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County decision keeps skatepark plan from rolling along
Park would be at Vasona
Town to appeal decision
By Gloria I. Wang
Los Gatos' proposal to build a skatepark at Vasona Lake County Park was narrowly defeated by county parks commissioners, who voted 4-3 to recommend denial. But the town won't go down without a fight--officials hinted that they would appeal the decision to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Town representatives, as well as a handful of local youth, lobbied for approval from the county at the March 6 parks commission meeting. The decision was up to the county because the proposal called for the facility to be placed at Vasona, which is under county jurisdiction.
"Building a skatepark would enable us to have a place to skate and have fun without wrecking things or getting a ticket," said Anders Ericsson, an eighth-grader at Fisher Middle School. Ericsson, who skateboards every day, said there is no place for skaters to go in Los Gatos.
Fisher eighth-grader Elliot Thomas said, "We need a place to skate where the cops won't be on our tails every day." When commissioners asked Thomas where he skates, he said he often goes to the Van's Milpitas Skatepark in the Great Mall.
"It would be cool to have a skatepark where we wouldn't have to drive half an hour to get there," said their classmate Tristan Herman. Tristan pointed out that skateboarding in public places often leaves black marks on curbs.
"From the very outset, we believed that a skateboard park was needed in that area," said Paul Romero, county parks and recreation director.
Commissioners didn't disagree with that fact, but they had a host of other issues that they struggled with. Commissioner Gurdev Sandhu said he supported skateparks and had gone before the city of Milpitas with his son to plead unsuccessfully for a skatepark to remain open. Sandhu did not support the Vasona proposal, however, because he felt skateparks were more appropriate in urban environments--not residential areas such as Vasona--and should be run by companies, such as Van's, not municipalities.
Commissioner Larry Ames, on the other hand, was in favor of skateparks and even having the facility in Vasona, but said the specific site that was proposed was inappropriate. Ames said the spot was one of the most beautiful, peaceful and green areas in Vasona. He preferred to situate the skatepark in a noisier atmosphere, closer to Highway 17 and Blossom Hill Road.
Romero replied that county and town staff had evaluated and rejected that site because of concerns with access and fee collection. County staff believed the town's choice was the best in Vasona.
Romero said county staff supported the proposal, but only if a land swap was negotiated, in which Los Gatos would "swap" some of its land adjacent to the park with the county for the skatepark site. Since the land would then belong to the town, the county would not have to worry about precedent and other issues.
If the land swap was not possible, the town could lease the land from the county. That would be the "least acceptable vehicle," however, because that would bring up environmental concerns and even compromise the county's friendly relationship with the town, Romero said.
The town was willing to look at a land exchange, said Los Gatos Councilman Steve Glickman, but thought the idea was too complex and too time-consuming. A lease was preferable because there would be minimum delays in starting construction.
"The consensus was 'Let's not go down that road unless we have to,'" said Town Manager Debra Figone. She admittedly did not know the timeline for the land swap, but according to Romero, it would not be any more difficult than negotiating a lease.
Commissioner Fadi Saba, who eventually voted for denial, pointed out that while the mission of county parks was to provide recreation for all members of the population, the county had eliminated all basketball and handball courts in its parks. Saba said it was the responsibility of the cities to provide that kind of recreation; if a land swap could be arranged, Saba said, he would then be in support of the proposal.
Some commissioners suggested to Glickman that the town consider building onto an existing school parking lot or tennis court, like the one in Campbell. Glickman answered that the town had spent two years in an exhaustive search of different sites in town. "If we could have found a site that could've been close to acceptable, we wouldn't be here," Glickman said.
The site within the park was not the issue for commissioner Jim Foran--he isn't in favor of locating a skatepark anywhere in Vasona. Foran said the natural resources that would be displaced by constructing a skatepark were irreplaceable, and that Vasona was too precious a resource to give up. "It's a very difficult issue. I wish we could solve it another way," Foran said.
"I think the skatepark will add a future to Vasona and make it even more of a family-friendly park," said Commissioner Patty Ciesla. The site that Los Gatos had picked, Ciesla said, "is an attractive area, and it's fair to let the kids enjoy it."
Commission Chairman John Redding also supported the project. "I believe that the needs and interests of the community change over time," Redding said. "It's a wise board, parks commission, board of supervisors, that recognize that change and go along with it."
Redding pointed out that the town was willing to take responsibility for the skatepark and partner with the county; if the county gave something to the town, it could get something back in the future.
Although four of the commissioners recommended denial of the skatepark to the board of supervisors, the county congratulated the town on being thorough and cooperating with the county's concerns.
According to the commission, when commissioners recommend denial, the supervisors go along with that recommendation. The town indicated, however, that it plans to appeal the decision to the supervisors in the near future. A meeting date will be scheduled by the county and the town.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
