Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
A group of skaters, including Abram Ellescas, 11, (second from left) watch and wait for their turn on one of the ramps at the new Cupertino Mobile Skate Park on April 27.
Thrash City
At long last, Cupertino has a skatepark, albeit a mobile one
By Jennifer Zhang
After years of brainstorming, planning and negotiating, the city of Cupertino is finally bringing in a skatepark for its young residents. While the skatepark is a permanent feature, it is not a permanent fixture. It moves around to serve young people throughout the city.
The The Skate Mobile made its first appearance on April 27 at a dedication ceremony at Monta Vista High School's parking lot.
The Skate Mobile is composed of 10 steel pieces, five of which are big and can be taken apart into smaller parts. The other five pieces are smaller and cannot be broken down.
Before a skating event, some pieces are put together to form bigger ramps and they are arranged along with other individual pieces into a skatepark. After the event, city vehicles tow the components to the next skating event location.
Although it operates in easy steps, the decision to have a mobile skatepark has not been an easy one. The idea originated in the early '90s, when Councilwoman Sandra James worked with the office of parks and recreation.
"One of my main concerns was that facilities serving the young adult population were underutilized," James said. "They were neglected."
James chaired the teen task force to communicate with and learn more about teens. After talking to many of them, two needs stood out--a skatepark and a teen center.
The skatepark idea matured in the following years as James received more support from the city to take teens more seriously. A formal survey was conducted to find out what teens want. The results again put a skatepark at the top of the list.
Soon the skatepark committee was formed; it met for the first time in February 2000. Unfortunately the committee was not able to agree on the location for the project. The group considered four sites--Jollyman Park, the Vallco/Compaq area, Wilson Park and Memorial Park--but could not agree on one.
Most residents opposed the idea of having a skatepark near their neighborhood, citing a possible drop in property value, decrease of grass area in neighborhood parks, and an excess of noise.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Martin Rosel, 16, gets some big air at the new Cupertino Mobile Skate Park. Rosel, from Santa Cruz, learned about the new park from his mom, who works at Apple. The city decided to make use of the mobile skate park after officials could not agree on a location for a permanent one.
It was clear that finding a permanent site for the skatepark was going to be a difficult task. After more than a year of meeting and planning without any positive results, the idea of a mobile skatepark became more attractive and realistic.
"It seemed like a good idea", said Christine Hanel, recreation supervisor and skate committee member. "It's mobile. We can move it to different locations so not one particular neighborhood is negatively affected. It is also available to all kids everywhere."
Another important reason to favor a mobile versus a permanent skatepark was the cost. It would cost about $350,000 to $450,000 to build a permanent park, whereas a mobile one would only cost approximately $40,000.
Finally, in August 2001, the skatepark committee started its detailed planning process. A bidding process was soon under way. Ball Hitch Ramps, LLC, was ultimately selected to construct the park. The actual building process took about eight weeks, and the park was ready earlier this month.
"The whole planning process was an incredible collaboration of different resources," Hanel said. "All departments in the city contributed to this project. We are very fortunate. City council has supported us all the way. It has been a rewarding experience. I think the whole community will benefit from it."
Hanel says she has received a lot of positive feedback from residents in the community. Many are happy to have a park, mobile or not.
"I am very excited about the mobile park," James said. "It is so important that [young people] have a place to exercise their minds and bodies, to get fresh air and perfect their skills. It is a healthy venue for young people."
This mobile park, however, is not a replacement for a permanent skatepark. The city is still working on building a permanent park in the near future. One possible site is the Vallco/Compaq area. Compaq has donated some land to the city but the process came to a halt when the Compaq-HP merger process began. The city is waiting for its completion before making further plans.
The mobile park will continue to be used with or without a permanent skatepark. James says it could always be used for special events.
Said skating enthusiast Allen Sze, a sixth-grader at Garden Gate Elementary School who now skates in Memorial Park and his schoolyard, "I think the mobile park is a neat idea." His friend and schoolmate Koji Kimura added, "It's cool. But I think a permanent one is better because people don't have to travel to different places to skate. It's always there at the same spot."
The Skate Mobile is available for two or three days a week, but will be used five days per week this summer.
Available dates and other information can be found at www.cupertino.org/teens or by calling 408.777.3102.
Cupertino, California Since 1947
