Potential sites and the size of a possible skatepark began to gel at a public meeting on Aug. 6 with the consultant hired by the city.
The consultant, former professional skateboarder Kanten Russell, said the park could be 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, at most.
“Manhattan Beach is just not ready for anything bigger,” he said. “To try to do something any bigger—it’s never going to happen.”
The city hired Russell, from the consultancy firm Stantec, to make recommendations on skatepark type, funding and location based on community feedback. It also created an online survey on the topic and included related questions on a general resident survey conducted by an outside firm last year.
The latter found that 45 percent of the residents polled generally opposed a park, while 43 percent favored it. However, when residents were told the park wouldn’t be funded by the city, 62 percent favored it, and 29 percent opposed it.
Russell said he would remove Bruce’s Beach, one of the locations listed on the skatepark survey, from consideration because it was too “contentious.”
He polled the small group of about 15 adults and 10 kids at the Joslyn Community Center regarding other possible sites. Based on a show of hands, Manhattan Heights Park, where Russell said he had seen a skate camp being held on the tennis courts, appeared to be the most popular, followed by the Manhattan Village Mall and then Marine Avenue Park.
When the conversation veered toward Polliwog Park, which the city removed from consideration after strong opposition from neighbors, Russell nipped it in the bud.
“It’s not even worth getting into,” he said. “It’s just going to get shot down.”
Russell said the park might be more like a “dot,” or exercise station in a park.
Richard Crow, the father of a skateboarder and one of the members of the committee that recommended the city hire Stantec, suggested having multiple spots throughout the city.
“It spreads out everything,” said Crow. “The residents are happier because they don’t have all these kids.”
Russell said this was a good idea, but they would have to start small.
“A network is the way to go, but sometimes you’ve got to start with the first one,” he said. “With the controversy and pushback we’ve gotten, we have to start somewhere.”’
Russell said he wasn’t worried about finding someone to fund the skatepark and estimated the cost of upkeep would be $500 or less per year. Another park he worked on in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was funded by sneaker brand Vans.
He ended with a pragmatic reason to build a skatepark, describing seeing a photo of someone skating down steps near the pier in a magazine.
“Whether people like it or not, the city is being used as a skatepark,” said Russell. “We can’t stop the activity from happening, but we can give them a safe place. Here’s the bottom line: If we can’t give them a place to go, we can’t complain about them damaging the city.”
The next meeting, at which Russell will present possible concepts tailored to the favored sites, is scheduled for Sept. 8. In the meantime, the city’s online survey will remain open for another couple of weeks. ER
