FREMONT SKATEBOARD PARK

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Permalink Reply by fremonter on June 8, 2010 at 2:53pm

Well, Valeria, I think it was a great idea to start this discussion here. Based on your post, this doesn't sound like a good idea to me, or a prudent use of public funds. Did the notice that you received from the City say when the Council or the Planning Commission would be discussing the project, or has it already been approved? I haven't seen anything about it in the local media, such as it is.

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Permalink Reply by valeria barbero on June 8, 2010 at 3:35pm

Hello Fremonter, thanks for your reply. The project has already been approved and they want to break ground as soon as possible. I will be speaking this evening at the City Council asking them to reconsider the project. I spoke with the project manager at the parks and recreation this morning and really this project is being pushed by a skateboard shop owner (Caliskatz) in Fremont and a small group of skateboarders. The city has not done any study on how many skateboarders are there in Fremont or how many teens will actually use the facility in the future. Their response to why building a skatepark was that most cities of Fremont's size have one. In times of such economic hardship it strikes me as very poor planning to sink more than $2,000,000 in a project that can serve such a small share of the population. According to the typical skater profile and my own calculations based on that, a maximum of 2.8% of Fremont's population are skaters, but the real figure is probably much lower. It looks like the city has kept this really quiet because nobody knows about it and only the skaters were invited to give their input on the project. The neighbors were never notified or just invited to give their input. Moreover, the city has not done an environmental impact study or has plans for the park's policing or supervision. I only came to know of it last week and I am very disappointed in how the city handled this. I am sure that, aside from the neighbor's legitimate complaints, much more people in Fremont would not agree with this project if they actually knew about it. There are so many improvements needed at the library or teen center or the schools and these would serve a much wider share of the Fremont population. Please help me spread the word about this ill conceived project as most people are completely unaware of it. I know that the funding for the project will come from the Capitol Improvement Project and the total projected cost will be $2,042,000. Thank you!

fremonter said:

Well, Valeria, I think it was a great idea to start this discussion here. Based on your post, this doesn't sound like a good idea to me, or a prudent use of public funds. Did the notice that you received from the City say when the Council or the Planning Commission would be discussing the project, or has it already been approved? I haven't seen anything about it in the local media, such as it is.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Fifield on June 10, 2010 at 11:32am

I agree! My home is about 300 feet (340 feet according to the City) from the site for this proposed skateboard park. The parking area, specifically designated for this skateboard park is probably less than 250 feet from my home. I understand that the plan is to have this free skateboard park opened until at least 10 pm, everyday of the year. Activity by skateboarders will jeopardize a peaceful living space of more than 24 years as sound travels when there aren't any sound barriers blocking our clear line of sight.

I was not made aware of this planned development until only recently (and that was only by accident), apparently long after the City had already made decisions. All of the other developments that have taken place in this area were noted well in advance to the neighbors through direct mail, including the waterpark, which is even further away from our homes. (While most of us have double windows and can't hear road noises from nearby Paseo Padre Parkway, we have all heard the excessively loud announcements from the city-controlled waterpark PA system, long after they opened.)

Skateboard parks draw an element that may better be kept under control near a police station. The previous skateboard park in Fremont was in such a spot. The City admitted that they had drug and graffiti problems at that location, even though it bordered the backyard of the police station. Now without our vote, the City chooses to move it about a mile away from the police station into our neighborhood. It doesn't take much to project that the drug and graffiti problems are going to escalate by orders of magnitude. Simply accessing skateboard web postings dominated by that age group reveals that they try to see what they can get away with and then spread the word among themselves.

The permanent skateboard park in nearby Union City is situated directly across from the front entry to the police station, an unobstructed 200 feet away. During my brief visit, it did seem to be a gathering spot for questionable activity other than skateboarding. It was surprising to see graffiti very visible in at least one of the bowls and on some of the walls. It may not be outrageous for a skateboard park, but I'm sure that it has to be an embarrassment to be so close to the police station. (Probably the only thing more embarrassing would be to have graffiti all over the police station itself.)

If police can't even handle the graffiti problem in their own front yard, at a mile away from the nearest police station, we don't have a chance. Everything from drugs to loud music has been acknowledged by the residents of Golden Gate Park as they fight off a skateboard park too close to their homes (San Francisco Examiner April 25, 2010 => www.sfexaminer.com/local/Polemic-skate-park-rolls-along-91977939.html).

No one can guarantee that 100% of the attendees in and around skateboard parks will never be a problem 100% of the time and all it takes is one to ruin it for all. But even if we assume that 100% of skateboarders are the most responsible group on this planet and must be accommodated, the proposed Fremont skateboard park site is not in the best location for them. It is much further away than the previous skateboard park (that they had in Fremont for years) from the existing Teen Center, library, soccer fields, baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, eating establishments, businesses, downtown, main artery (Stevenson Blvd), BART, parkranger station, as well as the police station. The only thing the proposed skateboard park is close to is the homes of residents who only want to maintain the peace and quiet of the status quo.

I would think that skateboarders would not want to be bombarded with constantly complaining neighbors, but have their own area, where they can do what they want and be as loud as they want. There are several sites closer to the existing Teen Center (and yet away from homes), that are better suited and more likely to result in a "win-win". It would be much more conducive to gatherings to consolidate the Teen Center and the Skateboard Park in one package to allow participants to conveniently go back and forth between the two events.

Many Fremont residents believe that the skateboard park approved years ago, still exists right next to the police station (and why not, the signs are still posted there). If that site is no longer big enough, there is over an acre of land right next to the existing Teen Center, immediately north off Sailway Drive. Substantial parking is conveniently right there as are restrooms. The parking area, along with Sailway Drive actually splits this area apart from the rest of the park, so it presently gets very little usage. I heard that the City did not want to disrupt this spot for a skateboard site because, "they already put a sprinkler system in". With the peace and quiet of residents and the drive for skateboarders to be as rowdy as they want until at least 10 pm everyday in mind, this is no excuse not to place the skateboard park right there. Other than the Teen Center, the closest buildings are businesses and all of these are much further than 300 feet away. An existing storage facility provides an additional buffer.

A free skateboard park will always be a financial burden rather than an economic generator. If the City is not willing to go through the effort to make it fit on a site sensibly away from residences and reasonably close to the police station, then a skateboard park presents too many risks. I'm all for giving teenagers a place that constructively builds character, but the sales pitches from the City are being contradicted by the facts. If the police don't want a skateboard park in their backyard, then I certainly wouldn't want it in my front yard. I seek a "win-win", not a "lose-lose". If the skateboard site isn't at least moved away from where it disturbs residents, this will be another experiment gone awry and may result in the City Counsel Members regretful that they allowed it in the first place as they did in Livermore (www.skateparkcentral.com/News/Print%20Valley%20Times%203-31-2002.pdf ) and then even more taxpayer money may have to be spent to close it down.

What can we do now to have this proposed skateboard park moved elsewhere or taken off the development list?


Bob Fifield

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Permalink Reply by Yolanda Bai on June 10, 2010 at 4:42pm

Not surprised that our city has again planned on doing something without letting residents whose daily lives may be adversely affected by the project know about it. It's amazing how they could keep certain group of people out of the loop, or give misleading information and yet gathering supporters from all over the place the same time. Is this how our government show their considerations for its residents and voters?

Just as the mayor said, "in this time of dire need", shouldn't we conserve and re-use the old place if there is indeed much needs for a place? Wouldn't it cost less to re-use the old place? Couldn't the money be better spent elsewhere? I don't think Fremont skaters who want a park would or could say that the only place they want to be was the place right next to the water park. Central Park's parking space alongside Paseo Padre Pkway is really limited, hard to find parking at summer time. Adding another facility probably would take parking space away from the Central Park parking area.

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