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Page 4 of 6
Part 1: The Skatepark Advocacy Process
Public skateparks almost always follow a particular process. Though the details may change-some communities will struggle to find a site while others have a site but will struggle with funds-momentum builds as the advocate works through these and other challenges in roughly the same order that countless other skatepark advocates have before.
One Person
Every skatepark in America, probably even the world, started with a person who recognized the need and decided to do something about it. Conversely, skateparks don't happen without someone like this. The advocate is the most important element in the process-not money, not land, not the support of the neighborhood. All of those things come later. In the beginning, it's just one person.
Someone needs to start it. In North
Little Rock that someone was Oby Berry
(center).
Anyone just starting out will want to take a moment, relax, and think about how much time and energy they are willing to devote to seeing this happen. If the potential advocate is expecting a baby, going off to college in the fall, joining the armed services, or just tends to have very busy days filled with work, family, and friends, a skatepark advocacy project may not be a good fit. It will take lots of time and patience, sometimes more than three years to complete (that is, if no support or awareness among the community or its leadership exists at the outset). Imagine three years from now-does skateboarding and the skatepark idea seem like something that will still be important?
Several People
Most skatepark advocates work as teams ... a group may have as few as three people or sometimes they are quite large. Most people begin their skatepark project by assembling the people they're comfortable working with and taking stock of people's ability to commit to the project. Those who start the skatepark project are almost never the same people to finish it. Things happen, people move, lose interest, or get frustrated. New people show up with fresh ideas and new directions, and throughout all of this bridges are built and the efforts begin to yield results.
SKATER CENSUS
In any given community, roughly
4.6% will be casual skate-
boarders and
half of those will be weekly skaters. With only a general population
and region, one can get an approximate number of skateboarders easily
and quickly.
The advocacy group starts by seeking liaisons within their city and parks department. Contact information is going to be key to communicating and coordinating ideas. Reading city Web sites with interest will become a favorite pastime, while finding e-mail addresses and composing newsletters will become the reasons for not being able to go skating. During these early stages the people in the group who are not committed to the project will reveal themselves and probably become uninvolved. For many groups, this is the first challenge they will face.
Many People
Before long the group will attract the attention of key people in the city and parks department, who will gradually become educated about the need for a new skatepark. The advocacy group will essentially be creating new skatepark advocates "within" the city and parks department; by inviting them into the group and participating in the decisions, they become partners with everyone else invested in a successful outcome. Some-times it's difficult to get to this place. There is no shortage of advocates who feel that the most direct and efficient approach to being heard is with letters to the newspaper, petitions, and public demonstrations. But most seasoned skatepark advocates find that a collaborative tone with the city and parks department will provide a better entry point to the process; once a confrontational strategy is set, it may be difficult to build mutual trust later.
The Whole Community
The city and parks department may be hesitant to offer their support until they see proof that the community-at-large supports the idea. Very few people want their names associated with a controversial project, especially elected officials. When the group's focus turns to the public for support, they will confront an interesting (and often entertaining) array of stereotypes and preconceptions about skateboarding, skateboarders, and skateparks. Some advocates enjoy this part of the process very much; for others it can be terrifying. Public outreach involves giving presentations to groups of people, lots of writing, going to meetings, and-most importantly-listening.
The skatepark effort will raise awareness
and become a topic of public discussion.
As the community becomes aware of the skatepark project, the advocacy group will begin identifying potential sites for the new facility. The average person will have little interest in a skatepark as long as it isn't across the street from their house (like many people, we would like nothing more than to have a skatepark across the street from our house, but that's another matter). The advocates will identify the best sites using established criteria developed by advocates in other cities. As the site or sites are questioned, the advo-cacy group will be able to explain why a particular site is just right (or wrong). Most groups need to do this over and over wherever people are curious about the future skatepark.
Early Process
When the community seems to be accepting the desired site, the city and parks department will increase their support. Things may start getting a little out of the group's control as more technical interests become involved. A city attorney may question if a skatepark can be built at that site. Perhaps the site was donated to the city with a clause that it must maintain a passive setting. Maybe the park is privately owned and the Parks Department has little jurisdiction over its usage. These are the types of challenges the skatepark project will likely face at this stage. Involved advocates will often need to take a few steps back and, for many of them, this can feel like failure. Though it can be frustrating, anyone who has made it to this stage has demonstrated incredible commitment.
Every skatepark in America started with a person who recognized the need and decided to do something about it.
Is this a good place for a skatepark?
Would the the public support it here?
Will your community leaders get behind
it? There's only one way to find out.
At this point the advocates may encounter a chicken-and-egg scenario. One cannot begin real fundraising without a site but a site cannot be secured without some financial proof of the community's commitment to the new facility. The City may also require that the donations come from many sources, especially foundation or government grants. One cannot approve the site without a financial commitment, yet securing the financial commitment often requires a site. This conundrum can be avoided by talking with the city and parks department about the most favorable scenario, and discussing the challenges a skatepark might face in each instance. Acquiring land and planning uses is the city and parks department's specialty; advocates may rely on their expertise to determine the best way to proceed.
Mid Process
After the site is verbally approved by city or parks department officials, it will need to undergo a series of technical approvals and planning procedures performed by the parks department. Often a master plan is developed which may need to be approved by the parks board and surrounding community. In the master-plan process, the skatepark may somehow fall off of the map. Advocates will need to be there every step of the way to make sure this doesn't happen; the skatepark isn't a sure thing until there are people skating in it. When a master plan is approved (and includes a skatepark), fundraising starts.
Planning committees, public presen-
tations, and planning discussions fill the
advocate's time in the middle of the
process.
Few communities are willing to dedicate enough money to fully fund a quality skatepark. Some communities rely heavily on local skaters to show their commitment by helping to raise the funds. Others display more initiative and work with the skaters to identify grants and sponsors that can help fund the park. Usually this fundraising period is relatively brief and occurs simultaneously with other elements of the project. In other words, advocates might be raising money for a design while the city is drafting a grant application for a state grant and others are presenting the plan and asking for support from the neighboring community, and so on. This is sort of the grand finale of the effort. At this point most advocates will be seasoned experts on nearly all aspects of skatepark planning, and hopefully will be contributing to the next edition of this guide.
Late Process
By now the advocacy group has been promoting the skatepark project for anywhere from six months to two years, maybe longer, and probably has a short list of designers they believe will deliver the kind of design the community needs. The group will work with the city and parks department to outline the project in technical terms to ensure the new park meets expectations. This process applies the community's skateboarding needs to the established, bureaucratic public-works review process. Some find it exhilarating, others don't. Regardless, everyone will need to remain involved and attentive to the subtle changes that occur through this process, as they can sometimes produce undesirable results.
TIPS FOR ADVOCATES
If you are new to advocacy, here are six basic tips that you should consider.
As the process of hiring a designer gets underway, the whole project moves out of the advocate's hands and into the realm of the city's or parks department's bureaucracy. If everyone has been diligent, organized, and supportive along the way, then there should be little to do except attend design review meetings, draft policy, and keep people focused and the momentum going. The new skatepark is right around the corner!
That is the process in a nutshell. At this point most readers of this Guide know more about how skateparks are created than the average skater. Skatepark advocacy is incredibly challenging, but for most advocates it's also deeply rewarding. The Guide will supply all of the information, tools, and tips needed for a successful outcome.
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