TCC Agenda for July 18, 2007

Additional Information:

Item 211 - Tierrasanta Skate Board Park

The following information is pertinent to the discussion of building a skate board park in Tierrasanta.

Vision:

· Skateboarding is happening … with or without a Skate Park.

· Skateboarders need a safe place to recreate.

Recreating at a Skate Park is better and safer than in the streets or at our shopping centers.

· Skate Parks give children options and help to displace other less desirable activities.

The Skate Park will be “the” place to go after school.

· Stake Parks, designed and built properly, are relatively cheap as they require very little maintenance.

· The cost to participate in skateboarding is very cheap, making it accessible to every economic class.

Unlike, say, tennis.

Statistics:

· Running the numbers, skateboarding is the most popular activity for today’s youths:

There are maybe 400 who play baseball in Tierrasanta

There are maybe 800 who play soccer in Tierrasanta

But statistics say 16% of America’s youth are skateboarders, which means there are over 5,000 skateboarders in Tierrasanta.

· Nationally there are some 13 million skateboarders in the country; this is one out of seven between the ages of 5 and 24.

· Nationally, 94% of skateboarders are younger than 24 years old.

Social Values:

· Skateboarding requires very little money to get started, but it requires dedication and discipline to become proficient.

· Skateboarding is an incredible cardio-vascular recreational activity.

· Skate Parks are known for having an unspoken behavioral norm: one of civility and respect. Older age children mentor the younger children, and people wait their turn.

Design:

· The demand of 5,000 children calls for a Skate Park about 20,000 to 24,000 square feet in size.

· Ideally a Skate Park of this size would include lighting, spectator seating and 16 parking spots.

· The Skate Park could be made up of multiple “Skate Spots” which are about 3,000 to 5,000 square feet in size.

· Concrete is the most expensive method of construction but it is the wisest choice in terms of maintenance and durability.

· Maintenance costs for concrete Skate Parks are practically zero. Wood or pre-fab Skate Parks cost less to build but require much more maintenance over the years.

Location:

· The best way to mitigate undesirable behavior is to build the Skate Park in plain view of the greater community.

· The cheapest way to acquire land for the Skate Park is to use land already owned by the City. This suggests the Community Park (Rec Center) or a neighborhood park.

· A central location with ample parking is better than a peripheral location with street parking.

Liability:

· Bicycling, a relatively safe exercise, had over 150,000 emergency room visits in 2004 with over 10,000 hospitalizations required.

· Skateboarding had about 50,000 emergency room visits in 2004 with about 764 hospitalizations required.

· The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission noted the highest odds of injury, by sport, are (in order): boxing, snowboarding, surfing, skiing, cheerleading, wrestling, water skiing, mountain biking, ice skating, riding horses, hunting, tackle football, ice hockey, soccer, softball, touch football, basketball, racquetball, baseball, volleyball, tennis, and finally skateboarding.

Cost:

· Estimated costs of $40 per square foot in 2007 means we need about $1,000,000 to build a 24,000 square foot Skate Park.

· There are a variety of ways to obtain or raise this sum.

· Tierrasanta’s facilities benefits assessment (FBA) funds probably can cover some of this cost.

· About $25,000 will come from the Tony Hawk Foundation.

· The kids who want a Skate Park will help raise much of the money.