There has been a lot of talk lately about “public options”. The public option I am writing about today is one that actually has more in common than you might think with the one being discussed by our politicians and media. I am talking about a 15 acre indoor/outdoor public skatepark which would be located on the corner of Post Rd. and Croton Rd. The park would be built by respected park builders Team Pain and would consist of an outdoor concrete plaza and bowl as well as an indoor section constructed of Canadian birch. The park would be non-profit with only a minimal membership fee to cover insurance. It would be open to skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX freestyle riders and would be supervised by responsible adults with the desire to improve our community and mentor our youth.
More and more cities across the country have begun to see the benefit of having a public skatepark. As far as skateparks go, Brevard has a wide variety of options, as noted in a previous article here on Space Coast Vibe. However, all of the parks discussed are spread out across the county and most require a per session fee to skate. The pay per session model is a popular option and has been fairly successful in Brevard. The difference with this public park, other than the cost to the customer, is the benefit to the community in which the park is built. Much like a public insurance option benefits the individuals in the demographic that needs it the most (i.e. the people who cannot afford insurance) a public skatepark will benefit the underprivileged youth who cannot afford to participate in more expensive mainstream activities. With the cost coming out to around five dollars a month it is an affordable option for all. This a concept where an investment by our local government as well sponsor support not only benefits the community directly by the effects it has on its youth, but will also benefit the community for years to come by the income generated by tourist dollars.
This leads me to the financial benefit to the community made possible by a park such as the one currently being proposed by Julie Cain. Julie is the owner of “The Park”, a non-profit indoor skate park located just south of the 192 causeway, off of U.S. Highway 1. She opened her current skatepark in October of 2007 and has been a positive force in the local community with activities such as skate church, summer skate camp and “boarding school”, a comprehensive after school program. Not only has Julie brought skate related programs to the community, but has also featured programs such as “Art at Large” which gives local graffiti artists an opportunity to showcase their underappreciated skills and creativity in a legal and pro-active manner. Julie has already secured the support of ASA Entertainment which will bring televised events that will air on all the major networks as well as ESPN, MTV and Fuel. Events of this caliber will bring in revenue for small businesses across the county.
When you look at the cultural and financial benefits of the proposed park it is hard to argue against it. The primary opposition usually comes from the perceived image of the average skateboarder. This is, unfortunately, an image that was created by my generation. I have run from more than my share of security guards and grinded more than my share of public property. That said, the closest skatepark to my hometown was two hours away and cost money to skate once you managed to get there. So the destructive behavior of my youth could have been drastically reduced had there been a place to do the thing that I loved most. Of course, there are still those skaters out there who will choose the street and not the park, but they are the minority. The majority of skateboarders are just average teenagers that just happen to skate instead of playing baseball, football or soccer. Some of them actually enjoy those sports as well, so why should the county provide places to enjoy those activities and not this one?
All of these other sports provide not only physical activity for an overly obese generation, but also provide a chance to be mentored by responsible adult role models. The addition of a skatepark also encourages this mentoring role in a sport where it has long been absent. The number of adults returning to skating because their kids are now interested is growing every day. This negative perception of the skateboarder that has been cultivated for the past several decades has become less the reality and more the stereotype. The best way to change this is to show them the reality. This “public option” will do exactly that. It will bring the family and community support to skateboarding that more mainstream sports have enjoyed for years.
Julie Cain has already done most of the foot work for this park, with the city already on board with a letter of approval and endorsement and the grant writing in progress all we need to do now is show how much support this park has in the community. Your opportunity to do this will happen on Wednesday November 4th at the Wickham Park advisor meeting. The meeting will take place at the Wickham Park Senior Center and will start promptly at 6:30pm. So now is your chance to get involved in a project that will benefit our community in many ways for years to come. We need parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, small business owners and community leaders to attend and make sure that their voices are heard.
