28th Street skate spot will remain, will look into building Fonticello a skatepark
The Richmond Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities department has decided to allow a makeshift skateboarding spot in Fonticello Park to remain open. The city will also further look into plans to pave and fence in a concrete slab in a more remote area of the park for skaters to use. The announcement was made at a public meeting last night.
The spot, which currently rests upon seldom used tennis courts on 28th Street, annoyed some residents near and around the park due to increased car traffic, noise, litter, and some instances of public urination. Parks & Rec had oscillated between allowing and not allowing the materials and skateboarders to remain over the last several months. The latest round of discussion and objection came last week when Parks & Rec posted a sign that materials at the makeshift skate spot would be removed.
Last night’s meeting at the Round House in Byrd Park was organized by Parks & Rec, which was represented by the new director of the department, Dr. Norman Merrifield and others, as well as residents who live near Fonticello Park and skateboarders who use the site. Approximately sixty people were in attendance.
“This is about us moving forward,” said Johnston Foster, who recently took it upon himself to help the skaters and residents to reach a compromise. “There is a need and demand for a more skate-friendly city.”
Johnston and residents presented Parks & Rec with a proposal that they had finalized earlier this week that called for an extension from the city to allow materials on the tennis courts in Fonticello Park to remain while the city and residents pursue a long-term solution. It also asked for the Friends of Fonticello Park, a subsidiary and community-led organization of Parks & Rec and Enrichmond, to take on new members to help oversee the finances and organization of Fonticello. “The neighborhoods and Parks & Rec should come together,” said Johnston, who felt that a lack of organization worked to the community’s detriment.
The residents who spoke at the meeting affirmed that they are not opposed to a skating presence in the park, but felt the location of the makeshift area was too close too existing homes. Some also asked that the city unlock the bathrooms in the park, or provide portable toilets, which they felt would alleviate the public urination issues. Others called for increased signage to provide clear rules and regulations for all visitors. One skater called for older skaters to supervise others in park and dissuade them from misbehavior, an idea that was followed by a round of applause from many of the meeting attendees.
Foster and residents made public the discussions that he and Parks & Rec officials had last Friday. This namely consisted of converting a razed playground location farther away from residents into a pad of concrete to which skaters could relocate themselves and their equipment. Concrete is a quieter surface material for skateboarding and, in conjunction with a more remote location within the park, should greatly reduce noise levels during activity. Residents noticed city officials measuring open space within Fonticello on Wednesday afternoon, which some took as an early indication that the city was going to build a structure for skateboarding, or was at least considering doing so.
After listening to the public, Dr. Merrifield, largely agreed with the proposal put forth by Foster et al, saying he view it as a “good solution.” He said that, while not confirmed, he anticipates that within 60 – 90 days a paved area within a more secluded location in Fonticello could be built. During this time he said that the existing spot could remain open (“We are OK with the existing structures being safe enough,” he said). He also stated that within 10 – 14 days improved signage and locks could be added to the park. He agreed that improved coordination among Fonticello residents and the city would go a long way to improve the situation for both homeowners and skaters.
In Fall 2011, current Vice President of Friends of Fonticello Park, Jen Britt, said that she wanted to transfer responsibilities to new people. Britt was on hand at last night’s meeting and spoke with Foster about transferring responsibility, as well as discussing the available funds associated with Friends of Fonticello Park, which Britt estimates to be about $7,000.
“I came in expecting a good outcome,” said Foster after the meeting. “I didn’t expect it to go this well.” He said the that the next steps will be to formally convene Friends of Fonticello Park with new membership and continue to speak with Parks & Rec officials about constructing a skate-friendly space within the park, especially one that can be further customized and built upon in the coming months and years. “They’ve been doing their homework,” said Foster about the city. “We want to do this right.”
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Yeah!!! They listened!