Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Facts, opinions
regarding
Measure D

Voters in Los Gatos will soon be asked to vote on Measure D, public funding to construct and maintain a skateboard park.

I offer some facts and opinions on this issue:

Fact 1--The town of Los Gatos set aside a site on Miles Avenue for a skateboard site. Estimated commercial value is about $1 million. Current use is parking for city and company employees and the public.

Fact 2--Los Gatos sponsored a study for the skatepark. Initial results proposed pre-fab, mobile ramps. Youth skateboarders rejected that design. Indigo Associates, a design company, prepared an alternative design with permanent ramps. Indigo's estimated cost for construction of that design was $1 million.

Fact 3--After three years, a small special interest group has only raised about $17,000. It petitioned Measure D on the Feb. 5 election ballot to require the town to pay $1 million construction cost and $50,000 annually from public funds for maintenance.

Fact 4--Youth soccer, baseball, basketball and football are successful, self-sufficient programs using private funding. They pay the town for use and maintenance of the facilities.

Fact 5--Activities such as Jazz in the Plazz, Music in the Park, our Shakespeare company and Los Gatos Museum are all funded with private funds.

Some conclusions/opinions:

* The town is supportive of skateboarding, to wit, the set-aside of valuable land and funding of the design study.

* There's no groundswell of support for the skateboard park, i.e., the failure of three years of fundraising.

* Priority for public funds should be essential activities that only government can provide--public safety (fire and police), infrastructure (streets, roads, etc.); second priority should benefit the greatest number of citizenry (libraries, senior citizen programs, broad-based youth programs, etc.).

* Parking is scarce in Los Gatos. Removing parking in downtown Los Gatos that may have to be replaced later at much greater cost is poor policy.

I am not opposed to skateboarding. It requires skilled athletics, dexterity and practice. I am only opposed to the poor use of public tax funds to pay for it.

Vote in the February primary, and vote no on measure D.

Gil Decker

Los Gatos

How many kids
would Los Gatos
skatepark serve?

I have followed the skateboard park controversy and have a question I consider pivotal. Perhaps I missed it, but I've seen nothing concrete from either side about the actual percentage of Los Gatos kids the park would serve. Shouldn't we determine the percent of residents served whenever we ponder where best to spend our recreational funds?

I have to say that from my many years of observation, not that many of our kids are dedicated skateboarders. The percent must be really quite low. From what I have seen (and I offer my observations only because I haven't seen anything better or more official in the press), competent skateboarding doesn't start until about age 9, and the interest is pretty much over by age 16. In between those ages, I would guess that something less than 8 percent of our kids are avid skateboarders. A minuscule percent of girls seem interested in skateboarding (sorry, female skateboarders).

When I consider the small percent of our kids that seem to have more than a casual interest in skateboarding, and add to that the fact that a skateboard park can be used only by skateboarders, I have to conclude that this $1 million, plus $50,000 annually, can't be money well spent.

Our parks, playing fields, tennis courts and paths are used by male and female kids from under 1 to over 80 for countless things (lying in the sun, birthday parties, picnics, kite flying, dog walking, strolling, jogging, pick-up games, skateboarding, just hanging out, etc.) as well as for their more specific uses.

If our funds were unlimited I would not question a skateboard park; but I can't shake the feeling that this project is a case of too small a percent of our residents asking for too big a slice of our pie.

Karen Pulley

Los Gatos

Sunnyvale's
skatepark
is a success

Recently it was brought to my attention that Los Gatos citizens will be afforded an opportunity to vote for funding a new skatepark in their town.

I am a resident of Sunnyvale. My kids skateboard, and it has had a tremendous positive effect on their lives. My kids do play other sports, but most of the year these league activities are absent from their lives.

Skateboarding affords them a positive form of exercise that keeps them away from the TV. It is something they can do on their own time, at their own pace, and learn to do from their peers.

At our highly successful Sunnyvale Skatepark I witness adults interacting with youth in a safe environment. There is no trouble or delinquent activity.

Tim Rupp

Sunnyvale

Skateboarders
'entitled' to
a skatepark?

As an old skateboarder, I'm pretty ticked off at those "No On Measure D" people. Who do they think they are? Don't they realize that the skateboarders are entitled to this skatepark? The encyclopedia says an entitlement is "a right to benefits that is granted by law."

I mean, if all those people can get welfare benefits from the government, why can't we get a skatepark? It's our right! Those baseball and soccer people must be nuts for continually paying good money for their kids to play their sport. Skateboarders won't have to pay anything!

Just because they think the taxpayers' money should be spent for things like road repair and a new library doesn't mean I have to think that way. Why isn't our current library good enough? (I went there a few years ago, and it looked OK to me).

Have you seen the video on the opposition's website (www.downonmeasured.org)? Check it out--this guy goes flying down Miles Avenue dodging cars and trucks. It's too cool.

Here's the best part. Scotts Valley's skatepark is in a public park with lots of people around, but ours is going to be tucked away where hardly anyone can see what the skateboarders are doing. Also, I've heard there has only been one death (and numerous broken bones) at the Scotts Valley park, so I'm not worried. Los Gatos has plenty of insurance.

Jim Burt

Los Gatos