I got an email alert about the grand opening of Sarasota’s Payne Park next Saturday. I got excited because my mother in-law lives in Sarasota and so I visit it on a regular basis. The existing skate park is fun, but nothing to write home about, so a little variety would be nice. It turns out that Sarasota isn’t getting another skatepark, it’s just phase two of the surrounding park facilities, which includes amphitheater, more tennis courts, a walking path (Whee!) and a “skateboard clubhouse,” whatever that means. Then I read that the skatepark fees would be waived for the day of the opening festivities and I really got mad. Sarasota has one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the southeastern US, but you have to pay to skate at that park. The land for the park? Donated outright. The construction costs? Paid for by a one percent sales tax. Public tennis courts? I think they are free, but for some reason, a facility that can be used kids from all demographics is pay-to-play. Absurd! It’s already annoying that the damn thing isn’t open on holidays or during school hours! I don’t know what the hell this “skateboard clubhouse” is supposed to be, but I’m guessing it’s part of the reason you have to pay to skate. Guess what Mayor Palmer, kids don’t want or need a skateboard clubhouse. It isn’t 1974 and Kristy McNichol isn’t going to show up. Kids (and a lot of adults) just want a place where they can for free without the bullshit of memberships and restrictive time constraints. Free skateparks open dawn to dusk? The rest of the country seems to be catching on, why not Sarasota? To top it off, it turns out they closed the entire skatepark for the month of August so they could build the rest of the park. That’s third of the time in the year when the park is open for semi-reasonable hours. Way to go geniuses. You can’t possibly even pretend to have the best interests of the Sarasota youth in mind.
7 comments
Chris
This park is now being managed by a non-profit who intends to hold after school programs to subsidize what they have to pay the city to manage the park per month. It’s backwards but at least now the non-profit can accept donations which has not been the case for the last 7 years. We will make this park free again. The fees were at $8 a day, the fees are now $5 a day. There’s a full shop in there now, concession & speakers out on course.
King of Crete Contest Saturday Dec. 18th 2010 @ p(A)yne skate park. Bowl/street/pool. $10 bones to register. Live art @ noon, contest @ 2 & live bands at dusk. Proceeds will go towards longer hours & eliminating user fees. Come shred!
skatebroke
you can find me in the skate clubhouse…i’ll conduct seminars in there, and make it a pay to entrance place…
Ash
Kilwag, go to Dunedin next time you’re there. About an hour away. Or, better yet, come to Denver. No inlaws here!
Hass
Pay to play is standard florida bs. Kilwag, have you skated the cocoa beach park yet? Pretty fun. And yeah that sarasota pool is tougher than kent III.
Kilwag
Yeah, that pool is hard, but I am bored of that park. I can still have fun there, but it’s not exactly the best design. It’s go the flow-type layout but it’s just not up to par. Smooth though. In general I’m not a fan of the parks that just get taller instead of deeper. But I know they had no choice (for the money) because they had to work against the high water table. Still, it’s too one sided. High on one side, low on the other. Just not my favorite park.
Ash
Geez? Are you bored with the pool there? That’s a replica of Hogan’s pool in CA. Hands down the toughest backyard replica in a skatepark. Donald is a cake walk in comparison.
Got yer check btw. Thanks! Will put you down for next issue.
brad
Kristy McNichol? Tatum O’Neil? “Little Darlings”? Spank!