Stonehouse Skatepark
A skate park will bring together the youth of RM, male and female, young and old, to a central location where they can participate in an individual sport and focus their energy in a positive activity. A skate park provides a safe alternative to using our streets and parks.
Skateboarders continually suffer from old stereotypes and prejudice and, as a result, have had a difficult time promoting skateboarding as a real sport. Yet according to the International Association of Skateboarding Companies, the results of the latest recreational and parks survey reveal that skate parks are the number one recreation request across the nation. There are more and more kids skateboarding every day and the old stereotypes are being lifted. Girls and women account for about 20 percent of skateboarders and that number is growing. Skateboarding is inexpensive and it lacks the pressures and politics of team sports, which eventually drive out many teens. It is a way for kids to express their creativity and individuality. According to Tony Hawk, perhaps the sport’s best-known athlete, the number of kids who skateboard in America has surpassed the number of Little League baseball players.
Over 150 skate parks have been built in Northern California in the past ten years, with 50 more “in the works.” A 40,000 sq. ft. park is near completion at Hwy. 50 and Power Inn Road.
50% of new skaters at Folsom are girls. The number of female skaters, as well as moms and dads, is growing dramatically.
Liability insurance runs between $2,000 – $3,000 per year. Few cases involving skate park liability have been filed in the past two decades, and the Santa Cruz public skate park has not had a single claim originating from its use in 20 years of operation.
According to many acoustical studies, the noise level from a concrete skate park is “non-significant impact,” similar in decibels (near the park) to the sound of a vacuum cleaner.
* Maintenance costs are miniscule and significantly less than the costs of skaters using existing community features, not designed for skaters. A well-designed park is much less expensive to maintain than the routine grass cutting required for sports fields.
* Injuries from skateboarding are less than one-half of one percent, which is less than basketball, about half the number that occur on playground equipment, and a third less than bicycles. Most serious skateboarding injuries are caused by impact with motor vehicles on the streets where a skate park is absent.
FEATURES OF THE PROPOSED RM PARK:
* The skate park, proposed for the eastern edge of Stonehouse Park, has already been approved by RMA and is part of the park matrix.
* Potentially 15% of the RM population would use the park, with even more youth participating in the educational programs.
* The skate park has been designed for beginners and intermediate levels, reducing interest from “outside” skaters.
* Helmets and pads will be required, so safety issues are reduced dramatically.
* RMCSD security will partner with parents to ensure skaters live up to the established “code of conduct.”
