Creating Safe Places to Skate in Brookline
Community needs and town benefits
Brookline Parks & Recreation Commission
Monday, January 10, 2011
About Friends of Brookline Skaters
• We are a group of Brookline skaters and parents, teachers, nonprofit and other leaders who are friends of Brookline skaters.
• We understand the need for safe places to skate in Brookline and the benefits that well-designed skateplaces will bring to the community.
• We are seeking the town’s support to develop safe places to skate in Brookline.
A caveat: we love all sports and recreation and many of us have been or are soccer, baseball, basketball, football, tennis and other sports coaches and participants and greatly appreciate all of the facilities provided by the town of Brookline and the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Our goals for this evening
1. Make the case with data for why Brookline needs safe places to skate
– The community need
– The benefits to Brookline
2. Address anticipated concerns about the impact of a skatepark in Brookline
3. Secure the commission’s support for a next meeting to move the project forward
Lge Grw
Skateboarding is a large and growing sport…
• 12.9 million US skateboarders in US
• 4.6% of the population
• 16% of all youth ages 5-24 are
skateboarders
• Skateboarding is the 3rd largest sportfor ages 6-18
• Skateboarding is the 6th largest participant sport in the U.S.
• From 1987 to 2001, skateboarding grew by 14.4 percent to 12.5 million
participants
• Baseball declined by 24.5 percent to 11.4 million participants.
Sources: ActionSportsFoundation.org , Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association,
Ben Par
… with many benefits for participants
• Teaches focus, concentration and the rewards of hard work
• Unbelievably good exercise
• Builds problem solving and goal achievement
• Natural camaraderie within the skateboarder community
• Develops intergenerational and diverse friendships
• Creative outlet
• Low cost sport that is enjoyed around the world
Hlth
Health Benefits of Skateboarding
According to a study in January’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, teens who skateboard or rollerblade more than four times per week are half as likely to become obese as inactive peers and twice as likely to remain at a healthy weight as teens who play team sports.
- 2008 ESPN Magazine
Sk8Pk Def
What’s a “skatepark?” (1 of 2)
Neighborhood Skatepark
4,000-12,000 sq. ft.$50,000 - $200,000
Skate Spot
1,000 - 4,000 sq. ft.$5,000 - $50,000
Dot
What’s a “skatepark?” (2 of 2)
Skate Dot
500-1,500 sq ft$1000-$10,000
Skateable Art
500-1,500 sq ft$1000-$10,000
Bkln Sz
The community need: hundreds of Skaters in Brookline
Brookline 2006 - 58,000 RESIDENTS
1.15% frequent skateboarders = 672 SKATE SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK
2.3% occasional skateboarders = 1,344 SKATE AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH
4.6% total skateboarders = 2,668 SKATE AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR
Vs Othrs
Source: American Sports Data, Inc. 2000 Data
Brookline Skaters equal or outnumber other sports…
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Football
Softball
Lacrosse
Frequent Skaters
Youth Baseball
Soccer Players
Skateboarders 2,700
2,462
830
672
365
232
203
Sources : 2006 Brookline Parks Strategic Master PlanAmerican Sports Data, Inc. 2000 Data
Bkl Fac
Brookline has great recreation facilities…
0 10 20 30 40
Ice Skating Rink
Playgrounds
Fields
Basketball Courts
Tennis Courts 32
25.5
24
22
1
No Sk8
Source: 2006 Brookline Parks Strategic Master Plan
… but no skateparks
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Skateparks
Ice Skating
Playgrounds
Fields
Basketball Courts
Tennis Courts 32
25.5
24
22
1
0
Othr Twns
Source: 2006 Brookline Parks Strategic Master Plan
Other smaller towns have built skateparks …
Watertown
Arlington
Hyde Park Hingham
Lexington
Waltham
Malden
Melrose
Braintree
East Boston
Quincy
Impct
… leaving skaters (and parents) with only two options:
Skate in the street or other areas, some unsafe
Leave Brookline to go to other parks, taking their spending with them
Bkl Ben
Brookline benefits of building safe skate places(partial list)
• New low cost recreational programming and instruction opportunities for residents of all ages
• Fewer accidents and injuries
• Safer streets
• Enhanced community pride, especially among skaters and their families
• Keeps small business customers in Brookline
• More exercise and better health for residents
Bt New
Brookline benefits of building safe skate places(partial list)
• New low cost recreational programming and instruction opportunities for residents of all ages
• Fewer accidents and injuries
• Safer streets
• Enhanced community pride, especially among skaters and their families
• Keeps small business customers in Brookline
• More exercise and better health for residents
• A chance to beat Newton and Boston again!
Cncrn
Addressing potential concerns
Safety?
Noise?
Space in Brookline?
Cost?
SFE
Is skateboarding safe?
Consumer Protection Safety Council injury statistics:
The CPSC also found:
• Skaters skating for less than a week suffer 1/3rd of the injuries.
• Over 1/2 half of the injuries are due to falls on rough surfaces.
NSY
Is skateboarding too noisy?
“All in all, a skatepark is no more noisy than similar recreation areas like a basketball court or children’s playground“
- Life Tips 2006Source: "Skateboarding: Instruction, Programming, and Park Design" by Ben Wixon
Spc
Potential locations for Skateparks or Features (partial)
Old Lincoln School- Neighborhood Skatepark
Clark Park- Skatespot
Brookline High -Skateable Benches
Boylston St Playground- Skate Spot
Griggs Park- Skate Spot / Skate Path
Knyvet Square-Skate Spot/Skateable Art
Robinson Field’s Fenced in Court
Old Lincoln School East Lot
Clark Park
Spc BB
Skatepark land use vs. other sports facilities
Neighborhood Skatepark
Skatespot
Skatedot
Cst
An Initial Vision for Safe Places to Skate in Brookline
A Brookline system could include:
• 3 to 4 “skatedots” with 1 or 2
skateable art objects
• 2 "skatespots“ with 2-4 objects
• 1 "neighborhood skatepark" with
a variety terrain.
Rough estimate of costs:
$2,000 - $10,000
$5,000 - $40,000
$20,000 - $200,000
Prv
$27,000 - $250,000Total System Costs
What happened before?
• Brookline funded a skatepark feasibility study in 2000
• A teen skater group met with Town Meeting
• A group of Brookline skateboard supporters met with the Commission in December 2007
• The Commission expressed support for developing skateboard spaces in Brookline
• Nothing ever materialized from this support
Sppt
2011 Community Support for Brookline Skaters
• Extension & Orchard Skate Shop
• Architecture for Humanity (AFH)
• Brookline High School Skate Club
• Safe Spot Skatespot
• Tony Hawk Foundation
• Skaters for Public Skateparks
Q’s
Questions for the commission
1. What’s the process?
2. What are your additional concerns?
3. Do we have your support?
4. What can we do to help move this forward?
5. What’s the next step? When can we meet with you again?
THX
Thanks for your support!
Additional informationBenefits of Skateboarding - http://dropintoskateboarding.com/benefits.php
Types of Skateparks - Regional, Neighborhood, Skate Plazas, Skate Spots, Skate Dots, and Skateable Art - http://www.skatepark.org/park-development/parkdesign/2010/11/types-of-skateparks
Skatepark Adoption Model - http://www.skatepark.org/park-development/vision/2010/12/skatepark-adoption-model
excerpt from Skateboarding: Instruction, Programming, and Park Design. -http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/communities-must-ask-right-questions-when-planning-skatepark
Skate Curriculum and Programming - http://dropintoskateboarding.com/curriculum.php
Top 10 design mistakes - http://www.skatepark.org/park-development/parkdesign/2008/02/top-10-design-mistakes
How Skateparks Fail - http://www.skatepark.org/park-development/vision/2010/12/how-skateparks-fail
2009 SPS presentation - http://www.skatepark.org/park-development/advocacy/2009/10/2009-sps-presentation