Get Rolling on Skateboard Park

For a skateboarder, few things are as alluring as a public bench or the gentle slopes of concrete railings. For the rest of us, though, few things are as annoying as having a weaving swarm of skateboarders blocking the entrance to a mall or zipping out into traffic. It’s the age-old conflict between kids having a good time and driving everyone else nuts in the process.

That’s the debate in Santa Clarita, where the City Council is considering building a park designed as a skater’s paradise full of bowls, fun boxes and quarter-pipes. In other words, a park full of cement pits and ramps where skateboarders can get their kicks and leave their old haunts alone--a relief to some merchants who complain about the property damage and loss of business caused by crowds of skateboarders. This sort of project has been successful in other Southern California cities.

Already, Santa Clarita has identified a spot: the MetroLink station on Soledad Canyon Road. And, the city has some seed money: a $32,811 grant from Los Angeles County. Now, the city should move ahead and get the project rolling. At a meeting last week, the council ordered city staff to study whether the park should be free or charge admission.

A well-built park could cost anywhere from $60,000 to $300,000, only a portion of which would come from public funds. The rest would have to be raised by the community. That includes the kids who would eventually use it. Getting the skateboarders involved in the funding and design process helps ensure a sense of public ownership that prevents vandalism or abuse.

In addition, the city should charge a small use fee--enough to keep out idle troublemakers, but not so much to discourage use by as many skaters as possible. The proceeds could be used for maintenance or even to develop new facilities. At the same time, the city should crack down on kids who insist on skating in parking lots.

The bottom line is that skateboarders use bus benches as jumps because there are few other places to practice their sport. Cities build baseball diamonds, soccer fields and basketball courts. A skateboard park is no different. The neighborhoods of Santa Clarita sell themselves as friendly to families. Building a skateboard park demonstrates that friendliness extends to kids of those families too.