Rec & Parks 10 year Plan

 Rec & Parks 10 year Plan

I have gone through the Entire Plan so you don't have to.  Here are the Skatepark related Highlight. Some recommendations in BOLD. My fave line is 'All-wheels parks (skateboarding, scootering, BMX biking, inline skating), skateboard parks, and pump tracks are now a standard level of service in most municipalities. (page E-18)'. 

We better get started!

There's mention of Pump Tracks as well! I will be providing my contacts at the city with examples of skateparks, pump tracks and skate dots.  Your involvement in essential.  Check out the Plan HERE and fill out the Survey HERE

Here's the skatepark highlights.

Executive Summary - Pickering's Youth request Outdoor Recreation Such as Skateboarding (page vi)

Introduction - Skate Parks included in the plan (page 2)

Recent Accomplishments - West Shore Skate Spot opened in 2022 (page 8)

Summary of Public Input - Skateboarding and Skateparks included. Household participation- 8%.  Support use of funds- 45% (pages 20-24)

Summary of City Input - Skateboard Parks included in Parkland Acquisition (page 25)

Existing Facilities - Disposal of West Shore Community Centre not recommended due to WSSS on site (page 39)

Future Facilities - Seaton Rec Complex- Outdoor Spaces- Skate Spot. This should be a neighbourhood or community skateboard park (page 41)

Skateboard Parks - Big section on Skateboard Parks - Highlights - 10 year plan for 1 skatepark and up to 7 skate spots. Focus on term 'All-wheels Parks'.  Addition of Pump Tracks. Includes Seaton Rec Community Skatepark. (pages 80-83) 

Park Design, Maintenance & Renewal - Claremont Memorial Park- Skate Spot part of phase 2, currently unfunded.  Hydro Corridor Park- New Skatepark! (page 138)

Table 39: Outdoor Rec & Park Facilities Recommendations -  Above Recommendations with rough timelines. (pages175-176)

Appendix A -  Skateboard Park Strategy 2017 (page A1)

Appendix C - Analysis of Public Input- 'Facility near White Road and Brock Road' This may mean Whitevale Rd & Brock. A skate spot is planned for the area.  'The skate park on Bayly seems underutilized' Contex is important. The Mural made the surface unsafe for 9 months. The city has failed to host camps & events at this location.  Feedback of 2% for more Action sports facilities in Pickering.  The City Poorly engaged Skatepark users by not promoting open houses at skateparks. (page C3-C4)

Youth Engagement - Facility Priorities for Elementary School Children included Skateboard Parks in their Top 10 (page C-20)

Youth Survey - 11% of respondents stated they Skateboard or Scootered within the past 12 months. 22% enjoy Unstructured activities like 'Skateboarding'. 12% want more Skateboard related activities. (page C-24-C-29)

A4: Stakeholder Input - Strengths- The City's Skateparks are used consistently and cleared off in the winter. Trends- Skateboard has shown growth since Pandemic. (C-36)

Barriers & Challenges - Skateparks do not have a reputable public perception. When you (the city) hide a skatepark, people go there to do hidden things. It's not favourable the current skatepark is the site of a homicide. (page C-37)

Facility Needs - Continued expansion of skatepark network with recommendations. (page C-37-C-38)

Listing of Existing Outdoor Recreation Facilities (page D-3)

Benchmarking Against Comparator Municipalities (page D-5)

Appendix E - Skateboard Parks - Summary of the Above Info. 'Skateboard parks take many forms and formats...and fit within a park and its surrounding land uses.' (page E-18)

Park Use is Changing - Activities like Skateboarding, BMX etc. and increasing in popularity. (pages E-25-E-26)

These are all positive signs for the City of Pickering to actively expand its 'All-Wheels' Network.

Please attend the Open Houses.

Open House Dates/Times
Location: Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex 

Tuesday, July 9 – 5:30-8:30 pm
Wednesday, July 10 – 9:30-12 pm
Wednesday, July 17 – 5:30-8:30 pm

& the follow-up

I attended the open house and discussed skateparks with staff. I informed them I had a few recommendations and they said 'send them in!'

Here's what I sent them.

Hi M!

It’s nice to finally put a face to a name. As you know, I’ve been very active for several years with skatepark advocacy in Pickering and beyond. I’m excited by the possibilities with this ten year plan and continued work on the Skateboard Park Strategy (2017).  

There are a few sections I’d like to highlight for some possible edits. I hope you don’t think I’m being too picky.

Page 41 notes Seaton Rec Complex has been identified for a skate spot.  Later in the Draft and in the Skateboard Park Strategy, it is noted that Seaton is identified for a Skatepark.  Skate Spots, Dots and community & neighbourhood Skateparks are designated sizes (sq M). This could be edited for consistency and the Draft later states Seaton Community Skatepark (Recommendations - page 83)

Appendix C - Analysis of Public Input(page C3-C4)- 'Facility near White Road and Brock Road' This may mean Whitevale Rd & Brock. It isn’t clear  

'The skate park on Bayly seems underutilized’.  Context here is important. The Mural made the surface unsafe for 9 months. The city has failed to host camps & events at this location in the year prior to the mural.  Since the mural removal, the spot has been very active and users are happy.

Feedback of 2% for more Action sports facilities in Pickering.  The City Poorly engaged Skatepark users by not promoting open houses at skateparks. 

Additionally, a document I received in January from the Recreation Programmer included a Skateboard Competition on July 20th, 2024. That’s tomorrow and there has been no announcement or promotion.

Barriers & Challenges - Skateparks do not have a reputable public perception.(page C-37). The Pickering Skatepark does not have a good reputation but parks in other communities in Ontario do not have the same issue.  Small towns are clamouring for skate facilities since the inclusion of skateboarding in the 2020 Olympics.   When the city hides a skatepark, people go there to do hidden things. It's not favourable the current Pickering. skatepark is the site of a homicide.  Modern Skateparks are now built in high traffic areas where they’re easily observed and allow skaters and bystanders to interact safely.  A family had lunch and watched me skate at the West Shore Skate Spot yesterday & I had a great time chatting with the mom and engaging with the kids.

Thank you for considering these points.  

I am excited to get to work on the future All-wheels facilities.

Scott

Pickering Skateparks Alliance

Pefferlaw Pump Track & Skatepark

 Pefferlaw Pump Track & Skatepark

38 Pete's Lane

A perfect example of a small community action sport facility. The Pump Track is great and this one has a kicker/tabletop (finally).  The Skatepark is small but has all the basics with enough tweaks to add some challenge.

Peep this spot. Ledge, Rail, Manny Pad and QP. Then some special stuff.  The Manny pad has 2 beveled sides. There's an extension on the QP. The park is built so you can hit the grass side of the ledge.

Triple route Pump Track

A kicker on a pump track finally!

Well Done Town of Georgina

How Advocacy Worked

 How Advocacy Worked!

It's been a nearly 9 month battle with Pickering's Cultural Services but the mural is being removed.

This is not an indictment of the Art or the Artist. 

The City got an idea in their heads and didn't let anyone stop them, even the people they asked for advice.

The back story is available HERE and HERE

In Short - the city asked me for advice and then ignored every one of my recommendations which resulted in an un-skatable park.

After the surface testing event with promised prizes (plural - and awarded 1 single prize of Bones Dragon Wheels- the only wheels I'd found that actually had traction), the skaters who showed and I were frustrated.  We did not feel like we were heard and we were concerned that the people making decisions about the spot knew nothing about skateparks or skateboarding.

I reached out to my Councillor and the City CAO. I laid out the facts and that we were not satisfied with how the event survey was made. I received a reply from the CAO stating she would direct Cultural Services to act on the feedback.  I asked if the online feedback would be taken into account since 90% of online comments were 'remove the mural'.  

She said 'they will'

The city had a self-imposed reopening goal of the May Long Weekend. After the May 2-4, I was contacted for a meeting. I went in pessimistic.

They acted like removing the mural was their idea (who cares) and the way to save the art was to put part of the mural on the West Shore Community Centre and add wraps to the outer walls of the skate spot.

 We also decided to 'not make a big deal' of the mural removal - just get the spot open. I was told the city would start power washing test spots the next week.  I also got some info from the parks dept about some plans for new skateparks & spots. I left quite optimistic.

Nine days after our meeting the power washing had no been started. One day, a portion of the mural was installed on the adjacent West Shore Community Centre.

I reached out to Cultural Service and asked why paper washing hadn't started.  The response - Operations is busy with grass cutting. 

The next week - Operations was still cutting grass. Who would have thought that grass grows in the summer?

Finally they got back to me and said they'd hired someone to remove the mural but they might have to use some chemicals. 

1. Of course the third party is going to use chemicals. Then they can charge you more.

2. I don't care at this point.

The spot was supposed to be closed Monday @ 7am til Tuesday at 4:30pm.

Day 1.

Day 2

Day 2. 4:10pm - saved by the rain.

I have yet to ride the spot (it's still day 2 as I'm writing this) but it's still the cities duty to fix their error. Cultural Services actually tried to pin fixing this on Parks after their colossal cluster fudge.

Update

Come Get Some!

I think it's crazy they didn't wash this, then added the decal here. Meanwhile, they power blasted the sides of everything, making the look like junk. It even exposed some of the tags from the first weekend.

It's no longer slippery.

West Shore's Back, Alright!

First post-mural sesh!

Here is the preserved art.

Other Advocates and I have differing opinions on the text. I think it's clean. BTW, Forrest is a good boy.

That looks 'great'.

The Heavy Handed power washing left the park looking haggard. 

Check out how advocates took their spot back HERE.

Lakeside Bike Park

 Lakeside Bike Park

525 Fuhrmann Blvd

A Bike Park with skinnies, trails and a pump track (which I rode).

NF Skatepark

 NF Skatepark

NF, NY

898 Hyde Park Blvd

By Spohn Ranch.

I've wanted to skate NF since it was built in 2016. I was a bit disappointed with the deterioration of some of the concrete. 

7/10, would go back to Dumptruck this. ABD but not by me.

Nothing like a big hole in front of the highlight feature.