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Wednesday, 19 September 2007 |
How the skatepark is approved will largely be determined by the entities that own the land, will plan and manage its creation, and will maintain it once it’s completed. These may be completely different groups. It can quickly become very confusing. Some towns are small enough that they don’t have large bureaucratic parks departments, which makes advocacy much easier. Larger cities, especially those with outlying metropolitan areas and suburbs, are often so vast in scope that it takes a different person to approve each minor step in
the process.
The first step is to identify the departments and/or individuals who will be most important to the effort by getting on the city’s Web site or asking around. Many cities have community workshops and meetings for discussing civic projects. Advocates should consider attending one of these meetings just to see it in action; in a few months it will be the skatepark project being discussed and it won’t hurt to have an early idea of what to expect.
Most cities have a city council. This body is usually composed of representatives from each area of town, and they will require much of the skatepark advocacy group’s attention. A map of the city will be useful and help the group understand what areas are under which Council member’s jurisdiction. Before too long, the group of skate advocates will know each of these people. City Council advises the mayor on major issues and is often required to approve major projects. City Council officials are elected and do not generally like to make unpopular decisions (especially if the project discussed is in their district). City Council members can be young or old. Some may even have kids that skate, or maybe even be skaters themselves (it’s been known to happen).
The advocacy group should put a lot of effort toward building a relationship with the Parks and Recreation Department (or P&RD). The advocates will work closely with a person from whichever committee or department is responsible for creating and supporting recreation facilities in the area. It is likely that several good relationships will develop between the advocates and individuals within the P&RD, including the chief planner, the maintenance supervisor, and the public relations liaison. The more you can learn about these people now, the easier it will be to establish a positive relationship later. Do the homework, get on their Web sites, and get to know your representatives!
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 September 2007 )
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