Plan for skate park rolls onto City Council agenda

Due to two hot-button issues appearing on the agenda, Tuesday's City Council meeting may be standing-room only.First is the public hearing on the proposed sewer rate increase, an issue being reported on in the Record's current four-part series.The second issue, a proposed skate park, is one that inspired at least 10 supporters to attend the last City Council meeting on July 25 and one that recently found an ally in the Colfax Parks and Recreation Commission.In a July 25 council presentation, Chairwoman Carmen Armstrong of the parks and recreation commission expressed the commission's unanimous commitment for a skate park.She also made a request on behalf of the commission."Can the representative group think about putting a skate park where the city's corporate yard is? It's a simple request, yes or no," she said.If the answer is yes, said Thad Little, president of Skatepark Advocates of Colfax; the group is ready to move forward. Little's group is a nonprofit, volunteer group trying to build a skate park in Colfax."We can start taking soil samples, get some design work done, eventually start excavating," he said. "Right now, there is no point in moving forward on it if the question is not answered."Because the question was not on the July 25 agenda, council could not take action at that meeting. However, council placed the skate park on this Tuesday's meeting agenda. On Tuesday, the council and the public can discuss the question.At the July 25 council meeting, questions were raised about the originally intended purpose of the land the corporate yard sits on and the building it occupies.Parks and Recreation Commissioner Tracy Hall said that it may have originally been designated as a youth center, but added she had no documentation to support it.Skateparks can be income generatorsSkateboarding is a big deal and means big money; according to Black Fly's Eyewear Sales Representative Bob Leonard of Truckee."The professional community sure recognizes it," Leonard said.Black Fly's Eyewear was the primary sponsor of Saturday's annual "Truckee Freeride," an event held at the 7 1/2-year-old skate park at the Truckee River Regional Park."We have competitors that came from as far away as Oregon, Santa Cruz and Salt Lake City," Leonard said. "There were 20 to 30 people skating here at 7:30 this morning."And locally, Colfax was represented as well."There were over 100 contestants," said Jason Howes, one of the competition's three judges and owner of The Riders Union in Colfax.Howes is a Skatepark Advocates of Colfax member.Skateparks are not just for kids."If Colfax puts a park in, I'll go," said Rob Bundy, 34 of Incline Village. Bundy has skateboarded for 25 years.Truckee-Donner Recreation and Parks District reports no major problems."The kids love it. It's non-stop. They even shovel it out in the winter. It's the most popular thing here," said Park Manager Bugg Vokel, who has worked at the district for six years.Other skateparks have received similar compliments.Ione, with a population of approximately 3,400 opened a skatepark late last year."It's just across from the ball fields," said City Clerk Janice Traverso. "It's getting skaters out of other areas."One of the main problems that skateboarding presents is that it is hard on the fixtures used to ride on, Traverso said. Curbs, rails and benches often bear the scars of the sport.In Truckee, a local shopping center was a large contributor to making the skate park a reality, said Dan O'Gorman, recreation superintendent for the Truckee-Donner Recreation and Parks District."The community was very much in favor," he said."The park gets a ton of use," he added. "They're athletes, burning up energy in a positive way."The skate park in Grass Valley has a similar impact."It gives the kids a place to skate," said Sandy Jacobson, Park and Recreation facility manager. "Property damage went way down."The Auburn Recreation District's skate park, however, is facing a new concern."State law indemnifies public agencies as long as the [safety] rules are prominently posted," said Administrative Services Manager Joe Fecko of the Auburn Recreation District.However, due to recent public outcry, the city is enforcing ordinances requiring helmets and other safety gear.The problem, according to Fecko, is that besides driving skateboarders out of the park, the supervision may open the district up to increased liability. If the supervision fails to restrict access to someone without the required safety gear, Fecko said, "We're negligent."Other than the recent rule enforcement problems, Fecko agrees with other municipal officials. "I think the skate parks are a great idea," Fecko said.