"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."Skaters For Public Skateparks Live!
Wednesday, February 2
Check out this press release:
SKATERS FOR PUBLIC SKATEPARKS LAUNCH NEW RESOURCE CENTER AND COMMUNITY FORUM
www.skatersforpublicskateparks.org offers
accessibility to skatepark decision makers.
PORTLAND, Ore., February 1, 2005 - Skaters for Public Skateparks (SPS) today launched a new informational tool to help public officials and municipalities make key decisions about the site selecting and construction of skateparks in their regions.
"There is a huge void when it comes to easily accessible information about the 'who, what and where' of public skateparks," said SPS Executive Director Kent Dahlgren. "We are pleased that we can offer this excellent source of skatepark information to public officials and city administrators who may be considering building a park in their town."
The SPS website is designed to walk interested individuals through the critical decisions and success factors regarding all aspects of public skateparks. From community involvement process to site selection and development, SPS supplies all the answers in one easily accessible location.
"The website saves cities the trouble and expense of coming up with the same old stuff every time a process starts," said Rod Wojtanik, project manager and landscape architect for the Portland Parks Bureau. "Giving them the criteria, management approaches, maintenance figures, design costs, etc. for free, means more money goes into the parks."
SPS, through regional representation and active ties to the communities it serves, represents the aggregate views and wishes of skateboarders as it pertains to public skateparks.
"Educating a city on the benefits of a new skatepark is an enormous and often complicated task," said Dahlgren. "The process requires research, organization, and enthusiasm as well as knowledge of what has worked well and not-so-well in other communities."
About SPS
Skaters for Public Skateparks (SPS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit skatepark advocacy organization, international in reach, dedicated to providing the information necessary to ensure safe, rewarding, freely-accessible skateparks are available to all skateboarders. For more information, please visit us at skatersforpublicskateparks.org.
This new website has an amazing amount of useful information concerning the skatepark process. If you ever wanted to get involved with getting a skatepark in your town, this is the perfect starting point. It's even a great place for those that are experienced with skatepark advocacy to hammer out ideas and get almost immediate results. It's definitely worth checking out.
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.