Get Rid of the Port Angeles Skate Park?
One of the candidates for the Port Angeles City Council said yesterday that Port Angeles is developing as a retirement community and he’d like to see services going toward that population. He didn't say the S word but I think he meant we should be more like Sequim. "I wouldn't mind seeing us filling in the skate park and making it a slab of concrete to hold barbecues that seniors would enjoy."
Uh, do what now??
It took years of wheeling and dealing and finagling and teeth-pulling to get that skate park built. The park is heavily used. Where would you rather see these people skateboarding? Up and down the sidewalk in front of YOUR house?
At least the people on skateboards are getting some exercise. You hear all these anecdotes about teenagers who weigh 300 pounds and can't do a single pushup. This is clearly not the case with the people you see zipping along on skateboards, bikes and roller blades.
I don’t think this candidate is destined for the City Council. Skateboarders might not vote but their parents do.
Uh, do what now??
It took years of wheeling and dealing and finagling and teeth-pulling to get that skate park built. The park is heavily used. Where would you rather see these people skateboarding? Up and down the sidewalk in front of YOUR house?
At least the people on skateboards are getting some exercise. You hear all these anecdotes about teenagers who weigh 300 pounds and can't do a single pushup. This is clearly not the case with the people you see zipping along on skateboards, bikes and roller blades.
I don’t think this candidate is destined for the City Council. Skateboarders might not vote but their parents do.
Labels: Port Angeles City Council, Port Angeles Skate Park, Sequim
posted by Tom Harper at 2:00 PM
7 Comments:
I saw that and couldn't help but chuckle myself. I've got an idea, we just cement over ALL the parks,take out the trees, do away with the birds, put up some cyclone fence wheel the seniors in and watch them get wet in the winter and fry in the sun in the summer. I was running thru a park in San Fransisco last year, where the seniors were playing chess, bird watching, and practicing tai chi.Intermingled with a youth choir group practicing, and multiple families picnicing. What a life afirming experience.Even if PA becomes a retirement community, we will still need services for the youth,and some green space. Who is this guy???
As Sequim will find out in a few years....retirees die, and families don't want the close-packed "senior housing". A viable city will work to appeal to ALL AGE GROUPS not just the over 50 crowd.
The skate park was a step in the right direction (although eventually I think skate parks will go the way of the late 50's "trampoline parks", a fad that made a lot of personal injury lawyers rich).
What we NEED is a real "city center" and community building. Not A community building, but more to promote a sense of unity, and city pride. Right now there is no "there there". The town is disjointed. The city departments are all little empires, that don't seem to play well. The college and the city and the private businesses and the Nat'l parks all seem to be at odds with each other.
For a candidate to promote "old us, v.s. young them" was laughable.
The guy was speaking out the wrong orifice. Typical. Why don't we get some good candidates for city council? Our incumbents need to be tossed, but, not unless we start seeing some really good, intelligent candidates.
With the skate park gone, the kids would have more time and energy to.....tag buildings. No wait, they are trying to stop that. Or rather, they charge the building owner to fix it, so perhaps in some twisted political sense, its a revenue thing.
Let's support Edna Peterson's vision of Port Angeles by re-electing her to the City Council!
What is HER vision? You can't make a statement like that unless you back it up with some examples.
Meanwhile, the whole concept of catering to retirees is lost unless we get our property assessments under control. Several states have laws in place to limit the amount that a property can be assessed (from when it was purchased). Because Washington has NONE, AARP did not put Washington on the "move to" list.
The Clallam county assessor is one of my neighbors. I asked her about the assessment procedure once and I got such a song and dance it wasn't even funny. That was right after they lowered the tax rate on the front end and liberally raised assessments on the back (and somehow I was paying more and thats a deal!). I got the feeling it wasn't the first such performance on the subject she had given.
I've didnt vote for her then and thats not about to change.
I think that destroying the skatepark is a really bad idea. The senior citizens are'nt the only people in the city of Port Angeles. They should respect the fact that there are kids and young adults that need something to do. The skatepark provides a good enviornment where kids won't get involved with drugs, gangs, and graffiti. Besides, where would they go to skate? Do want kids riding by your house on thier boards everyday? Does the city really want to tear down a populated recreational area that they paid so much for so a bunch of old hags can have a BBQ? There are plenty of better areas for that. I don't care if Port Angeles is going to be a retirement community. There are going to be young people anywhere you go. Save the skatepark!
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