$ for Public Skateboard Parks

By Tom Miller

Nearly every town today provides public skateboard parks - except Portland. At right is the world-class public skateboard park in Donald, Oregon, population 750. At Sam's urging, City Council directed a total of $248,000 to two public skateboard park projects. One is in Pier Park, St. Johns, the other in Glenhaven Park, Roseway Neighborhood.

In concert with skatepark funding, Sam also helped pass an ordinance that secures sites and calls for development of 19 skateparks citywide by 2020. This is the nation's most comprehensive plan for skatepark development.

re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by Will Powers on Sat, 01/14/2006 - 10:52pm.

Sick Roll-in Tom! That shallow is steep.

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by Steve on Sun, 01/15/2006 - 9:08am.

Do we have an alternative use for these parks when skateboarding is not a fad anymore?

When I was a kid everyone had to have a skateboard, then for about 15 years you couldn't find one.

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by Lane Inman on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 11:29pm.

Must be over 40...
As a 35 year old PhD wielding professional, I dont think I've ever seen them not present in Portland. Love them or hate them, they've been around for a while. Skated when 13-15 as a way to get to work, stopped, but always knew a skater.
Not to say it wont disappear, but it is definitely a bit more than a "fad."
-Lane

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by Steve on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 8:03am.

If it not a fad, it has a limited user group. Do the skateboarders contribute anything to building these parks?

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by Tom Miller on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 2:51pm.

The links below provide some background. Also, it may be useful to know the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association reports that skateboarding is more popular nationally than tennis.

http://www.skatersforpublicskateparks.com/
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?a=96344&c=40148

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by Steve on Thu, 01/19/2006 - 11:20am.

"may be useful to know the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association reports that skateboarding is more popular nationally than tennis."

Gee, I guess that explains why we are not building all of those tennis (and basketball, football and baseball) fields.

Any way we can charge a user's fee to skateboarders to fund these things since it is a narrow user base (I assume 12-25 y/o males)?

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by paul on Sun, 01/22/2006 - 6:12pm.

Steve,

No more than basketball players contribute to the bball courts, tennis players pay fees for upkeep of tennis course, dog walkers are assessed for trails and open space, families docked for playgrounds, etc. etc.

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by Steve on Sun, 01/22/2006 - 6:41pm.

You've never heard of SDCs or property taxes by owners who usually live close by? Most of those other facilities are used by a wide range of people, while most skateboarders are 12-25 y/o males exclusively.

In addition, probably a lot more males race cars, so should we should build racetracks or motocross tacks with tax dollars?

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re: $ for Public Skateboard Parks

Submitted by john prentice on Mon, 01/23/2006 - 10:31am.

Steve,

look, above someone posted evidence that tennis is now less popular that skateboarding.

that's apparently not enough for you. it's the "range" of people that use a facility? so facilities used by a tiny but "wide" range of people, like tennis courts,are ok to support with public dollars, but not facilities like skateboarding parks used by a large but "narrow" range?

sure, SDCs and property taxes by people *immediately* next to a park. that is irrelevant to this discussion.

your basic point is that you want to discriminate against one segment of our population--12-25 year old males (not 'exclusively' by the way--you really need to go down to the burnside park and see who uses is).

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