September 2017

Is it time for a concrete skate park in Sioux Falls?

l3wis September 7, 2017 5Comments

Skate activists have been after this for awhile, I was pointed to this post on FB of the city farting around with sanding the metal ramps and repainting them;

Dear the City of Sioux Falls, SD – Parks and Recreation Department

SO SOME OF YOU DONT TAKE THIS OUT OF CONTEXT AND THINK WE ARE JUST WHINING AND UNGRATEFUL, PLEASE READ THIS WHOLE POST THROUGHLY FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING PLEASE.

PLEASE SHARE THIS AND LET OUR VOICES AND FRUSTRATION BE HEARD

Speaking on behalf of every skateboarder or anyone that is involved in action sports in Sioux Falls that goes to Drake Springs or Kuehn, we are all SO SICK of putting up with the lack of care, and disrespectfulness we as skateboarders receive. Last year Mike Huether came to Drake Springs promising to make “Big Changes” to our skate environment in the upcoming year and even the Park and Rec department came to the park with Surveys asking “What changes should be made that YOU would like to see?” Every single one of us put down “CONCRETE SKATEPARK” but why in the world would we ever get one right? Today Nick Haugen and I came to Drake Springs to see Park and Rec employees sanding down the metal ON the ramps which is TOTALLY unsafe, and skateboarding on METAL RAMPS on dangerous enough as it is. One of the guys continues to tell us “Oh we’re sanding it down so we can REPAINT it all next week and we’re gonna close it down for a week as well” and instantly got infuriated by the fact that the only things that they are changing, is PAINTING this AWFUL skatepark. Once they were done sanding the ramps, one dude continued to just blow all the metal dust across the skatepark, WHICH IS ALSO DANGEROUS. And continued to laugh as he got metal dust in Nicks and my eyes. Two Police Officers later showed up and talked to Nick and I about what the problem was and after I voiced my opinion about how bogus this park is one them just said “Well don’t come here if you don’t like it, it’s as simple as that, and if you want something new voice your opinion to the city”, and TRUST ME we have all CLEARLY said the best changes would be to add a CONCRETE PARK in our city so the youth can flourish on skateboarding as well. The police officer just didn’t understand my passion for what I love doing and why so many people have quit skateboarding in this town because they don’t have the RIGHT MATERIALS to benefit and flourish of off. I don’t know what this post will lead to and it’ll probably lead to nothing more than likely. But if you support the Skate scene unlike the City Of Sioux Falls does, share this everywhere because I want this to be heard because we are all sick and tired of this.

Robert.

I would also like to Follow up in saying Mayor Huether responded to me a couple months ago about fund cuts all across the city and that I do understand nothing comes free.

I will say this;

• A concrete park is safer.

• It is affordable. When you consider we have given millions to youth football, ice hockey, indoor tennis, indoor swimming and even pickleball, I think SF can afford to pony up for at least ONE nice outdoor concrete skate park.

• Nelson Park was promised MANY things after the pool was built, but it seems sour grapes got in the way of those plans. One of them was a better skate park and a large floral garden area like McKennan Park over the area where the old pool was. None of it has happened.

I also heard that there was private donations being collected to help improve the park and someone stole the kitty this week