Skateboarders on a Roll as Council Endorses Mini-Parks

In a long-awaited victory for local skateboarders, the City Council on Monday night approved a proposal to build three mini skateboard facilities in existing parks around Ventura.

“It’s a creative solution to the skateboarding problem,” Councilman Steve Bennett said in support of the new proposal.

Young skateboarders and parents who turned out for the public hearing broke into enthusiastic applause when the council unanimously voted to back the skateboard facilities.

Now that the council has approved the mini-park idea, the city will select three parks--geographically distributed with one in east, midtown and west Ventura--to build the cement ramps and curbs used by skateboarders for their acrobatic moves.

By building three smaller skateboard parks rather than one big one, the council alleviates the need to construct new public restrooms and yet still provides skateboarders a place in their neighborhoods to do their kick-flips.

Three young skateboarders addressed the council to express their support for the proposal.

“I like the idea of the mini-parks because then we won’t all be pushed into one space and we can stay out of trouble and stuff like that,” 14-year-old Aaron Powell told the council.

Eleven-year-old Brandon Crudo and 14-year-old Donovan Elliott agreed with him. All three also urged the council to allow the young skateboarders to help design the mini-sites.

“I’d like to ask you to consider letting us take part,” Brandon said. “I’d like there to be mini-rails, ledges, curbs and a place to sit.”

John Calkins, an adult representative of the Ventura County Alliance for Skateboarders, also asked the council to let skateboarders help with the design. He said skateboarders have 465 plans--some of them hand-drawn and some computer-generated--of their favored ramps and ledges.

Councilwoman Rosa Lee Measures encouraged staff to take the skateboarders’ ideas into consideration when designing sites, and city staff scribbled down ideas as the boys spoke of pyramids, fun-boxes and rails.

The city estimates it will cost $100,000 to install the three mini-parks, and hopes to complete construction within three to six months. The council voted to allow staff to budget up to $130,000 for designing and installing the sites.

The City Council also voted to continue the search for a site for a larger citywide skateboard park. Possible sites include land proposed for a park in east Ventura and state-owned beachfront property. The city will keep $250,000 in city coffers to pay for a citywide skating park once a site is found.

In the past year, the city has passed ordinances banning skateboarding, in-line skating and bicycling in the historic downtown district--an area bounded by Ash and Poli streets, Ventura Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.

Skating and bicycling have also been banned from pedestrian walkways at six shopping centers and credit unions in the city.

The prohibitions were passed with the understanding that the city would give the skateboarders somewhere to practice. The city set aside $350,000 for the purpose.

But each proposed site drew opposition from neighbors.

On Monday night, city staff told the council that Cemetery Park--the latest proposed site--was inappropriate because unstable soil would make construction of a recreational facility infeasible.

Council members hope the plan for three smaller skating areas will provide a short-term solution, and give them time to find a more satisfactory long-term one.