Vancouver on the move
The City of Vancouver, Washington/Clark County Parks (Yeah, I’m confused too) has set up a web page for finding all their (sanctioned) skate spots and parks. It’s got links to pages with specific information about each spot, such as operating hours, directions and individual contact information for concerns an information. A lot of park districts have web sites with information about skateparks, but usually they aren’t centrally collected and you have to know the name of the park to find it. So, hats off to Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation, even if the supervisor didn’t want to use one of my photos in a newsletter with a credit to Skate and Annoy because he thought we promoted cursing and drinking alcohol. True story. In a moment of weakness I agreed to let them use it and credit it to me personally, all for free of course. What was I thinking? They ought to thank Parks Communications Specialist Jilayne Jordan for presenting a more human and less robot-with-stick-in-orifice face to the public. Just so we’re straight here, Jordan lobbied for using the picture, and she’s been helpful to the Pacific Community Skatepark (obviously) and to Skate and Annoy as well in providing us information to disseminate to you.
Enough petty whining. Vancouver-Clark has three new parks/spots planned for this year! Details after the jump.
From Vancouver-Clark County Park District
HELP GET MORE SKATE SPOTS DEVELOPED
Every year, Clark County and the city of Vancouver work with the public to design new neighborhood parks. Through mailed comment forms, Web pages and public meeting, we ask neighbors to tell us what they’d like to see in these new parks. One option for most of these parks is including a small skate spot.
This year, three new parks are being designed. If you live the Image, Lake Shore/West Hazel Dell or Truman neighborhoods, we want to hear from you! Comment forms have been distributed for these parks and public meetings will occur in May and June. If you want to see more skate spots in parks, we strongly encourage you and your friends to get involved in this process (especially by attending the public meetings), and make your voice heard.
Lauren Neighborhood Park (Image neighborhood)
NE 124th Avenue at NE 33rd Street
Vancouver, WA
Contact Terry Snyder, Terry.Snyder@ci.vancouver.wa.us, (360) 619-1117 to get involved
Lakeshore Neighborhood Park (West Hazel Dell neighborhood)
NW 99th Street at NW 21st Avenue
About 10 blocks west of Columbia River High School
www.clarkparks.org/projects/lakeshore.htm
Bozco Place Neighborhood Park (Truman neighborhood)
Just east of St. Johns Boulevard between NE 39th Street on the north and NE Pettticoat Lane on the south
A block north of State Highway 500
www.clarkparks.org/projects/bozco.htm
I thought SnA promoted cursing and alcohol. That’s the reason I’m here, sailors!
WINNER: Paige!
Thanks for the compliment Kilwag! I also just wanted to clarify that we haven’t yet decided what will be in the 3 new parks we’re designing this year. Most neighbors tend to vote against including skate spots based on their own often baseless belief that skaters are criminals and will “ruin” their park. That’s why we need more skaters to participate in the process and help change their minds. If you live in these neighborhoods, please come to the public meetings, fill out the comment forms and send the project managers e-mails voicing your support for adding a skate spot to these parks!
Maybe someday they will reverse there policy on forcing grow ups to wear helments even skating down the street. Until that is changed I will stick with Portland.
How about a Donald-style pit at one of these spots? Keep it all below grade so the NIMBYs can’t see the skaters ruin the coping. You can never trust those damn skaters with coping. They’re always thrashing it. They even read magazines called Thrasher. Thrashers, I tell you.
” their own often baseless belief that skaters are criminals ” …not criminals…skateboarders are all like ryan shekler///
if theres no skateparks…the skate criminals will invade your city. but now theres much more criminals than back in the 80s. not building skateparks gonna start big social problems.
I’m sorry to hear that your efforts were shrugged off during a communitty project. I can feel your annoyence. I volunteered alot of time to the woodland washington skatepark, for the streetpark addition. I am a concrete guy and skater. The only skater I saw helping on the whole project. No one wanted to listen to my design ideas. After seventy some hours of volenteer work and use of tools, guess what I got? I got my friggin board ripped off by some 19 year old hangin out with 14 year olds, and no thank you or recognition for beutiful transitions or some nice concrete layed. I do get to ride it though and thats enough for me. Check it out sometime.