There's been a flurry of activity lately regarding the future of Indianapolis' skatepark(s). We here at The Solitary Life wanted to pass on what we've learned, while doing our part [whatever we can, at least] to advance the cause.
Major Taylor skatepark has been around for about twelve years now. Located near the corner of Cold Spring Rd. and 38th Street, it sits beside the Major Taylor Velodrome (a race track for bicycles). It's concrete, free to skate, and open daily from dusk until dawn. I think that it's safe to say that everyone in Indianapolis skates it at least a few times a year. Many skate it weekly, or even daily.
Online, there's a petition that anyone can sign, to advance the cause of keeping Major Taylor open. It can be found here (copy and paste into your browser):
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savemajortaylor/
Here's what the petition says (this will get you up to speed regarding why Major Taylor is at risk of being shut down):
"This petition is in response to the upcoming acquisition of the Major Taylor Velodrome facility and skate park by Marian College.
Indianapolis Indiana roughly has a population of approx.810,000, and is the 11th largest city in the nation. It has one and only public skate park that is in the process of being turned over to Marian College (a private school) for "management" due to the fact that the Indianapolis Parks Dept. is in a financial crisis.
The college is apparently taking over a whole sports complex, in which the skate park resides, consisting of a Velodrome, a BMX dirt track, and our lovable 15,300 square foot underdog of a skate park.
The college is focusing on the Velodrome because it has its own fixed gear bicycle racing team that it races on. Initially, the college wanted the skate park bulldozed, but the city would not relinquish that privilege.
The next request by Marian College was to charge admission to a formerly PUBLIC skate park with *NO* intent to set those funds aside for the skate park itself. After finding that they would have to get an insurance policy if the park was staffed, they decided they would want to have set hours for the skate park, which had previously been open 24 hours a day.
During those hours of operation, the skate park currently serves thousands upon thousands of users per year, sometimes hundreds a day. The skateboarder population in Indianapolis is estimated to be somewhere over 40,000 and growing, as of a 2006 census.
The park has been open since 1999/2000, and is the kingpin of the skateboarder/BMXing/rollerblading community in Indianapolis. There have been many contests, D.I.Y. events such as the Gnar-B-Q, and many skate clinics held there. The skate park keeps a lot of people happy,sane, and content, and OUT OF TROUBLE ! despite being too small, outdated, and insufficient for the growing population.
A lot of users of the park state that they tolerate the conditions merely because they have nothing else. The argument is..."why can't the college do what it will with the property, and simply leave the skate park alone and open 24hrs.
The city has been approached many times by the locals themselves wanting to donate their own blood,sweat,and tears to maintain the park, and to raise funds to keep it open and growing, only to be ignored. So to put this park in the hands of a privately run institution, with its own special interests, that has no motivation to run it, is not a solution. It is ethically and morally wrong.
All we ask is that the skate park remain PUBLIC, FREE OF CHARGE, and open 24 hours a day. There has never been a problem with this in the past 9 or so years, and we would like to keep it that way.
*Keep in mind that after you submit your signature, a donation feature pops up. That in no way is an obligation to donate money. All we need is for you to sign the petition. We would be truly grateful. Time is of the utmost essence on this one, so please go to the attached link and sign that puppy as soon as you read this.
Thank You truly,
The Skaters of Indianapolis Indiana."
A Big Day Out:
There's going to be a big, all-day session in support of Major Taylor on Saturday, April the 24th, 2010. We'll definitely be there, trying to get caught up to speed on what's going on with this whole skatepark-closing business.
For more info, check out the blog: www.indyskateparks.blogspot.com
Meetings, and more meetings...
According to the indyskateparks blog, there's an upcoming meeting to discuss all of this stuff. Here's the info:
"Next meeting.
The next meeting we are having will be April 8th at The Earth House . We are starting at 6. Bring ideas and friends. We will talk about the 24th and the future. Come show your support for the new park.
Earth House has a coffee shop as well as a great menu.
Directions: On the corner of New York and East St. downtown Indianapolis.."
We'll try to be there, too...
A New Park In Indianapolis...?
Then, we have a Facebook group here, advocating for a *brand new* skatepark in Indianapolis (once again, copy and paste into your browser):
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=369131358951
Here's what they have to say:
"We are advocating the construction of a small skatepark in the King Park neighborhood located just north of the downtown area. Indy Skatepark Advocates are seeking funding via the Tony Hawk Foundation Grant in addition to other sources. We propose a family friendly skatepark that is roughly 5,000-10,000 square feet. We feel that access to safe activities for youth in the neighborhood are limited and could be improved with the construction of a skatepark. This advocacy group is composed of several local and experienced skateboarders,BMX bike riders and neighborhood stakeholders. Please help us in our effort to create awareness of the need for more skateparks in Indianapolis..."
They also have a petition, here (you know the drill):
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/newindyskatepark/
Our beloved skatepark. Let's hope it lives to see another decade. Or two...
The Problems
I dug these photos out of the archives, and they point to two reasons why the city, or the college, might not be too stoked on keeping Major Taylor alive and kicking...
Let's face some hard facts, here, everyone. The skaters of Indianapolis aren't entirely "victims" here... and, my good conscience can't help but to point this out. In the upper photo, we have Problem Number One: Rampant and persistent graffiti everywhere, and regularly. In the bottom photo, we have photographic evidence of how we, as skaters, tend to treat our home park: Like garbage. Literally. Now, if we expect the city (or, anyone else) to build skateparks for us... let alone, letting us keep the skateparks that we already have... maybe we should also make a point of taking care of what we've got, while we've got it, hmmm...?
Likewise, I'd like to point out that I've often mentioned to the folks at the Major Taylor office that it might be a good idea to have 24/7 surveillance at the skatepark (like Anderson does, for example), to keep the vandals at bay. I've also advocated that Major Taylor should be well-lit, and open all night long (like Louisville is), so that skaters can use it any time they like. My hunch is that, most of the vandalism is done when skaters aren't there, as most skaters wouldn't condone having our beloved skatepark treated like this. If you let the skaters skate, they'll usually keep the vandals at arms' length, or off the property altogether.
In short: Everyone has a role to play here, and noone is blameless in this whole mess.
We'll stay on top of this story as it unfolds. Until then, the old mantra remains: Take care of your skatepark, and your skatepark will take care of you. Laters.
