Skateboard park supporters tell City Council of funding sources, crime stats

April 27, 2001
Santa Paula City Council

Supporters of a skateboard park appeared before the City Council to offer funding suggestions as well as to allay any concerns that such a recreational facility would draw crime.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesSupporters of a skateboard park appeared before the City Council to offer funding suggestions as well as to allay any concerns that such a recreational facility would draw crime.Laura Phillips and Marisue Eastlake, mothers of skateboard enthusiasts and leaders of the effort, showed off their Santa Paula Association of Skaters (SPAS) tee-shirts at the April 16 meeting before addressing hard issues of park creation.Phillips gave an update of financing, noting in her written report that SPAS although “recognizes that the city feels unable to fund the entire cost of a skate park,” grants and donations can “fill in the gaps” per the results of research.Four sources were identified, two state park grants, corporate donations, and a private foundation that would bring hundreds of thousands of dollars for skate park construction. The two state grants have guidelines for end use that match the goal of a local skate park, noted Phillips, and the two remaining sources also are a match for the local need.“As previously stated, SPAS has compiled just a preliminary list of potential funding sources. We are convinced financing can be obtained,” including local fund raisers when a skate park is, “at minimum conceptually approved,” Phillips concluded.
Eastlake noted that “SPAS is a little disappointed” that the City Council has not yet heard the positive recommendations of the Recreation Commission made at their March 26 meeting.A professional writer, Eastlake offered her services in grant writing for a skate park, but centered her presentation on crime statistics related to such facilities.“The most important thing to note is that location is everything,” said Eastlake, to provide visibility and easy accessibility in a high traffic area not known for criminal activity. Parks should be fenced-in, have rules posted and enforced, the latter “particularly important in the early days,” and then drops off.Eastlake interviewed officials of various city parks and law enforcement and presented the written results to the council, which demonstrated no significant negative impacts through the actions of users or outsiders victimizing skaters.Parks have not experienced territorial problems when an outsider attempts to use the facility, Eastlake added, nothing when she and her son, Casey, visited a skate park in Carpinteria . “The first thing they said to him is ‘Where’s your board?’ This was to someone they’d never seen before.”



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