I got word from Urban Nine’s very own Reno that the city council may have a list of skateboard design companies down to three, where they’ll undergo scrutiny, and possible a bidding process.

Word on the street is a 600-something thousand dollar skatepark encompassing over 30,000 square feet. We’ll stay on top of it to see if this actually happens… good luck, BR! It’s about damned time that the political machinery finally start to follow the will of its citizens!

Skaters unite! Kerry and I are going to make concerted efforts to make this one… on June 5th, Picayune will have a city council meeting that will cover the possibility of the construction of a skatepark. We don’t have the exact meeting time yet, but I’ll post that as soon as I get it.

In other news, St. Charles Parish has a skatepark under consideration. We’re doing our best to help educate the powers-that-be there, and at this point, they seem responsive. Keep your fingers crossed.

Also in skatepark news, Mandeville is entertaining the notion of a new skatepark as well… however, if the rumors I’ve been hearing are true, they’re going out of their way to do everything wrong. Again, what I’ve heard are rumors, but they’ve come from some very credible sources. Hopefully today we’ll be in contact with some park officials to separate fact from fiction and give you a fact-based account on what’s really going on.

Last bit: rumors have been circulating that Zachary has a skatepark… this is not the case. I have been informed that Zachary will recieve some pre-fab ARC ramps (yuck), but I have no word as to when those ramps will be installed.

To any government officials reading this… PLEASE STOP USING ARC RAMPS. They’re overpriced, poorly designed, and they’re very hard to repair. I know this first hand, as I’ve watch Baton Rouge’s Velodrome park degrade over the years. You’d be much better off contracting with local ramp-building skateboarders… you’d save a LOT of money, and the result would leave you with a skatepark that your local skate community can really appreciate. C’mon now! If you’re a local government employee who has the job of representing a local population, then it’s your job to meet those interests after being educated about the activity of skateboarding. STOP BEING LAZY.

The shop has a friend in Picayune named Tristen who’s been fighting for a skatepark… he sent us this letter to announce an upcoming meeting, if you can attend, PLEASE DO:

The goal of this project is to build a good concrete skatepark in the Picayune area. Building a skatepark in our community can have great effects on the local youth: It gives them a safe environment to skate in and helps keep them off the streets. We build basketball courts, baseball, and soccer fields for our youth; why not build a skatepark as an alternative to traditional sports? Not all youth are interested in these sports.

In 2002, there were about 16 million skateboarders and an estimated 400 public skateparks in the United States. That number is up from 11.5 million skateboarders in 2000. Incidentally, in 2000, there were only 9 million Little League baseball players in the U.S., yet most cities with multiple baseball fields had yet to build skateparks. (© TransWorld Media 2001.)

Local youth should have the option to participate in whatever sport they choose and be provided with a safe environment to do so. Skateparks are being built worldwide to accommodate the needs of the local skateboarders. A skatepark in our area can draw people to the city, allowing for them to use our shops and restaurants; therefore, more money would be brought into the area. Cities have put money aside little by little in some areas to help pay for their local parks. Local youth can hold car washes and fundraisers for money needed for the park. Police can drive by and check on the parks regularly to help maintain adult supervision. Vandalism of the park will not be tolerated; have the same consequences as for any other public recreation area. Drugs will not be tolerated and will be dealt with as in any other circumstances.

City Council meeting is on Tuesday May 15th 6:00p.m. City Hall – 815 N. Beech Street in council chambers. Please come and support the local youth.

We got a note from a skate mom out of Houma about her son’s impending trial… if you live in the area (or can get out there), try to show some support for a fellow skate rat:

Trial Weds. May 16th—–> PLEASE Come Show Support!!!!
Body: If you would like to help show support PLEASE attend the trial May 16th at 9am. If you can, Write to or call Our DA’s or Sheriff’s Office to show support!

My son’s TRIAL is May 16th. For skateboarding in my driveway and in front of our home on Alma St. After 21 citations, all but the most recent were thrown out due to being written incorrectly and for a crime that does not exist. I was told it was the people in the neighborhood that were complaining and calling the police for my son playing and skateboarding. So the Sheriff’s Office will keep writing citation’s until ” I keep my kid inside”! My son is not allowed to leave the front of our home so where should he play? I’ve talked to Joe Waitz, Jerry Larpenter ,and Huey Usie they say pretty much the same thing, “Keep Him inside” In order to keep the people in the neighborhood happy. Well, The people in the neighborhood DO NOT seem to exist now, Since the only “WITNESS’ that will be testifying against my son will be the deputies that wrote the citation’s. The same deputy that said “my son was to big to be skateboarding”. If the police were called then how were they an eye witness to anything? Now, is this harassment ? I’ve had to hire an attorney, They are going to try to give Nikki thirty days in jail because I won’t make him stay inside… I’ll do what I have to, to keep that from happening. We need as much support poss. If you can attend the trial to HELP support Nikki we would greatly appreciate it! The Media will be attending and covering the trial as well. Please repost this….
Thank you everyone for your response and support. Email me if you have any questions or just want to show support.

Always
Shari

Our friend Oby sent us the flyer below:

If you’re in or around Arkansas, show some love… bring some love and help keep a good thing going.

My friend Clarkie runs Real Skate… a skate news and skate-activism site. Clarkie knows what she’s talking about… she spent a long time in the industry, and an even longer time fighting for skateboarding in general.

…that quote is from a city councilman named Kirby Nichol in Capitola, California. Read this article, and consider how good we have it here in Hammond. Read the piece, and if you feel inclined, send and email to the councilman here: kirby@wharftowharf.com

I sent this:

Good morning, councilman Nichol!
I would like to take a moment of your time to address some comments you made, comments that have been traveling through the skateboard community via the internet and email. Before I go on, please understand that respect that everyone has their opinions, and my wish isn’t to change yours, but to relay some personal experiences that no doubt differ from yours.

The comments to which I’m addressing were found in this article: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/…
You’re quoted as saying, “I don’t like skateboarders, and I don’t like skateboard parks,” before scrapping the idea of building a public skatepark for your local youth.

As a skateboarder myself, I’m a bit alarmed that there might be an individual out there that doesn’t like me because of the athletic activity I take part in after work (I work for my state government down in Louisiana). Along with that, I hate to think that multitudes of kids might not be liked by a government official simply because they entertain themselves with a plank of wood strapped to four wheels. I don’t know if such generalizations are fitting for a councilman, but I admittedly don’t live anywhere near your area, so you may very well speak for other people in your community that also dislike children and adults that take part in what I consider the most creative extra curricular activities available to date.

I can’t make you like us, I know that. But I do wish to offer up the idea that skateboarders aren’t one particular type of person. The act of skateboarding is at an all time high, attracting kids and adults from all walks of life, with numerous interests and varied personalities. Through interaction, you may find that the only commonality shared between individual skateboarders is the fact that they simply enjoy the act of manipulating a skateboard. At least that’s my experience. According to some nationwide statistics, the number of people riding skateboards surpasses the number of people playing baseball… and I would venture to say that there’s no one way to define the character of baseball players as a whole, at least by using blanket judgments.

As well as not being able to make you like us, I’m also aware that there’s no way for me, a guy several states away, to convince you that a skatepark could be a benefit to the area you preside over. What I can say however, is that it worked wonders here in my sleepy little city of Hammond, Louisiana. With support from my mayor and our city council, my city built a skatepark in a highly trafficked downtown area… a general area that was used by skaters to practice their hobby, much to the dismay of local business owners, law enforcement, and the parents of the skaters in question (no parent likes to pick up their children from the police station for any reason). Since the construction of our park, my city’s law enforcement has noted a significant decrease in skateboarders being in places that they shouldn’t. On top of that, our local youth and adults have used the local park to such a degree that it quickly became the most used public facility in our city… so used in fact, our city council approved of additions to the park to accommodate the skateboard population of our city, as well as tourists and visitors. Our local economy has also benefited from the construction of the park, as thirsty and hungry skateboarders have been supporting local businesses by purchasing drinks and food at every store within walking distance from the facility built by our city.

Finally, I beg you to watch this short video:
http://www.smalltimeskates.com/hammond/

Our local park and skateboard scene were recently featured on television, and I think the clip does a great job at showing several positive aspects of having a skatepark to accommodate the needs of local youth and adults that take part in this activity.

I really do appreciate your time, and as I stated, there’s no way that I can change your perception of us. If anything, I hope this message serves to give you a viewpoint that you may not have considered or had the chance to hear. I can’t speak to your personal experience with skateboarding, but I can relay mine. As it stands, my city has seen the positive side of skateboarding and has enjoyed the fruits of supporting this activity that so many of us enjoy.

Sincerely,
Neal Boyd

If you do send an email, please be respectful. This guy obviously has a beef with us… be reasonable and let’s see if we can help some fellow skateboarders.

Update:

Neal.

First of all, my name is spelled “Nicol”.

Secondly, the newspaper “quote” that prompted your email was taken out of context, as a result of which I am now receiving vicious threats of bodily harm from skateboard extremists, which does not endear me to them.

Here’s what’s really going on out here on the left coast: We have 7 skateboard parks in our county. We in Capitola have, for some time, been exploring the idea of building a skateboard park for our youth. The record will show that it was, in fact , I,  who initiated the movement to build such a facility in a controversial local park, in response to the local skateboard community’s lobby, despite the fact that I, personally have had a series of bad experiences with the sport and its culture and do not embrace the demonstrated social values of activity. The skateboard park project has failed in our community due to overwhelming public opposition.

Thank you for your interest.

Kirby Nicol.

My last response:

My apologies for misspelling your name.

>Neal

Drive… Sunday April 22

EPISODE FOUR “SOUTH PART II – SMALL TOWNS”
Mike continues his travels through the southern United States visiting a series of small towns along the way. In White Hall, Arkansas Mike meets up with 18-year-old Todd Givens who created his own skate scene by building ramps in his driveway, so local skaters would have a place to ride. In Hammond, Louisiana Mike meets up with skaters Kerry Simpson and Neal Boyd to discuss the impact Louisiana’s first public cement park has had on their skate scene. Finally, Mike stops in Oxford, Mississippi to skate the cities public park with a group of local kids.

A World Without Skateboarders… a great write up brought to you by Jim Gray, the owner of ABC Skateboard manufacturing… pressed and cut in the USA.

From here (free signup required)

Support for possible Houma skate park grows
By MIKA EDWARDS
The Courier
HOUMA — The proposed Houma skate park drew a visible swell of support Wednesday night as more than 80 people filled a classroom at the Bayou Cane Volunteer Fire Department to find how they can help make it a reality.

Earlier this month, the grassroots organization behind the push for a local skate park held a similar meeting at Bayou Cane, but in stark contrast only three people attended.

The group has been working since last year to create a public skate park in Houma similar to one in Hammond.

Bayou Cane Fire Chief Jerry Gautreaux helped organized the effort after kids were sent to his station to do community service because they’d been ticketed for skating in public places in the city limits.

This time, the room was packed with young skateboarders, their parents and other concerned citizens, all hoping to begin formalizing a plan to build a skate park.

Many people expressed their desire to see a park built and their frustration with current laws that limit where people can skateboard in Terrebonne.

The idea for the skate park came after some downtown business owners complained that skaters are damaging their property. Skaters said trespassing laws and anti-skating ordinances essentially prohibit them from practicing their sport anywhere, and asked parish officials consider building a skate park.

Shari Champagne, a Houma resident, said her 14-year-old son Nicholas has received five tickets for skateboarding and spent most of his Tuesday in City Court, battling the latest one. A student at Evergreen Junior High, he could face 30 days in jail for skating in his neighborhood — something Champagne said is not against the law.

Skateboarders “are assumed to be punks because they have a skateboard in their hands,” she said. “They are not sitting at home doing drugs, but doing something that is hard.”

Some of the audience members traveled from New Orleans and Baton Rouge in support of the park. Brock Gomez, a BMX bike rider, said he’s seen a similar fight in the state capital for the last decade to no avail.

Gomez also stressed the need to make the park open to other forms of recreation, like BMX bikes.

“I’m trying to encourage you not to have a really good park that is public but only half of the population can use,” he said.

While several ideas were passed around for fund raising, such as creating shirts to sell to the public or hosting a barbecue, nothing official was established by the end of the hour-long meeting.

Organizers are still debating whether to seek nonprofit status, which would alter how they can get money for the park. If it becomes nonprofit, the park would be considered semi-private and some sources of money would be closed.

The large group did agree they should all go before the Terrebonne Parish Council to again push for a park. A smaller group of skateboarders went before the nine-member panel in October. After a brief presentation, the council directed Parish President Don Schwab and Parish Manager Barry Blackwell to look into the possibility of building a skate park, but the matter has not been mentioned at the council since.

The grassroots group left Wednesday night with an idea in mind and a plan to attend a future council meeting, though no official date has been set.

Following the meeting, a large group of skaters congregated outside the fire station, taking turns riding across the large parking lot.

Bryan Bowman, 17, who stood outside the station watching the skateboards, said he’s hopeful a local skate park will eventually exist.

“I think it’s a good possibility. It’s something everybody needs,” the Schriever resident said. “It’s going to require a change of some opinions. You are going to have to change their minds about skateboarders.”

Courier staff writer Mika Edwards can be reached at 857-2202 or mika.edwards@houmatoday.com.