Friday, January 15, 2010
Skatepark Location in Question
Posted by Mary Cashiola on Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 10:55 AM
If memory serves, the City Council appropriated $440,000 for a skatepark last year. (Or it might have been the year before?)
At any rate, last August, the city selected Glenview Park as the site for its first skatepark.
"We were trying to find a central location," Mike Flowers with park services said at the time. "Overton Park is full. We just can't cram any more in there. It would have been a great location, but it's full."
But it appears that some council members are wary of putting a skatepark in Glenview.
Last night, I was copied on an email from Skatelife Memphis founder Aaron Shafer to city council person Wanda Halbert, asking her to reconsider her position on the proposed Glenview skatepark.
Here, in part, are his comments:
Although skate parks are new to Memphis, skateboarders (Black, White, Asian and Hispanic) have been skating on Memphis' streets for many years. As I mentioned before, the three teenagers who skate on my backyard ramp from Central High are African American youth. This is no surprise, since as of 2004, skateboarding has become the third most popular activity among youth right now in the U.S. right behind football and basketball. ...It is not only a white American sport. 20 years ago this was mostly true, but it has radically changed and moved into the urban culture. It is an activity that has been established all over the world. As of 2007, Afghanistan, war torn Afghanistan, has been teaching children how to skate. Prior to an Australian skater visiting in 2007, they had never skated before but have learned very quickly, love it and now an Olympic training skate park is being built for the children there. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/sports/othersports/26skate.html) The activity is breaking age-old social boundaries between the poor and the privileged classes in Kabul. ...
Please also know that the foremost skateboarding organization, the Tony Hawk Foundation, has funded skate parks all over the world, including South Africa as well as the inner city of Los Angeles where the video I sent you was filmed. Skateboarding is quickly spreading because people like Tony and myself have experienced first-hand how this activity has kept us out of trouble growing up and are passionate about sharing it with youth knowing that it will do the same for them by providing them a intense workout and positive way for coping with the difficulties of growing up in less than ideal circumstances. Skating teaches kids focus and discipline needed for school and gives them a positive release, an escape from daily pressures. We all need this! The stats confirm our kids in their existing activities are not getting that release. As you know, 1/3 of them are obese.
I understand as well that Glenview is considered a historical park but I would like to let you know that a skate park is not any more disruptive to the land then the existing pool, baseball field, basketball court or community center that is already there. It will be a complement to the activities in place. Successful skate parks are located in parks where a full range of activities are available to the people in the immediate area. The type of proposed skate park does best where kids can walk to it from their houses. Glenview has this type of accessibility for small kids ...
For more, visit the Skatelife Memphis website. Also, the group will be building a halfpipe this Saturday at the Greenlaw Community Center.
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Why are they wary? Are they afraid they might f*** up and do something positive for a neighborhood?
If you want something more centrally located, put the Skatepark in the Overton Square parking lot now that the developers have backed out. In a perfect world, the owners of that property would donate the lot for this project (or grant usage for a veeeery long time) and watch those empty shops fill up with all kinds of cool stores and eateries for the skaters without having to raze the existing storefronts and put up something cheap and ugly.
Just thinking out loud.
It's always the same conversation in Memphis, over and over and....
what about the Bartlett/Cordova area. Kids are skating everywhere in Bartlett. They need a skatepark.
Need neighborhood skateparks. The Bartlett/Cordova area desparately needs a skatepark. Kids are skating everywhere now. Parking lots, schools, shopping centers, etc.
Glenview is a great location. It's really close to Cooper Young, but nobody really knows about it, because it's across a busy street and there are great parks at Overton. That said, I think this skatepark could be a good melting pot for Memphis youth (and the adult skaters, too.)
"Why are they wary? Are they afraid they might f*** up and do something positive for a neighborhood?
If you want something more centrally located, put the Skatepark in the Overton Square parking lot now that the developers have backed out. In a perfect world, the owners of that property would donate the lot for this project (or grant usage for a veeeery long time) and watch those empty shops fill up with all kinds of cool stores and eateries for the skaters without having to raze the existing storefronts and put up something cheap and ugly."
If we are going to take over the overton square parking lot for another city project, then we need to a least have a pavilion there for a central midtown farmers market. We need to incorporate both, but if we build on the parking lot then where will people park?
If you think Glenview is a fantastic location you should let Councilwoman Wanda Halbert know. It was her decision to shut down the location which has now stalled the project. If she is your Councilwoman and you would have like to have had a skate park in Glenview, than I would s suggest emailing her. Wanda.Halbert@memphistn.gov
Barn,
I love the Pavillion idea! I don't care where people park. They'll find a place. This city worries about people parking too much. Put in a bike rack cuz I'll be riding my bicycle :) zoom zoom
If Glenview is out, and the parking lot at overton square doesn't work out, what about in place of Beale Street Landing? Great location (on the river in Tom Lee Park), alot cheaper than the boat dock, and in demand. just wondering.
Just bulldoze the Pink Palace and put it there. Or raze The Coliseum. Or LeBonheur. Whatever. Just giterdun!
I am all for considering alternative locations. However, every time we pick a new site it means another year of someone scratching their heads to figure out if that will work. That's why this news is so disappointing because it takes forever to just get all the paperwork done for securing the location. We were literally months from breaking ground on this park.
Raze LeBonheur? Wow that's cold.
Raze 201 Poplar. Perfect site!
In all seriousness, airshafer is right. Wanda needs to be emailed. A LOT! She's toying with a very wonderful project.
Wanda could care less about the skatepark. My guess is that she was left out of the "gratuities" for getting the park built. Just a hypothesis.
It's truly sad that Shafer feels his biggest obstacle is convincing Halbert that black kids skate. Such a perfect reflection of everything that's holding this city back.
Like I said Bruce, the conversation never changes around here. Starts to get a little dull after a while hearing the same sh!t over and over.
Hold the presses! Black kids SKATE? What next? Desegregation of schools? Voting rights for women? This madness has to stop.
The CA is reporting "Opposition from Council's Halbert kills skatepark at Glenview Park"
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