RECENT COMMENTS
JessOfRVA on then it happens to you...
Becky Metzler on Updated! Guess what's happening on Mosby/Venable?
Mary on then it happens to you...
Sid on then it happens to you...
Becky Metzler on Church Hill Startup Tackles Insurance for Freelancers
Neighbor on then it happens to you...
Dan Rooney on then it happens to you...
Chimborazo meeting set for next Saturday
02/25/2011 12:06 PM by John M
There will be a meeting on Saturday, March 5 at 9AM to discuss what’s going on at Chimbo:
Meeting with Larry Miller from Department of Parks and Recreation to discuss next steps at Chimborazo Playground. He is seeking more public input. At Chimborazo Parkhouse, round building at end of Chimborazo Park.
Is it too late to oppose the petanque courts?! They already have 3, which are used rarely. Meanwhile, they tore up much of the pavement the skaters were using daily, and put that same petanque sand down. 🙁
Unfortunately, I am working out of town for a month, so I cannot be there. I am sure some of my family will be there. Raising three children to adulthood right next to that playground, I am very interested in what happens there. When the City starting tearing up asphalt and skateboarders’ ramps (that they built themselves), I wondered what was going on. The master plan that they published several years ago has already changed, and due to funding the scope has decreased. I think it is important that the playground continues to be accessible to a diverse population. I also want to make sure that before the City tears up asphalt, they have funds for the next step.
Larry Miller wants to get our input before he proceeds, so that is why he is having this meeting. It may not be too late.If you know any skateboarders, get them to this meeting. The City did have conversations earlier with the Friends of Chimborazo, but that group has not been active lately. I hope they will also be at this meeting. Mr. Miller says these petanque courts will replace the existing, and those will be sodded over.
If they need more courts for the game fine, but why is it necessary to get rid of asphalt the basketball and skateboard people use very regularly. I see them out there most days, the bowling people only once or twice a week.
I grew up on the 30th block of Broad and still live there. As a kid, I remember when the playground offered a fun and healthy alternative for kids. Come summertime, I was out in the park from sunup till sundown. I hope that my kids can enjoy this park in the same way I did.
Petanque is not a kids’ sport, and while I’ve never seen a line for the petanque courts, I have seen 25 kids on BMX bikes or a bunch of strangers playing basketball together. Usually the people attracted to skating, biking and basketball tend to be a bit younger, it seems. It also seems that the people who are running the park design want our toddlers to have a place to play but not our teenagers and young adults.
I’d like it if we could get input from everyone who uses the park. Calling a meeting just a week in advance doesn’t give time to get the word out to those who aren’t on the listservs.
@Syd Exactly. We should post some signs up in the park!
This park provides a safe and close to home place for my kids to play. They use both the basket hoops and the skate ramps. I had no idea that they were tearing up the asphalt for MORE pentanque courts!
I agree with #5 – my middle school kids need a safe place to play. This park has been a god send for us.
More Pentanque courts?? A tetherball pole would get more use. No offense, Pentanque players.
Syd, I agree with Matt in #6, I think signs in the park make a LOT of sense, particularly for those who are either not plugged into the internet, or not plugged into chpn.net! With an entire weekend as well as week to go, why not post a couple soonest? Or Matt, you post them?!
Also, I’m not sure there ARE any listservs for this, chpn.net is sort of *it* (I know, you guys teased me recently for being so plugged into it, but really I believe it’s our own local news outlet!)
With all due respect to this previous commentors, the skateboarders, bikers, basketball players, petanque players, and other users of the playground, as a frequent user of the playground I offer a differing observation on the issue. Why complain now and not six months or a year ago? Public meeetings were held at the playground with PArks and Rec, Friends of Chimborazo Playground, bikers, neighbors, parents and petanque players and plans for the renovation were made known before the new play area was built in September 2008. The plans were published on CHPN well over a year ago. Parks and Rec put signs up (one was torn down) announcing the renovation work last fall. Why have no comments and concerns about the renovations been voiced until the work began? Constructive comments to Parks and Rec or the Friends of Chimborazo Playground would have been welcomed and may well have influenced the design for the playground.
The renovations to the playground will continue to make it a better and safer place for all of us. Let’s work together and not delay it further.
I’m not sure how I missed this, but this is terrible news. Chimbo was the only asphalt space large enough for my 5 year old and 3 year old to safely ride their bikes in Church Hill.
I have class all day on Saturday, but perhaps my husband can drag all three children with him to voice our dissent to these plans.
🙁
@10 I heard they planned another court, but I never heard they would have to remove existing space to make it work. I imagined some of the grassy area would be a new court.
why would they tear up asphalt, when there is so much area for new courts, not to mention the comment above about the current court being sodded over. what is next, the playground area?
The petanque players were evidently spinning an absurd fantasy about the park evolving into some kind of mid-Atlantic center for pentaque – people coming from miles around for tournaments, etc. But even if that were more than a pipe dream, why should we build a municipal park catering to people from all over the state, when we have kids right here in our own neighborhood with an obvious need for improved recreational facilities?
Regardless of the fact that the petanque players were undoubtedly more effective at lobbying Parks and Rec. than the gaggle of 14 year old kids who seem to compose the majority of the actual users of the park, the city should have had enough common sense to realize that we don’t need a “petanque court plaza” to adequately address the level of actual demand for petanque courts. Even on nice weekends, it has been relatively rare to see more than one of the existing petanque courts in use.
Wait, did I just mention “city” and “common sense” in the same sentence?
I’m sorry I missed the meetings for this, but this is something a I feel deeply about. I don’t understand why we need more public input when all you need to do is go out to Chimbo on any given day and observe. I was pacified with them letting the DIY ramps slide (as long as they are not in disrepair) but that didn’t fly as well. They removed a legit obstacle that somebody spent a lot of time on, and wasn’t intrusive to the natural space. I dropped a few hundred bucks on wood for a ramp that is currently there and is used daily. Not to be a downer, but I don’t see people flocking from the other side of town with their metal balls. I do see my friends and peers with skateboards and bicycles coming over to enjoy fresh air up on top of the hill.
It’s a bummer, everyone seems to get along really well and the park is very mixed use. I’ve seen folks play roller hockey on the tennis courts. It’s sad that the city starts projects with little direction and poor planning. Instead of letting us enjoy the breaking weather they took a big piece of our playground away. Brett@Cyclus
I
Hey folks – there are NO plans whatsoever to remove the basketball courts at all. In fact, if funding is available, one goal has been to resurface them. We’d also like to install a shorter basket for kids. Parks & Rec and Friends of Chimbo Playground have been and continue to be open to skateboarding at the park. We have always wanted a park that can be used by everyone, no matter how young or old. Toddlers will grow quickly into teens and we want those kids to have a safe place to play off the streets, doing activities that keeps them interested and engaged.
@10 Yes, I was at some public meetings, and yes, I saw the plans. The problem now is that the funds available have changed, and the old plans cannot be implemented. There really has been very little input from the community since the tot lot installation.
The petanque group play at least twice a week and use about three courts … sometimes four.
Didn’t see any petanque players out there this winter. I did, however, see skaters, bikes, and basketball every day of the week.
Bottom line is this – build the park to accommodate what the community wants. Read these comments and I think you’ll get at least an idea of what the community doesn’t want.
Ah, Democracy at work. Everything going along smoothly, basketball players and skaters and bikers and kids all shareing a relatively small urban oasis of black top. No problems, no crime, no trash, a place for everyone. I have enjoyed roller blading there myself on many occasions. Based on the amount of use the area gets, an urban planner could not have hoped for greater succes. The removal of the asphalt runs contrary to one of the most basic truths, “if it aint broke dont try to fix it”. Sorry that I missed earlier meetings but I had no idea that anyone in their right mind would consider ripping up half of the playground. Regards Matt Elmes.
@Matt(#6) & crd(#9) — Syd and I are advertising the meeting on the basketball courts and tennis courts with chalk. If you wanted to also post flyers in the playground and around the petanque courts, that would be great.
@ bridgette(#16) — According to the old plans, the courts are going to be relocated. P&R is still deciding whether there should be 1 or 2 courts.
@lisa(#18) — I agree. The petanque players are frequent users and they’re presence should not downplayed or diminished.
Piggybacking on what Matt Elmes said, I think we’ve already got a great thing going on in Chimbo. I’ve just returned to the neighborhood and I really appreciate all the work that’s been done over the past few years. The community garden, new jungle gym, brighter lights, and repaired backboard on the southeastern B-ball court are awesome.
I’ve seen the plans and they look great. I’m just concerned, given the funding constraints and the planning questions still to be answered, that it will be several years before those areas are built. Meanwhile, either the skaters find another spot(which apparently does not exist), the basketball players feel increasingly unwelcome, or the two groups compete over a very limited area.
I think that few large scale changes are necessary and, keeping with the ideals of Historic Churchill and our local budgets, we should preserve and restore what we already have.
I do like the idea of taking down most of the fences. However, I think most beneficial repairs/additions are much more localized and can be decided on by the different groups of users.
Speaking for the basketball players(please corroborate or disagree), the courts to do not need to be repaved but it would be amazing if new backboards and rims were installed on the existing poles.
It was painful to see that bit of asphalt torn up. I played there from a very early age and it had a lot of memories associated with it. However, it may have been necessary to catalyze further community involvement in the space. It would be great to see something more suited for the skaters put there. They are a fun bunch and bring a lot of energy with them.
Thanks for reading.
After walking the park last night, I’m disappointed with the “improvements” occurring there. Now that the asphault is gone, the skaters have encroached on one of the two basketball courts. The area of one basketball court is hardly large enough to support the large number of skaters and bikers who use Chimbo. Everybody who lives near or has visited Chimbo knows what the predominant uses of the park are on an average day and Pentanque is not one of them. No offense to the Pentanque players…I respect Pentanque as much as I do skateboarding.
The “improvements” wreak of discrimination against the skaters, bikers, etc who relied on the asphault. Did anybody advocate for these groups during the planning process?? Where was Mo Karn and The Wingnuts when this injustice occurred??
Unfortunately I cannot attend Saturday’s meeting but I hope it is productive.
Will there be any other meeting besides Sat (for any who cannot attend, but wish to have input)?
I miss the swimming pool. I know why it is gone (allegedly), but I hate having to drive my daughter across town to swim. I would hope they would leave something for children and teens, and not try to push them to another playground to use.
Offering a little perspective to this discussion, I am a petanque player. We have been in the park for more than 6 years. Our own efforts got the present courts built with a little help from parks and rec. I have personally told the skaters and basket ball players about the park meetings since the beginning and urged them to attend. It was 3 petanque players who spoke up when it was suggested that all the asphalt should be removed. The lights you were skating under the other night were a direct result of petanque players efforts. I agree that the park is a much better place to be. Please stop blaming petanque players for your own negligence.
I don’t recall anybody blaming Pentanque players for the “improvements” occurring at Chimbo.
It’s obvious the Pentanque players provided input at the park meetings…kudos to the Pentanque players. Does anybody honestly expect minors (many of the skaters and bikers are minors) to participate in a public meeting? It’s difficult enough to lure adults to public meetings.
It’s unproductive to play the blame game at this point. I think the shortcomings of this particular public particpation process are evident. It’s simple: nobody advocated in the interest of the predominant users of the park and now the park is dominated by Pentanque courts.
I regret not having the opportunity to particpate in any of the meetings but remain optimistic about the upcoming meeting.
Not noticing that the blame game was being played here is a large oversight on 26’s part. There were many meetings involving the use of the park. The Friends of Chimbo advocated for an improved playground, people interested in petanque an those interested in community gardens advocated for them. The meetings were held at ST. John’s and the Libby Hill Park house,and at a church on Marshall. That’s a lot of meetings for you to miss. To say that no one advocated for basketball and skate boarding is an assumption on your part since you couldn’t attend.
Its unproductive to play the blame game – so why do you insist? There were several comments on petaquers that implied (if not stated) that they were driving this restructuring. If truth be told, skate boarders came to the park at a late date – after the playground rehab and were only then followed by the bikers.
They have every right to participate in the playground design – I have even encouraged them to do so several times. Its a pity you couldn’t come to the meetings and be more informed of the facts. Do you play petanque, or skate board or ride a bike? Do your kids use the playground? Or are you just playing the blame game?
I never blamed the Pentanque folk. I blamed the participation process. Sure, there were multiple meetings but did anybody advocate for the bikers and/or skaters? Or did the anti-skatepark movement dominate this planning process?
The fact that the park is now dominated by Pentanque courts is absurd. Again, no offense to the sport/hobby but it just isn’t popular in the United States.
And for the record, this isn’t about me. This is about the children and teenagers (and adults too) who lost a place to skate, ride, play, etc.
And I apologize for the misspelling of “Petanque.” haha
I vote for an all weather pentanque training facility with removeable roof.
And hover bikes for the park.
Just to be sure, is the meeting tommorrow at the Chimborazo park on 29th or at the historic Chimborazo park on Broad?
@tiny good question… both have round buildings.
@gery and @Michael – the point here is that thsoe involved in the process up to this point haven’t represented the actual use of the park, instead lobbying for their own interests. That’s fine, but these changes are actually pushing the daily users to a more confined space. That’s not good is it?
The point a lot of people here are driving is that we should be looking at the daily usage of the park, and construct in a way that includes everyone, specifically the 12-17 year old kids that don’t care about politics and attending meetings.
I don’t know if my kids were approached to attend meetings, but if they were, they did not communicate to me. At any rate, supporters of the skateboard area can now speak up, tommorrow at the meeting.
There are no other safe places for my child to go to play or bike with a walking area of our house. I will be at the meeting to advocate for all the kids that enjoy the current use of the park and do not want their space taken away.
For all of us that moved to Church Hill, had babies, and are trying to raise our kids in this area, this is one small bonus for us and our tweens and teenagers. We do have a vibrant community and people are starting to stay here rather than moving to the county once their kids hit middle school. Diverse use of the park benefits the community as a whole and should be encouraged!
The meeting is at the parkhouse in Chimborazo Park, also known as Battlefield Park. As I type this, I’m on the phone with someone who is involved with it (and who is not near a computer and won’t be until later tonight). She says for me to please tell you that it is at the round building on the far east side of Chimborazo Park (aka Battlefield Park – NOT the playground) accessible from 36th and Broad Streets, and is to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Thanks!
The people with the bigest complaint should be the basket ball players. They were using the courts many years before the skate boarders showed up and usurped their space. Nobody objects to the skate boarders!! It’s simply that others have been there working, cleaning, building the playground for a long time and now it’s time for the skaters to earn their space, just like the rest of us.
“For all of us that moved to Church Hill, had babies, and are trying to raise our kids in this area, this is one small bonus for us and our tweens and teenagers. We do have a vibrant community and people are starting to stay here rather than moving to the county once their kids hit middle school. Diverse use of the park benefits the community as a whole and should be encouraged!”
I couldn’t agree more… I’d like to be able to raise children here one day and have various options for activities in parks, etc. Per your “rather than move to middle school,” comment, it frustrates me to meet couples moving away just because they’ve just had a baby. You don’t need to move just because you have a child who might not – gasp – live in the suburbs.
im sure many factors are involved/considered, but i just wish more people would stay.. and i wish more residents would show more support for our existing families in the neighborhood, even if they dont have their own kids…
@37 – It’s a catch-22. Because lots of families who take an interest in their kids move to the suburbs when they have kids, the schools are bad. Because schools are bad, families with kids move to the suburbs.
It would almost take a concerted effort for enough concerned, involved parents to agree to send their kids to a school to give it a critical mass of children who come from a learning supportive environment to turn it around. I don’t see it happening gradually.
It can happen but it takes concerned parents knowing that there will be other families who value education also sending their kids to a school. Very few folks want their kid to be a crash-test dummy.
How did the meeting go?
The next meeting about the future design of the park will be on Saturday, March 19 at the playground. The plan is to again meet with Larry Miller and define exactly how we can accommodate everyone who wants to use the park. Please get the word out to all friends – anybody and everybody that you can think of who uses the park.
I think the last meeting went very well. Larry Miller’s message was clear- the city wants us to define our park needs. Within the funds available (and people willing to donate their time and energies), the city will make it what we want it to be. There are plans to remove some of the ugly fencing around the park, while keeping the useful fencing. There are plans to establish a skating area, with input from the bikers/skaters as to how it should look and function. The Friends of Chimbo group wants to plant more trees in the ‘plaza’ area and renovate the park house so that they have functional bathrooms.
It seemed to me that the group gathered at the last meeting was in agreement that no one activity in the park trumps another, and that we must merely define how the park has a space for everyone. That’s encouraging.
Friends of Chimbo representatives pledged to update the park plan on their website, though I have checked their site http://www.imaginechimbo.org and have not seen any plans. I signed up to join Friends of Chimbo- which I would recommend that anyone who wants a voice in the park design should do- but they haven’t sent any emails about the next meeting. That surprises me, though I do understand that everyone is busy and perhaps they haven’t found the time to do these things.
I hope to see even more people at the next meeting in the playground.
I am sorry that I am still working out of town, and cannot be there for the meeting on the 19th. I saw a chalked notice of the meeting on the asphalt in the park, and hope that will get some more skaters and bikers there.
I think it is wonderful that we have all this dialogue going about the playground, and I am sure that if we all keep talking, everyone will get most of what they need. The important thing is to communicate what we want to the city, and then keep pushing them to do what they say they will. I am interested in the timeline for getting things done, and knowing exactly how much money is in THIS year’s budget to do something. Not much has happened since the community got the tot lot constructed. I think the bathrooms are an important piece to a user-friendly playground. That may take some money every year for maintenance.
Does anyone know if the Friends of Chimbo folks have posted the revised plan for the playground? I can’t find it. At the last meeting, it was confirmed that the plan presently posted on their website is not the current plan.
I believe they said a revised plan would be posted the Monday after the last meeting.
There was also something said about implementation in phases.
What/where is the plan? What are these “phases”?
Anyone know where I can get current info?
Thanks…
Jim Beckner
Considering how much the Friends of Chimbo representative had to say at the meeting, I am surprised to see that the site hasn’t been updated. I have emailed the address listed on the site two weeks ago, with no response.
I just went to the Friends of Chimbo site, and there are still no new plans. I also saw a meeting of the “Friends” posted on CHPN calendar, but did not see any mention of it on the Website. Did anyone go to that meeting, supposedly last night?
I am very interested in the phases as well. They greatly affect whether the playground can be used at any given time.
I posted the meeting this Saturday on the events calendar.
Will representatives from Friends of Chimbo be at the meeting on Saturday? I can’t help but feel like plans for the playground are diverging into two separate areas. I would like to see the updated plans at least be distributed on Saturday.
I hope someone from Friends of Chimbo is there. You’d think they’d want to be involved in this. I had no idea there was a meeting last night. Communication is a big problem right now – I just wrote CHPN to get this posted today:
http://chpn.net/news/2011/03/15/next-chimborazo-meeting-set-for-this-saturday_17283/