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| Skate park design rolling along |
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| Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 05 July 2008 | |
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“One by one, he started ... engaging in conversations with them, discussing what they can do on a skateboard and what they wanted out of a park.” — Annette Smith City councilwoman, on skate park designer Wally Hollyday's interactions with skaters The city’s skateboarders have long been without a common meeting place to practice their tricks, left only with the sidewalks and streets of Patterson.  Gathering Input: Park designer Wally Hollyday (center) talks with local skaters during a design workshop last week in City Hall that drew about 50 people. At the next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, he will present concepts for the park. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator According to City Council members, construction could be under way sooner than anticipated. “Barring any glitches with construction, we’ve essentially protected a pot of money for community facilities that has been gathered through developer fees over the years,” said Adrienne Chaney, parks and recreation director. First, skate park designer Wally Hollyday of Aliso Viejo wants to make sure the park fits the needs of the community. At a June 25 meeting at City Hall, a record number of local skaters and individuals voiced their opinions in design discussions. “The kids just kept on coming,” Chaney said. “They were very excited, and it’s obvious that this is something that is very important to them.” “It was neat to see how many families also want to be involved in this,” she added. “The parents are going to need to feel comfortable allowing their kids to hang out at the park.” Hollyday handed out sample drawings of his past designs and asked skaters — who ranged from elementary-school students to adults — to mark the pages and share which elements they’d like to see in the Patterson park. “(Hollyday) really understands that this is a beginner-through-advanced concept,” Chaney said. “He isn’t just looking to build a park for the best skaters, nor is he building a park only for the beginners.” “I saw some of the younger (skaters) interacting in the discussions,” Councilwoman Annette Smith said. “They were all huddled around (Hollyday). One by one, he started collecting their sheets and engaging in conversations with them, discussing what they can do on a skateboard and what they wanted out of a park.” At a second design meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Hollyday will further develop his concept with help from local skaters. Council members have shown support for the skate park and recently approved spending $15,000 for Hollyday’s design work. Now, it’s just a matter of paying to build the park itself, which Smith says should cost about $400,000. Smith said the city has a small amount budgeted for the park and is working to identify other sources of money. So far, she added, the park’s tentative spot near the community center has been OK’d only by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. It still requires approval by the City Council and possibly the zoning board. The park design will also need the council’s approval before construction begins, she says. One way or another, though, there’s a good chance a park will go up at the community center soon, and Smith says the skating community looks forward to taking the sport off the streets and into a designated area. “We want the kids to know that they can be part of the process. We want them involved, and we want them to know that their input is critical,” Chaney added. “If they can go through this whole process of designing and fundraising for the facility, the empowerment that they get and the feeling that they will have will make them better leaders in the future.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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