Letter to the Editor

I read Jim Gray’s April 2 Community Commentary letter supporting skate

parks, and I couldn’t agree with him more on a number of issues he brings

to light (“Cities must solve skate park issue”).

The problem is the skateboarding community and, more importantly,

their parents always fail to mobilize and come in force to council and/or

commission meetings to show support for skate parks. But the

not-in-my-backyarders do not fail to go to the council and commission

meetings and vocalize their opposition loudly and consistently.

They participate in the political process and say to the politicians,

“build the parks” but “not in the park next to my backyard.” And in the

absence of a large and vocal support group for skate parks, the NIMBYs

win every time.

Costa Mesa tried to build a skate park at not one, but two locations.

Only about 30 people participated in the design process for either park

(out of a population in Costa Mesa of more than 100,000 people.) And only a few of them came to the City Council meetings in support of

either project. Both sites got squashed at the final stages because a

handful of people consistently complained and banded together to kill

each project. If there had been a large enough, committed enough and

vocal enough group of supporters, I doubt this would have happened.

If only a small percentage of the parents of the thousands of kids who

skateboard in our community came to City Council meetings or sent letters

to the council supporting skate parks and asking the council to do what’s

best for the entire community and stop giving in to the dozen or so

residents who complain about a skate park, how quickly do you think a

skate park would be built? Answer: very quickly.

Remind the council that skateboarding is a legitimate recreational

pursuit for thousands of kids (and adults) and that while it isn’t a

crime, there are no places -- particularly safe places -- designated for

skateboarding to occur in our cities.

Why do ball fields and basketball courts and soccer fields get built

and maintained by the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa? Because

thousands of parents force the issue and band together to call for

support of these facilities. It’s that simple.

So, supporters of a skate park in Newport and Costa Mesa, rally the

troops, I say. Nothing will change until people get together and change

it. Stop expecting someone else to do it for you.

Costa Mesa is in the process of holding recreation master plan

meetings in April and May that will shape the future of recreation in

Costa Mesa in the coming years. Get the skating community’s parents to

come and participate. And go to council meetings in force and demand that

at least one or two skate parks get built, even if it’s against the

wishes of a handful of spoil sports who don’t want it in their

neighborhood.

ANTHONY RICHARDS

Costa Mesa