Readers Respond -- Skate park supporters discuss the future

For years, the city of Costa Mesa has talked about a skateboard park

for the youth of Costa Mesa and only talked (“Cities begin discussing

skate park,” April 22). The city considered building it at the corner of

Hamilton and Charle streets, but homeowners objected and rightly so. The

noise the traffic and other conditions made at this location, though

convenient, are not acceptable. Costa Mesa is now trying to use Newport

Beach’s wisdom to find a suitable location for a skateboard park. Costa

Mesa already has an excellent location, Fairview Park.

The skateboard park could be constructed next to the miniature train

depot on Placentia Avenue. There are no homes in the immediate area,

there is plenty of room, it is close to major roads/public transportation

and near a fire station (in case of an injury). Would it conflict with

the aesthetic beauty of the park? Not anymore than the miniature train

depot does.

A skateboard park would add to Fairview Park’s appeal, bringing more

people to take advantage of the park. My wish is that the city of Costa

Mesa would consider Fairview Park as the location for the City by the Bay

and Sea Skateboard Park.

DENNIS DISINGER

Costa Mesa

I was one of the 20 or so supporters in the audience of the joint

meeting between the parks and recreation departments of Costa Mesa and

Newport Beach in regards to the building of a skate park to serve our

cities.

One of the big things that I took away from that meeting was that both

cities wanted to build a park, but could not find a suitable location. It

seems that no one wants a park built close to them, and that the city

councils have to listen to the NIMBYs. At first, I thought that was a

reasonable argument, but the more I thought about it the less sense that

made to me.

I recall that before the new Home Depot was built on Harbor Boulevard,

the neighboring residents complained that they did not want it built, but

it was approved and constructed anyway. The same holds true for the new

Target store at the old Fedco site. Area residents complained yet the

plans were approved and the new Harbor Center was built. The Home Ranch

project? Same story, and construction looks like it will begin at any

time.

So the truth as I see it is: projects are constructed in neighborhoods

against the wishes of area residents, with the approval of the City

Council on a regular basis, but only when done in the name of commerce.

It is time for the City Council to take the same stance in the name of

recreation and choose a location for construction of a skate park, a

location carefully considered to have a minimum impact on neighboring

residents and then build it despite those residents’ objections. It is

the council’s obligation to serve the greater population of the city,

even if doing so upsets a small vocal minority.

MASON STEEL

Costa Mesa

I am still trying to get up off the ground from laughing after reading

the Walkers’ letter (Readers Respond, April 16). It contains some sadly

hateful, very confused and clueless information.

Where was their letter to Anaheim begging them to close Edison Field

after each of Darryl Strawberry’s drug arrests? Doesn’t that make all

baseball players bad?

I can think of several instances when youth on foot, bicycles and

other methods of transportation have blocked the road and stared me down

in defiance, and I am sure none of them played soccer, baseball or

basketball. They were definitely all skaters, but wait, all young skaters

I know play soccer, basketball or baseball -- just not with the passion

they have about skateboarding. Should we ban youth altogether? Should we

lock them in their rooms? I guess I’d definitely suggest to the Walkers

not to drive near an elementary school when the kids are leaving.

Of course that is just the beginning of the ignorance. What is a

“skateboard type?” I am a 39-year-old father who owns two Costa Mesa

businesses, a home in Costa Mesa and has a great wife and three wonderful

children. I have been skateboarding for about 30 years and have yet to

become a drug addict, get high at a skate park, or join a gang (the gang

fights comment was hilarious -- they should consider stand up comedy).

I usually go to skate parks to skate, and have yet to plan a party

there, but I definitely do influence the younger skateboarding innocents.

I do that by helping teach them how to have a good time exercising their

minds and body in a positive way.

The comment on the small number of potential users of a skate park

further shows their ignorance to the subject and on what is happening in

the world around them. I’d also like to know where speeding cars fits

into the equation as kids at most skate parks arrive in mom’s minivan. Do

we have a problem with speeding moms in minivans that I am not aware of?

If we do, I’d like the paper to please do an article on this so that I

don’t become as ignorant on that issue as the Walkers obviously are on

the skate park one.

I would suggest that they come out of their shell and go to some of

the many skate parks in nearby cities where the kids are staying off

drugs by skating, and then they may start to become even remotely

qualified to make broad-based comments about the skateboarding community.

I think they would just find the new reality, where kids are having fun

doing what they really want to do. They might just realize that they

should not take their anger toward a few kids out by penalizing thousands

of others.

JIM GRAY

Costa Mesa

With utter disgust, I read the letter from the Walkers in reference to

the kids on Margaret Drive. I live on Margaret Drive at the middle of the

block where the “island” was recently planted with flowers and weeded by

my wife with the assistance of these “rude skateboarders.”

These rude kids are three sixth-graders, a fifth-grader, a

third-grader and a first-grade boy who live within houses of the

“island.”

And I agree with the Walkers. My wife knew the kids were sitting on

the curb. They were waiting for my wife to drive them to their fourth

skateboard park that week.

Since my son was “arrested” at the nearby high school for skating, and

the city has “outlawed” skating at the parks, and the kids and parents

respect private property, they were headed out of town (again) to skate.

I’m not sure if they went to Huntington Beach skate park, Laguna Hills

skate park, Fontana skate park or paid to go to Van’s in Orange or Palace

Park in Irvine.

My lovely wife has made a career of driving the “skateboard types” all

over Orange County four to five times a week. These boys are not vandals.

They are not members of the “subculture of defiance,” as termed by

Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway. In fact, they are great students,

soccer and baseball players, not even teenagers, and one of the boys

participates in the GATE program.

As far as being a taxpayer, I am not a dog lover and my parents have

been gone for many years, but I still supported the idea of the Bark Park

and the Senior Center as a previous resident of Costa Mesa. These ideas

were good for the community. I’m sure the Senior Center would cost upward

of $5-million and I wonder if they get over 100 users a day.

I know one thing for sure, half a million dollars would go extremely

far in designing, building and maintaining a skateboard park and you

would get more than 100 users a day. A skateboard park is good for the

community.

One last note for the Walkers and others who use Margaret Drive to get

to the high school and park up and down the street for games and

activities and for those that U-turn in our driveways and litter the

street: The speed limit is 25 mph; please slow down and watch out for the

skateboarders, they have no place to play.

STEVE MUROW

Costa Mesa