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Next Chimborazo meeting set for this Saturday
03/15/2011 1:43 PM by John M
Mat writes in:
There’s a meeting this Saturday at Chimborazo Playground at 9AM to discuss developments in the playground to accommodate skateboarding. The goal is to create an area for skateboarders to use without impeding on the basketball courts. Anyone is welcome, especially skateboarders who may be able to suggest the best way to construct such an area. Larry Miller from Parks and Recreation will be heading this meeting.
This is a great idea! If I weren’t working, I would be there!
Phased renovation plans (proposed) posted here:
http://www.imaginechimbo.org/
After the meeting a few weeks back, many residents discussed the urgency of getting the skateboarders a place to skate without displacing the basketball players.
Why has the development plan been updated with the skating area as the LAST PHASE? Why would you resurface the basketball courts and cut down fencing (which are just cosmetic changes) instead of accommodating the immediate needs of the playground users?
See this link for the diagram: http://www.imaginechimbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Overlay-schematic_March2011.pdf
I urge all those who want to revisit the current plans for Chimborazo playground to attend the meeting this Saturday. I believe Larry Miller, the City of Richmond representive for the project, will be in attendance and will price out the skate park option. You can contact him via email at: LARRY.MILLER@richmondgov.com
We need a space for the skaters NOW. My child cannot wait 4 to 5 years for a space to become available as he will no longer be a child then. With all respect, the adults that use the park can wait for the improvements a couple of years as they will be adults for the rest of their lives, but childhood is fleeting.
the skate area seems really small relative to areas devoted to petanque. not to stir up trouble, but i am neither a skater or a petanquer, but a simple observation over the last year would suggest that the number of skaters on any given day far outnumbers the latter. why devote a disproportional area for a smaller number of users? our tax dollars should really be geared to the maximum benefit for the most number of people. also with the current plan could the petanque courts be grass? the majority of time they will be unused and it would be nice if the central area was mostly grass and not dirt or gravel? thoughts?
I agree with #3. Why is the skate park the last phase, and only IF there is funding available? AND the area they are proposing is smaller than the asphalt they just tore up. I would also like to have some dates on the proposed phases. Are we talking this year, next year or 2018?
I think picnic tables and shade sails should be AFTER the skateboard park.
I also think that the bathroom renovation should only be done if there is a plan for cleaning and maintenance, or they’ll be locked up like the current ones. They haven’t been open since there was a playground staff there ten years ago.
I clicked on the link that Matt provided (#3), and I agree with #5, the petangue area seems disproportionatly large. Also, my impression was that it doesn’t matter what the neighbors want, the Friends of Chimbo playground are firmly in charge of the plans and what will happen when. That is just my impression.
The skate area is listed as “possible skate area if appropriate funds are raised and if the City of Richmond Parks, Rec and Community Facilities approves.”
Last I heard they were considering a build your own sundae ice cream bar…but you have to provide you own spinkles
Well, who attended? How did it go?
Burt, I think that’s a great idea. But what about the skaters and bikers?
The news I heard is that they are putting in EIGHT petanque courts!! And how many people can play on a petanque court? I definitely agree with having petanque courts, but that area should not be larger than a skate park. I think it is the priorities here that are bothering me.
With the nice weather, my kids have spent the whole weekend and much of the after school hours at the playground.In fact, the playground was packed with kids!
I think putting the petanque courts in the plaza area will really affect the use of the playground. Even though the payment is torn up, kids still play there. I am afraid eight pentanque courts placed in the “heart” of the playground will take up too much play area. Since all eight are only needed for an annual tourniment, maybe we should move the pentanque courts further east, near the tennis courts rather than make the the centerpiece of the playground.
If we could move these, maybe we could then repave much the area that was torn up so the kids could bike, skate, and ride scooter there like they use to. We really need to look at the current use and impact of the upgrades before moving forward. This playground has become so vibrant, it would really be a shame to make changes that might affect its usage.
I also support the idea of a skate area and would really love to see us moving forward with this project. But I think we need to take another look at the current plans and determine if changes to the park layout should be made based on its current usage.