Park Board Meeting Update
A quick update on last night’s Park Board Meeting…
As I mentioned last week, Coalition folks caught wind that we might be getting the errr.… cold shoulder from the Vancouver Park Board’s 2009 – 2011 Capital Plan, so we figured we should mobilize again to represent ourselves at the meeting. And represent we did…
Now, this wasn’t a meeting where final decisions were going to be made, we were just there to point out our concerns with this draft of the Capital Plan 2009 – 2011. Six people spoke on our behalf:
Chris Young — dual advocate for BMX and skateparks - Highlighted the rapidly-increasing popularity of both sports and the fact that both are going to be Olympic sports in the near future through the UCI. For Vancouver, appearing enthusiastic about the Olympics would involve keeping Vancouver’s skateboard/BMX facilities up to date.
Jeff Cole — city employee who runs skateboard programs at several Vancouver community centres - Spoke about the rising popularity of skateboarding among youth and the importance of encouraging youth to adopt healthy lifestyles by providing lessons and programming in every neighbourhood.
Thor Larson — Leeside Stewardship Group - Urged action on the Leeside project, citing the importance of giving youth a place to engage in constructive activity. Mentioned that because of the lack of action by the city, dedicated Leeside advocates have been driven to start developing the space using their own time and money.
Travis Cutler — former president of VSBC - Outlined the importance of providing activities for at-risk youth, who are generally marginalized and often ignored by city projects. Referred to his experience with the renewal of Victory Square when skateboarders, despite being involved from the beginning, were axed from the project at the last step (without notice).
Jeff Chan — current vice president of VSBC - Dissected the Park Board’s Skateboard Strategy for Vancouver, as approved in 2005, and pointed out that the only change to the city’s skateboard facilities since is a net loss of skateboarding space. Look at my handout here.
Nathaniel Adie — skatepark designer and representative of Skaters for Public Skateparks - Explained how Vancouver is falling behind nearby cities like Burnaby and Seattle in regards to skateboard infrastructure. Provided several possible park locations, gave cost estimates, and gave examples of how skatepark construction could be incorporated into existing park renewal projects at minimal cost. Check out his handout here.
This was just a consultation meeting, so nothing ended up written in stone… but judging by the comments and questions from the councillors we definitely made a favourable impression. I also managed to speak coherently for five minutes in front of a group larger than three people, so I’m going to chalk this one up (cautiously) as a success.
The official meeting minutes weren’t up at the time of this posting, but will soon be available here.
