meeting in order to re-evaluate the "Community Policing Action Plan & Partnership Agreement" which was dated Sept. '95. The agreement basically laid out the responsibilities of each party who holds an interest in the skatepark, the local businesses, the city, and the skaters.
The meeting started with Mainlander voicing their concerns about the trash around the park and also the parking situation. The parks dept. then explained that the department will be under a "zero-based budget" next year and the skateparks use of approx. $3900.00 per year for trash and porta-potties may be up for review. For those who aren't aware, the Portland Parks and Rec. Dept. have been footing the bill for the dumpster/trash service and the porta-potties. The parks dept. was very helpful in suggestions on raising money and getting community help with the park. We will look into those suggestions.
Concerning the concerns of Mainlander Investments, it seemed the main problem they have with the skatepark is parking. The skatepark has no parking, other than on the street. We explained that the people that normally park in the parking lot are visitors, not locals, with no way of knowing not to park there, other than the couple of "No Parking" signs that are posted. If you plan on visiting the skatepark, please park on the street. This will help out the park a lot more than you could imagine.
All in all, the meeting went pretty well. Everybody in attendance was a supporter of the park and I think we countered all concerns very well. We do have a bit of work to do in order to foster a better relationship with our Plaza neighbor, but I don't see the sky falling any time soon.
By the way, I am going to put a new banner along the top of this page, as a concession to the parking concerns, that will basically say
I don't know, something like that.
That's it. Go skate!
Who are these guys that kill it at Burnside? The plan is to interview a different local each month to get different views from the people that skate one of the best parks in the world.