For the first time I was left utterly speechless

[Broomjockey]

Am I the only one who is thinking that a petition for a city-run skatepark would be logical?

Joe pointing out that one exists already aside, it's actually not quite as logical as you're thinking. Something like that would either have to be started as a private endevour, or go through the college's PR department, where RedHawk wouldn't be able to touch it with a 10 ft pole. Considering it took months for them to just install grindblockers, I can't see the college doing it any time soon. After the college starts on it though, they'd actually have to get businesses to sign on. If they actually manage to meet the percentage of the population required for city council to even look at the petition, then city council would have to look at it, weigh the merits, costs, and alternatives to it. If approved, they'd then have to decide where to place it, meaning a city zoning issue, and meetings on that. Then funding has to be considered. Taxes? Admissions fees? Sponsorships? Finally after all that, they can get bids on designs and construction. And then actually build the thing.

I believe the entire process, if similar to my city, should take roughly 2 years before ground is broken. That's another 2 years of putting up with this, with no guarantee they'll even use it.

[tphillip]

The nuts should be welded on.

While you're waiting go get some of the red Loctite (277 IIRC). They'll be jumping up and down on the ratchet and it'll go nowhere after it sets.

[bunnyboy]

Am I the only one who is thinking that a petition for a city-run skatepark would be logical?

Given the places I've been, I wouldn't trust people in a city government to place a Skate Park... We've been having problems in Seattle for a while now because as one parent put it, they just wanna make the Boarders easier to abduct. (out of the five places around Seattle they were thinking of putting the park including where the midway of Seattle Center was, the chose the one that was not viewable from the street, not viewable from the rest of the park, and was someplace where there wasn't any lights to ensure kids got home safe.)

Well that and Street Skaters hate parks since 90% of it is vert.

[DevilBoy]

Kids these days got some balls...

It's not that they have balls, it's what they don't have..... brains.

[Jester]

Great analysis, Broomjockey. But you forgot a couple things. Once the park is built, they still have to spend money on staff (especially if there are going to be minors present, which is virtually guaranteed) and power for lights (if they are going to be open after dark, which seems likely).

[Crazeyal]

Okay.. tried to say this earlier, but the site crashed for me...

I'm having a real problem understanding why you didn't detain and have these people arrested. Getting their ID, having a Police report on record, and them being barred from the property would be the logical thing to do in that instance. Is there some sort of management issue that I'm not aware of? I've seen security guards so hamstrung by regulations that they had to LITERALLY watch a crime being committed before they could act.. but this is a campus, is it not?

The job of a security guard is whatever a client states it is. It seems to me, that identifying and preventing vandalism would be job one. These morons were PROMISING to commit vandalism... I'm just not understanding why that isn't a reason for police involvement. Perhaps they wouldn't have been charged with anything, but having been offically identified, they certainly would be questioned when the grind blocks turn up missing!

[cawaker]

heh, i hate to admit it, but as a skater I've done similar stuff. but its was much more subtle.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Many moderately-sized communities in the States already have skateparks, or areas in public parks set aside for skateboarding or BMX biking. Such as my crappy little town of 35,000.

Now building a community pool/aquatic center on the other hand....(long story short: the old outdoor pool is, well, old and in need of lots of repairs, so the city proposed to build a new pool/aquatic center with waterslides, a lazy river, etc, a site for it was chosen by the voters, but eventually the powers that be decided to move the center to where the outdoor pool is now, the private fundraising groups haven't been able to raise enough money for grants and such and there's a big public pissing match between the city, which says the center is too expensive to expect tax increases to fund it and it's a "want" as compared to a "need", and various people who think the city eats babies and hates kids and argue "If it were a prison we'd have no trouble raising money for it!" Heh, I guess that turned out pretty long after all.)

[DGoddessChardonnay]

The nuts should be welded on.

The nuts on the benches or the vandals-to-be's.

[jerkface11]

Am I the only one who is thinking that a petition for landmines would be logical?
I'm sure this is not the only area that skateboarders/rollerbladers/BMXers are riding at, so other businesses are likely having the same problem and would surely like to see the kids gone.
Sure the petition would take a lot of leg-work, but with the right amount of determination someone would hopefully listen, and more importantly you wouldn't have to deal with the kids anymore.
Hell, find the right business and they might even be willing to front a bit of cash for the mines.

I actually feel bad for these kids that they have nowhere to go to partake in the sport they love doing.
Imagine if you loved playing football and you were constantly being kicked out of parks because your cleets were mucking up the grass, and that there was nowhere else to play a good game.
It's a lot of work but it's an idea.

If it's something that you would ever consider try looking into skate shops around your city and talking to the owners about it.

Or you can just keep repeating the same issue of kicking them off the property every day.

[Broomjockey]

Okay, we're getting very far afield here. It's not RedHawk's responsibility to find the 'boarders a place to go, it's his job to make sure they don't damage the property, and it's been pointed out that there *is* a proper place for these people to go to. Please keep further conversation contained to the boarders in the original post *planning* vandalism, or personal experiences with problem boarders.

[RetailWorkhorse]

Well now we got that part....... Need a truck, and at least one more person to help?

/me offers truck

Meet me at the corner and bring a generator.


Actually, I'm sorta amazed that they would even go to all the trouble of taking the silly thing off. But then I don't see why I should waste energy when I don't have to.

[One-Fang]

The nuts on the benches or the vandals-to-be's.

Twitter. That joke was, like, so yesterday!

[PepperElf]

my own suggestion.... just ban their use ANYWHERE on campus. Carrying them around would be OK cos they could be carrying them off the camups, but... "due to safety concerns and rising insurance costs, skateboarding and roller-skating will no longer be allowed on campus. Violators will be issued a campus ticket (if you can do that) and will have the board or skates confiscated for destruction. Please forward any complaints to go-to-the-skatepark-you-freaking-whiner@getalife.com."

And... include the rule that being caught using them on campus will result in confiscation of the skateboard. Followed by the skateboard's destruction. Conducted with the former owner watching of course (to hurt their feelings, and to verify that the board wasn't just confiscated and given to someone in the staff).


Ok maybe not the email slapdown but... sure just ban the whole freaking thing. Sounds like a college campus so... it's either privately owned or state-owned.... so, if you can get official legal permission for the ban, the kids can cry and break the rules.... and then they can have their expensive boards broken into little bits.

I'm having a real problem understanding why you didn't detain and have these people arrested.

that too. from my old college days the campus police (Public security) did have that ability if my memory is correct. (state college)