Thursday, November 28, 2013 19
Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
short stops Design of the proposed 5th Street SkateGarden is still in its early stages. As envisioned by the Carpinteria Skate Foundation, the park would include community garden plots alongside skateboarding elements.
SKATE GARDEN: Continued from page 1
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Local CrossFit buffs, from left, Austin Ivans, Sandra Garcia, Megan Johnson and Daniel Garcia, tested their sturdy skill sets against other CrossFit athletes from around California at the “Battle of the Boxes” at Ventura County Fairgrounds on Nov. 16.
Carpinteria CrossFit competes in “Battle of the Boxes”
CrossFit Carpinteria sent a team of elite athletes to compete in the group’s firstever competition at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Nov. 16. The annual “Battle of the Boxes” pits CrossFit gyms from all over California against each other as they lunge, burpee, snatch and claw their way to the top. After three heats, the Carpinteria team of Austin Ivans, Sandra Garcia, Megan Johnson and Daniel Garcia landed in a respectable 22nd place out of a field of over 40 teams. Next up, the fit foursome will try to organize some friendly practice competitions between neighboring gyms from Santa Barbara and Ventura.
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voicing their opposition to the Carpinteria City Council and the community through the letters section of Coastal View News. Orchestrated by the Skate Foundation, last week’s forum aimed to get both sides of the issue in the same room for a discussion of the project. Tension mounted when a few property owners near the proposed location raised concerns for increased noise and illicit behavior accompanying the proposed skatepark. Marla Daily, a vocal opponent to the project who owns multiple properties near the site, listened to the presentation, which highlighted the community good that would come of such a project, and argued that her quality of life would be diminished by the project. “We are all stakeholders here, but some of us are larger stakeholders than others,” she said. Daily noted that Santa Barbara’s skatepark was recently plagued with problems and shutdown temporarily. The park, which opened in 2000, saw an upswing in drug use, vandalism and bullying last summer. Eduard Van Wingerden brought up problems associated with the skatepark built near the proposed site, at the Amtrak station, in the 1990s. “There is a certain culture that, I think, is what people are concerned about,” Van Wingerden said. Describing the former park’s users, he said, “A lot of the kids had the old one finger salute attitude toward law enforcement.” Members of the Skate Foundation acknowledged that the original Carpinteria skatepark was rife with problems, but they argued that the next incarnation would be vastly improved. Instead of noisy, wooden structures, the proposed skatepark would be built out of seamless cement. Issues of city liability, which had led to a cumbersome and oft-neglected system to qualify users of the former park, no longer exist due to changes to California law. The presentation by Spohn Ranch set out to answer the question, “Why the 5th Street location?” Consultant Vince Onel presented the results of a site analysis conducted by the company. Eight sites were considered for a skatepark: Memorial Park, the Verizon property on Ogan Road, El Carro Park, Thunder Bowl skate rink located at City Hall, Linden Field, Carpinteria Bluffs, the strip of land between Highway 101 and Carpinteria Avenue at Bailard Avenue, and 5th Street. Spohn Ranch recommended the 5 th Street location over the others given the property’s high visibility, accessible downtown location, city ownership, nearby parking and restrooms, great design canvas and its current under-
utilized state. The biggest barrier to the site, the consultants concluded, would be obtaining neighbor consent due to the property’s close proximity to residences. Linden Field ranked second, having scored well in all the criteria except site acquisition. Owned by the California State Parks System, the property is considered highly difficult to acquire. Thunder Bowl Skate Rink has entered community dialogue over and over as an alternative to the controversial 5th Street site. Spohn Ranch, however, deemed the site a less viable option due to several factors: its location outside of the city center, its lack of amenities and a potential conflicting future use. City Parks and Recreation Director Matt Roberts clarified that the city has earmarked the property for a future Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department substation and city emergency operations center. Visibility of a skatepark has a big influence on its success, Spohn Ranch founder Aaron Spohn asserted. “The parks that do have issues are the ones that are tucked away out of sight,” he said. Carpinteria Architectural Review Board member John Moyer said that several people have asked him why the city hasn’t focused on Thunder Bowl for the skatepark. “I ask them, ‘Why not put it in Boise, Idaho?’” he said. By providing a downtown location for a skatepark, “It says to our kids, ‘We have a place for you, and you belong here,’” Moyer concluded. Skateboarders who feel accepted by the community and involved in the development of a park are given a sense of ownership, Spohn said, and are more likely to be park stewards than to cause problems. Carpinteria skateboarder, father and business owner Shawn Glasgow urged the standing room only crowd to consider how it felt to be an outcast skater as a teen. He is currently teaching his children to skateboard, he said, and hopes that they can feel embraced by their community for their involvement in the sport. Forum attendance was dominated by skatepark supporters, but several members of the community said they were still forming opinions and asked questions to obtain a better understanding of what was proposed. Skate Foundation members made it clear that the existing design is conceptual only. Elements they emphasized were the rows of soundblocking trees along 5th Street and the railroad tracks and terraced community garden plots positioned as another sound buffer between the skating and the residential street. The next step in the process will be to refine the design and create a three dimensional model. Supporters were encouraged to contact their councilmembers to advocate for the project.
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