In recent weeks, the Patterson City Council dedicated     $250,000 to the building of a Skate Park. The money came from a Community Facilities District, which is monies collected from DEVELOPER FEES, NOT TAXPAYERS.

( Misconceptions out there, feel the need to clear up)

I feel strongly about pointing out that the money being dedicated is being used in the manner in which the fees were collected. Our city has gone through many changes in the last ten years, some of which have created needs that originally were not anticipated when development was givin the green light. The need for a skate park, as well as other public facilities, has a clearer definition. It is the duty of the City staff, and City leaders to recognize and respond to the public needs. All one needs to do is look around to see how many children need a place to skate. They are in city streets, school yards, parking lots, and empty buildings throughout town. It is time to respond to those needs, and provide a safe and secure environment for our children to gather.

By having a significant amount of money set aside for the facility, our grant applications have that much more strength to secure the rest of the funding required to build the facility. As for the price tag, a well designed park costs have been long established. The City of Morgan Hill dedicated their park this past weekend, their price tag: $664,000.

http://www.morganhillobserver.com/Article:News/2009/06/26/New_Morgan_Hill_Skate_Park_Opens

Patterson, when built, will be a destination, providing our community with a facility that our younger residents can enjoy, and others will wish to visit.

Photo by: Brian Ramsey - Modesto Bee

Mod Bee Article on Patterson SkatePark

Photo by: Brian Ramsey - Modesto Bee

Skate Video Link

Can’t wait to see it! I’ll place link up asap.

My nephew emailed me this link, looks like Northern California will have an Indoor Skatepark that rivals Woodward West. Epic Indoor Skatepark is a 36,000 square foot facility, opening in late February!:

Epic

Sounds like a skate tour would be in order.

The Council moved one step closer in making a Skate Park a reality for Patterson youth.

The Council approved a $6,000 expenditure to proceed with construction documents for the proposed skate park. Wally Hollyday was on hand to review the plan concept with the Council and provide information on the next steps that would be needed.

Parks and Rec Director Adrienne Chaney made some excellant points regarding the grant money that she will be applying for this year. By proceeding with the construction docs, Patterson’s application would have more weight in receiving funding. The most interesting grant she plans on applying for is the Prop 84 monies that could register the  City a significant amount and possibly the majority of money needed to make the project a go. The other grants she will be applying for are the Stewardship Grant $200,000 and Tony Hawk Foundation for $25,000.

The estimate for the 14,000 square foot facility was $635,000. Wally Holliday noted that the costs could be much less as constructions costs have fallen since he originally began the design process. Once the docs are complete we should a a better idea of the exact cost and our needs for funding for the Park.