Compton Center Rolls Out Facilities Master Plan
Compton Center Announces New Permanent Provost
City Announces Gang Injunction Finally Moving Forward at Anti-Crime Group Meeting
Vanguard Junior High Alumni Invited to Big Picnic
Wilson Skate Park Project Breaks Ground
Mayor Eric J. Perrodin and local skateboarders
watch as an unidentified skater jumps over a bunch of balloons.
By
Allison Jean Eaton
Bulletin
Staff Writer
COMPTON – Several
years in the making, the city’s highly anticipated youth-oriented
skateboarding facility Saturday, May 31 broke ground at Wilson Park.
City and project officials were joined by throngs of eager young
skateboarders who said they simply can’t wait until their skate park,
which is to feature ramps, gaps and bowls, is completed.
With construction estimated to take roughly four to five months,
the 11,000-square-foot skate park should be up and running in September
or October, according to officials. Earlier this year, Parks and Recreation
project manager Brandon Mims said the target date for completion is Sept.
15.
Last week, Parks and Recreation Director Sheila Fenderson confirmed
that the city is shooting to have the skate park open by the Sept. 15 target
date.
California Skate Parks Inc. was hired at the beginning of the year
to design and build the skate park adjacent to the tennis courts and community
center at the park on Rose Avenue.
It was awarded the contract at an estimated cost of $373,275 that
is not to exceed $524,601.
That’s the amount the city has been able to acquire for the park.
The Tony Hawk Foundation provided a total of $70,500 to the project via
grants and donations. Another $157,500 was allocated through a Roberti-Z’Berg
Harris Urban Open-Space and Recreation grant. The remaining $296,601 will
come from Community Development Block Grant funds from fiscal years 2006-07
and 2007-08.
California Skate Parks was the only company to respond to the request
for proposals sent out by the Parks and Recreation Department.
“Normally, staff would not recommend selecting a sole-responder,
however California Skate Parks Inc. is one of few expert concrete park
builders
in the United States,” a staff report reads. Additionally, the company
was sensitive to city staff’s concerns relative to the timeliness
of the project and came highly recommended by the Tony Hawk Foundation.
The legendary skateboarder’s nonprofit first became involved in the
city’s skate park venture in September 2006, when Compton successfully
applied for a $10,000 grant.
According to the foundation’s Website, www.tonyhawkfoundation.org,
the Vista-based organization “seeks to make lasting improvements
in society with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth.”
This goal is met via special events, grants and technical assistance,
all provided in support of recreational programs with a focus on the creation
of public skateboard parks in low-income communities.
Late last year the foundation held a special fundraiser specifically
for Compton during its annual foundation fundraising benefit in Beverly
Hills. It has never raised funds for a specific city before, according
to Executive Director Miki Vuckovich.
He along with Tony Hawk last October presented the city with a check
for the $60,500 they raised for the city.
“The Compton project absolutely represents the type of project we
want to support,” Hawk told The Bulletin Oct. 6, 2007. “I started
this foundation because I saw a real disconnect in terms of where
skate parks were being built and where they were truly needed, and they
are needed
in areas where there are more kids at-risk.
The city has been trying to get the skate park off the ground since
2001, when it first applied for the Roberti-Z’Berg Harris grant to
get the ball rolling.
Citizens have long been calling for more youth-oriented activities
and programs to keep kids off the streets and out of gangs. Compton’s
roughly 10 square miles are home to more than 60 active gang factions,
and children, especially those with nothing to do, are often harassed and
pressured into joining.
In February, more than a dozen young skateboarders boarded a bus
and toured several area skate parks to learn about and ride the different
types of elements their park could incorporate. From that experience, they
worked with landscape architect and subcontractor Charles Strawter, who
is overseeing the design and construction process, to ensure elements the
youth are interested in are incorporated into the Wilson Park design .
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