Ordinary community parks are created following a typical process. It’s important that skatepark advocates understand this process in order to save time, avoid mistakes, or become impatient during particular stages.
Unfortunately they’re not making any more land. In and around metropolitan areas this is especially true. While land is becoming more valuable everywhere, so are people becoming more sensitive to “quality of life.” This is putting increasing pressure on Parks Departments everywhere, as every square foot of public lands is accounted for. Somebody, somewhere, has the deed to a property, plus there are myriad zoning and environmental regulations. Sometimes land is available that just isn’t suitable for a park. So park assets become as valuable to a Parks Department as the home is to a homeowner. The Parks Department is both planner and steward for their own interests as well as those of the surrounding community. This is the culture in which the skatepark advocate must be active.
Acquiring new land is often the first step to creating a new park. There are many ways this can happen. The plot might be donated, bought with capital funds, or purchased through a partnership of varying complexity (with all the requirements that may come with partnerships).
Any plot of land, whether it’s owned by the city or not, undergoes a feasibility study. These surveys are generally performed by landscape architects and are intended to outline what restrictions, constraints, and opportunities may exist for the specific area. The study will cover a broad range of perspectives from political (zoning and ordinances), fiscal (available infrastructure and community need), to environmental (wetlands and topography). This type of study will not usually offer specific recreational recommendations or seek public input, but will probably indicate whether the space is suitable for recreational development. Feasibility studies are like plot “inventories” that describe the designated area in technical terms.
When a plot is considered for a possible community park, often before it is purchased, a thorough assessment of its applicable uses is studied by those agencies tasked with environmental concerns. One group might look at the plot’s adjacency to watersheds or any wetlands, while others might be guardians for old growth forests and native habitat. Once the possible (or impossible) uses are identified from a legal standpoint, park planners can start considering the land for development.
The development process is initiated with the master plan for that space. Master plans first consider the topographical survey to establish the plot’s boundaries and access points, and combine that with the earlier environmental survey described above. These create the design parameters for the creative work.
At this point the neighboring community is often consulted to gauge their desires. The architect or park planners will ask about the community’s interests in particular activities, values, and self-identity. Usually this will occur at a public meeting held at a municipal building, school, fire station, library, or other public space. Occasionally this “info gathering” effort will stretch over several meetings at different times to net as many people from the community as possible. As a skatepark advocate, this is the single most important meeting to show up to. Bring all friends, parents, kids, and neighbors who support the creation of a skatepark.
Park planners and the architects they hire for these projects are extremely sensitive to community feedback. Parks are funded largely by tax dollars and, like everybody, parks officials seek to be responsible with this trust and avoid controversy. Public outreach is often mandated by their charters, and the creation of a new park is a great, positive way to exhibit this kind of “your tax dollars at work” message. It’s a lot of work for the parks department, but it’s fun for the community.
The planners and/or architects will return with a concept drawing showing an overhead view of the park, as requested by the public, usually within a month or two of the initial meeting. Frequently the planner will present two or three different versions, each tailored to a different park character. One might be designed more for active use and contain ball fields, a swimming pool, climbing rock, skatepark, and bike paths. Another might be designed to attract passive or reflective uses and have things like water features, seating, grand lawns, a sculpture garden, and community center. The third could have an emphasis on the natural environment and feature trails, interpretive signage, vista views, an estuary, and an educational center.
This is often where the community turns from the Parks Department and toward each other to discuss the different uses. Naturally, all of these concepts can’t be included in the park, so some tough decisions need to be made. Eventually the details get sorted out and the community decides on one of the versions with a list of changes. Again, nothing is final at this point; the goal is to establish a vision for the park space.
The final proposal will be presented about a month or so later. It should incorporate all of the community changes and those technical requirements that the structure of the space might mandate, such as natural drainage, vehicle access, topographical landmarks or wetlands, and so on. The drawing should look like a park ready to be built and is essentially the park’s master plan.
After the final concept proposal is approved by the community—generally at a meeting held for that sole purpose—the planners will establish a strategy for creating the things in that plan. The improvements, especially in cash-poor communities, will sometimes be arranged into phases. It is difficult to gather 12-million dollars, for example, for an immense capital improvement, but it may not be quite as challenging to round up 2-million dollars for a baseball diamond, grading, and nature trails. When the park development strategy is drafted it is sometimes submitted to the public for approval. This is another valuable meeting for the skatepark advocate, because while the skatepark may be on that earlier master plan—there’s no guarantee that it will ever be built … especially if it’s not slated for creation in the next phase of development. (Many features on master plans never become reality, as public opinion changes more quickly than parks are refurbished.)
When the Phase-One elements are identified and approved, fundraising begins; the Parks Department is probably vigilantly seeking funding opportunities year-round, regardless of what is currently under development. If a skatepark has made it this far, the Parks Department may look to the group for a fundraising contribution or commitment, which often ranges anywhere between $5,000 to $100,000. Once fundraising begins, the skatepark is almost certain to
be completed.
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