OPPOSITION KILLS SKATERS' DREAM : HOMEOWNERS TRIUMPH; TEENS RIP GLENDALE.Byline: Lee Condon Staff Writer Teen-agers Scott Hounsell and Jason Kennedy
Their goal was to persuade the council to stick to its plan to build a long-promised skateboarding skateboarding Form of recreation, popular among youths, in which a person rides standing balanced on a small board mounted on wheels. The skateboard first appeared in the early 1960s on paved areas along California beaches as a makeshift diversion for surfers when the ocean facility at Montrose Park, rather than cave in to the protests of the Montecito Park Homeowners Association. Clean-cut image notwithstanding, they were unsuccessful. Agreeing with the homeowners that the park is too small for such a facility and cannot handle the traffic, noise or additional parking needs, the council killed the project at that park. ``It's a big hypocrisy Hypocrisy See also Pretension. Alceste judged most social behavior as hypocritical. [Fr. Lit.: Le Misanthrope] Ambrosio self-righteous abbot of the Capuchins at Madrid. [Br. Lit. . They all say they want skate skate, fish: see ray. skate Any of nine genera (suborder Rajoidea) of rounded to diamond-shaped rays. These bottom-dwellers are found from tropical to near-Arctic waters and from the shallows to depths of more than 9,000 ft (2,700 m). parks, but not in their back yard,'' said Scott, 16. ``I am alienated al·ien·ate tr.v. al·ien·at·ed, al·ien·at·ing, al·ien·ates 1. To cause to become unfriendly or hostile; estrange: alienate a friend; alienate potential supporters by taking extreme positions. from this community. I'm not allowed in any parks or on sidewalks because I like to skateboard. The reason we are perceived as outlaws is because there is no place to skate.'' Scott and Jason were just a few of the skateboarders who packed the council meeting Tuesday night and told stories of receiving dozens of citations from police for skateboarding because there is nowhere in the city for them to practice their favorite sport legally. Skateboarding is banned from streets, sidewalks and parks in Glendale. They complained that after four years of planning, they still did not have a skating skating: see ice skating; ice dancing; roller skating. skating Sport in which bladelike runners or sets of wheels attached to shoes are used for gliding on ice or on surfaces other than ice. facility. They warned the council that residents in other neighborhoods would fight skateboarding parks just like the Montecito Park Homeowners Association. Despite their efforts and those of the other skateboarders who testified, the council sided with the homeowners. The skateboarders lost because unlike members of the Montecito Park Homeowners Association, the teens are too young to vote, Scott said. ``It may not happen in my childhood, but as soon as I can vote, I'll vote for someone who is for the skate park,'' he said. Councilman David Weaver
The Weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which breed in sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical voted with the homeowners, but pledged to the teens that he would push the city to pick a new site and build a skate park somewhere else within six to 12 months. But Jason said he doubts the city will be able to deliver, especially on plans to develop what is called a skate shell at Verdugo Park. ``It's not going to happen. It's a vicious cycle Noun 1. vicious cycle - one trouble leads to another that aggravates the first vicious circle positive feedback, regeneration - feedback in phase with (augmenting) the input and it will continue. Verdugo has just as much of a parking problem as Montrose Park because of Glendale Community College Glendale Community College can refer to one of two colleges in the United States.
Dick Seeley, a Glendale resident active in civic affairs, sided with the teen-agers. The homeowners should not have fought off a project that would have been such a popular attraction for teens, he said. ``This is a symbol of a much deeper problem in adult and children relations in our city,'' Seeley told the council. Until Tuesday, the skate park was a done deal. The movement for a skate park started more than four years ago. Local skateboarders and police officers came together to ask Glendale's Parks and Recreation Department to create a skate park where youngsters could skate legally. The teens were weary of being asked to leave every site around the city where they skated and police officers were tired of handing out citations to 13-year-olds. In December, the Glendale City Council approved a skating shell to be built at Montrose Park. Since then, $65,000 has been been spent planning and designing the facility. But on Tuesday, the Montecito Park Homeowners Association, a group of residents who live near Montrose Park, successfully lobbied the council to reconsider re·con·sid·er v. re·con·sid·ered, re·con·sid·er·ing, re·con·sid·ers v.tr. 1. To consider again, especially with intent to alter or modify a previous decision. 2. and kill the project. They complained the park was too small, and the skating shell would become so popular that traffic would increase and it would be impossible to find a parking space. While the group had opposed the skating shell unsuccessfully in December, it prevailed this time around because it had the support of new council members who replaced those who voted for the shell last winter. John Bacich, a member of the homeowners group, said he and others had ``mixed feelings'' about fighting the skate park. ``We all have kids,'' Bacich said. ``Our position all along has been that these are good kids and they need a place to skate.'' However, he was convinced that the skate facility would be wrong for Montrose Park, because of noise and traffic. In addition, residents were concerned about ``skate art,'' the graffiti graffiti Form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Technically the term applies to designs scratched through a layer of paint or plaster, but its meaning has been extended to other markings. byproduct by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. Noun 1. that sometimes accompanies popular skate facilities. Experts have advised Bacich that the best sites are positioned further away from homes and other park activities. ``This was in large part about preservation of a park that was not intended to have such a facility,'' Bacich said. He visited other skate parks in the state and found that sites one-third the size of the proposed Montrose Park facility were drawing double the number of users projected for this site. ``These parks tend to be very popular,'' Bacich said. He suggested that the city involve homeowner groups when it starts picking a replacement site. ``What happened here is that the residents got involved too late,'' Bacich said. The homeowners group had the solid support of Weaver and Mayor Ginger ginger, common name for members of the Zingiberaceae, a family of tropical and subtropical perennial herbs, chiefly of Indomalaysia. The aromatic oils of many are used in making condiments, perfumes, and medicines, especially stimulants and preparations to ease Bremberg, who agreed the Montrose Park site was inappropriate. Both voted against the site in December. On Tuesday, Councilmen Rafi Manoukian Rafi Manoukian is a former member of the city council in Glendale, California. He was recently notified that he has been selected by the Board of Directors and the Selection Committee of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) as a recipient of the 2006 Ellis Island and Gus Gomez agreed that the site was too small, would generate traffic and didn't have enough parking. Bremberg said that before a permanent site can be chosen, she'd like to see the city obtain two portable skate facilities that can move around to different school sites. That way, the youngsters would have a place to skate while city officials figure out the best permanent site. She said she was impressed im·press 1 tr.v. im·pressed, im·press·ing, im·press·es 1. To affect strongly, often favorably: with the political skills of the skateboarders, who managed to put up a pro-skate park speaker for every homeowner who argued against the project. ``The young people who spoke were articulate and bright. They did it with grace and civility,'' Bremberg said. Councilman Sheldon Baker was the lone supporter of the skateboarders Tuesday. He voted for the Montrose Park site in December as well. Baker challenged the homeowners to come back to the council when the next neighborhood group tries to kill a skateboarding park near homes. ``I hope you are here for the kids. You owe it to them,'' Baker said. Bacich agreed with Baker that the Montecito Park Homeowners Association should support alternative sites. ``I think it's a great challenge,'' he said. Baker decried the ``not in my back yard'' mania Mania ancient Roman goddess of the dead. [Rom. Myth.: Zimmerman, 159] See : Death that has swept the city, saying it will be harder and harder to put in much-needed parks in the city because of neighborhood opposition. He used the recently opened Freeway Sports Complex as an example. ``I'm not sure if it came up today that we'd be able to have a Freeway Sports Complex, because it's in somebody's neighborhood,'' Baker said. Manoukian said that days after the skate park vote the decision was still on his conscience. He said he'll join Weaver in pushing staffers to move quickly on a replacement site. ``We shouldn't have to postpone post·pone tr.v. post·poned, post·pon·ing, post·pones 1. To delay until a future time; put off. See Synonyms at defer1. 2. To place after in importance; subordinate. another six months to a year,'' Manoukian said. Sgt. Rick Young, a spokesman for the Glendale Police Department, said the police worked with the skateboarders to ask the city for a skate park, because police spend so much time telling the children not to skate on public property. ``Everyone agrees they need a place to skate. But no one wants it in their back yard,'' Young said. ``It's frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: to see that this much work and time has gone into this and they still don't have a skate park.'' Weaver said the city needs to get more creative, and perhaps look at sites in nonresidential areas, industrial sectors or maybe over the Verdugo Wash. ``All we have been doing is looking at public parks. Why are we trying to jam these skate parks into the public parks?'' Weaver said. Despite the pessimism pessimism, philosophical opinion or doctrine that evil predominates over good; the opposite of optimism. Systematic forms of pessimism may be found in philosophy and religion. of the skateboarders about his pledge to move quickly on a new site, Weaver said he will do anything he can to keep his word. ``I can see where they are coming from. Our credibility is pretty poor,'' Weaver said. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--2) Scott Hounsell, who lobbied officials to no avail for a legal skateboard facility at Montrose Park, skates Skates may refer to:
(3) Glendale Officer Patrick Richardson confronts skateboarders teen Joseph Micheri, 13; Dennis Archie, 14; and Rob Archie, 12, at Glendale City Hall. David R. Crane/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion