A brigade of skaters at a workshop Tuesday told city officials –
and architects who built a skate park for Tony Hawk – they want to
see ramps, rails, steps and bowls in a skater haven on Edmundson
Avenue.
Morgan Hill – A brigade of skaters at a workshop Tuesday told city officials – and architects who built a skate park for Tony Hawk – they want to see ramps, rails, steps and bowls in a skater haven on Edmundson Avenue.
The wished-for park is in early design phases, and the city is in the process of gathering input on what it should look like.
Parks and recreation officials expect to have final designs in place by October, at which point they’ll return to the Morgan Hill City Council to ask for money to build the estimated $500,000 to $600,000 park. Those costs would also include designs and construction of an adjacent concrete BMX park.
A second workshop is planned for 6pm, Aug. 13, at the Centennial Recreation Center, 171 Edmundson Ave.
“We want to know what you want,” said Mark Leone, senior project manager for San Diego-based Site Design Group, Inc., the company the city hired to help design the project. “If you like something, tell us. If something sucks, let us know.”
Skaters at the workshop responded to seven blueprints supplied by Leone depicting in-ground concrete parks of various shapes, sizes and themes.
The skaters then mapped out their own visions. One design favored an urban setting with steps, rails and plaza-like features. Another centered on curvaceous patterns and bowls.
“You have to have perfect flow,” said 24-year-old Mario Guerrero, a fan of the city of Santa Cruz’s new concrete park that features smooth angles and an enclosed xxx. “Otherwise, it gets congested.”
Local resident John Fox of Morgan Hill-based Fox Racing, who is rooting for the project, said the skate park should be designed to be bigger than the BMX park.
“If you build a big BMX park that has four riders in it next to a small skate park that’s packed, in hindsight it might not seem like a good idea,” Fox said.
Fox, who attended the workshop mostly as an observer while younger skaters pitched their views, said he’d be happy to help plan occasional events – including a grand-opening celebration – at the park with professional skaters and BMXers. Fox Racing, with its popular line of youth clothing and professional products for motocross and BMX riders, has strong ties to the world of extreme sports.
Skateboarding celebrities such as Tony Hawk – for whom Site Design built a personal backyard park – are known to go on “skate park tours” around the country. Hawk recently visited Santa Cruz’s park for a well-attended demonstration.
While Morgan Hill’s pending park still needs funding to get built, Fox said Fox Racing isn’t considering – nor has it been asked – to partner with city on the project. Tying the coveted Fox brand name to the park could invite liability issues, he said.
But public-private maneuvers aren’t entirely without precedent: Recently Etnies, a popular line of shoes for skaters, sponsored a 40,000-square-foot skate park as part of a marketing move in Lake Forest, Calif.
Morgan Hill Parks and Recreation Commissioner Alan Clark, who was part of the first generation of skateboarders in the late 1960s while growing up in Fremont, said skaters get a bad rap and deserve a place to flaunt their skills.
“Kids in Morgan Hill say there’s nothing to do,” Clark said, saying the project would be worth every penny. “This gives kids something to do who aren’t involved in traditional team sports.”
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED
-
Anyone can e-mail comments, ideas or questions on the proposed Morgan Hill skate park by visiting www.sitedesigngroup.com, clicking on “Action Sports Development” and typing in the username “morgan” and the password “skate.”
-
There will be a workshop to further discuss design concepts at 6pm, Aug. 13, at the Centennial Recreation Center, 171 Edmundson Ave., Morgan Hill.
