Greensborough Williamson Neighbourhood Park
Markham, ON
Williamson Rd & Swan Park Rd
A fun little transition based skate spot.
The capped ledge. After several emails back and forth with the city here's the explanation.
Basically, the ledge was not meant to be skated but after some feedback from myself, the city has agreed to consult with skaters in future projects.(3 years later, here's the story)
I emailed the city about the presence of the skate stoppers at the skatepark and posted to my social media. The builder contacted me and stated - the stoppers were a requirement from the city, we built the bowl and let the general park contractor deal with them.
I received a quick response from the city. It stated
"Thanks for contacting us about the skate park at Greensborough Williamson Park. There are skate stoppers along the seat wall behind the bowl of the skate park. Even though this is attached to the skate park it is not meant to be skated on. Due to its proximity to the pathway it is not safe for pedestrians or skaters to be that close to each other. And this way, this ledge can be used for seating opportunities for people watching or preparing to enter the skate park. We made sure to put rails in the skate park that are designed to be skated and slid on without wearing down. A concrete edge does not stand up as well to these uses. There are plenty of opportunities within the skate park to have that sliding experience. Hopefully that answers your question. If there is anything else I can help you with please let me know."
Well if you have read my blog you know I wouldn't just let that stand, cuz it's stupid and wrong but mostly because 'I know more that you'. I went out to the other Markham skate spots and took measurements and photos and repsonded.
"Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I always applaud Markham for its commitment to parks and recreation and the growing skatepark network. I’ve shared photos of the skate spot with other members of the skateboarding community and the city’s response and it has left them and myself baffled. I hope some sharing of information will help with future projects.
Firstly, not all skateboarding is the same. Transition skating is very different than ledge skating and while there is ‘sliding’ involved, they are separate disciplines. I know ledge skaters who will not go near a quarter pipe. There is a similar concrete ledge at the Berczy Park Skate Spot on The Bridal Walk that shows no sign of deterioration in the 5+ years that park has been in use.
The placement of the benches in Greensborough is perfect. They all face the park and are close enough for an unobstructed view (perfect for parents and other spectators) & far enough as to not interfere with users of the skate spot. Sitting on the ledge means turning your back to the action and increases the risk of someone being hit by a board, scooter or person.
The skatepark is easily identified as an action sports area. There is no need to cross the park along the ledge as the sidewalk is only 80feet away and the entrance to the sport courts are off a seperate walkway. Also, the path in front of the ledge is wider in Greensbourough than the path by the ledge at Berczy.
There is a saying amongst skatepark advocates; If the city doesn’t have a skatepark, it is a skatepark. Markham has a great network in place but without a ledge in the park, skaters will go to the next closest ledge at a school or community centre.
The best way to make a ledge un-skatable is to make the ground in front of it un-skatable with lawn or pebbled in-lays. Skate stoppers are removed by those committed to skating that item.
I hope this has been informative and not come off as rude. I would love to be involved with any skate park projects in the future. I know the skateboarding community would love to be involved as well."
I got a nice reply in return.
"Thanks for your response. I can honestly say I learnt a lot from your email. These are things I will definitely make note of when designing future skate spots. We currently do not have any skate parks in design but I think there are opportunities in the future to get more feedback surrounding purposed skate spots. I am going to talk to my supervisors about how we can adapt our current public input process to include specialized users, who may not be part of a formally recognized group. I will keep you informed on this process."
Unfortunately, this nice person no longer works for the city and I had to deal with 2 less helpful people the next time (check it HERE)
The rest of the park is nice too.
