Photograph by Paul Myers
Skatepark engineer Ron Howard, who grew up skateboarding in Campbell and Saratoga, pitches his idea of a mobile park in Saratoga to the city council on Jan. 8.
Mobile skatepark gets council OK after a convincing presentation
Staffing, budgeting remain issues still to be resolved
By Oakley Brooks
Skatepark engineer Ron Howard took a moment during a presentation to the Saratoga City Council Jan. 8, to explain a skateboard move called "grinding" to council members. He stepped forward to the tables where they sat and showed how a skater might leap up and ride along the edge of a table on the metal trucks--which connect the board to its wheels.
Council members dug it.
More important for local youth leaders and skaters, the council took to Howard's plan to bring a mobile skatepark to Saratoga. That would ensure that skaters will have a place to play and won't be grinding on tables or any other off-limits surface in the city.
"I'm all for it," Mayor Nick Streit said. "I don't think we do enough for our youth to keep them active in this city."
Councilman John Mehaffey added, "It's a great idea." And other council members' outright support for the park left youth leaders optimistic about a plan they have been building momentum for this fall.
"It's a hot issue and it's moving forward," Youth Commission Vice Chairman Abhik Pramanik said.
Howard, who builds skateparks that pack into movable trailers, recommended that Saratoga purchase two trailers' worth of small ramps and boxes that skaters could ride, jump and slide on. The trailers could be carted between different parks, churches, schools and even Village parking lots, and they could be locked and stowed in the city's maintenance yard when not in use.
According to Howard, a recent California court decision has made cities immune from lawsuits stemming from skatepark injuries, so the mobility and easy storage of the equipment would be more to ease the strain on residents uneasy about skateboarding in their backyards.
"You can constantly be moving these things around," said Howard, who grew up skating in Campbell and used to ride a ramp at Congress Springs Park more than a decade ago. "That's nice with your neighbors who are concerned about noise and the extra people around."
The ramps and boxes are made of composite fiberglass with steel edges and need no maintenance or even protection from the elements, according to Howard. While he couldn't give council members a firm guarantee on the life of the equipment, he said he hadn't seen any problems with his first park setups, built three years ago. City officials still seemed confident that the estimated $20,000 park cost would be a sound investment.
"I think $20,000 is reasonable for something that's going to be around for a while," Mehaffey said.
Council members' one concern lies with the staffing of the skatepark. Howard said staffing in other cities varied--some left parks completely unattended with clearly posted rules.
Saratoga officials seemed intent on having a thoroughly staffed park, if and when the city buys the equipment. But exactly who would oversee the park is unclear.
"We need to work out a plan for staffing," Streit said.
Given the lean economic times, it's unlikely that the skatepark will receive funding when city officials make midyear budget adjustments this week. City Manager Dave Anderson said he would sit down with Streit and discuss ways to put the park on next year's budget, to be finalized in June.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
