By Justin Juul
After attending SF360 Film+Club’s recent screening of Freedom of Space -- a film about the harsh realities of enjoying an illegal sport-- and then meeting some friends in a Safeway parking lot for a midnight skate-jam on some shitty ramps, the only thing I can say is: Why the fuck hasn’t anyone built a decent skatepark in this city?
All the elements have been present for over a decade: thousands of people who would come to a park if there was one, business owners who are sick of calling the cops on skateboarders, cops who are sick of wasting their time, and a huge base of high-profile companies like High Speed Productions (Thrasher, Slap, Juztapoz), DLX Distribution (Spitfire, Thunder, Anti-hero, etc.), FTC and Huf that could easily ante up some funds for a project. And why doesn’t SF have something like The Burnside Project in Portland? Are SF skaters just too lazy, or is there some force working against them? Rather than go off on an un-researched rant about the SF skate community not doing its job, I thought I’d talk to someone who’s been in the trenches for a while.
The Burnside Project in Portland
To find out more about the reality of SF’s skate park struggle I spoke to Rick Dinardo, Co-Founder of the Bay Area Skate-park Coalition.
SFBG: So Rick, my main question is: Why doesn’t San Francisco, the birth place of modern day street skating, have a decent park?
Rick Dinardo: Oh my god, how much time do you have? Before I get into it, though, you should realize that San Francisco finally is getting a good centrally-located skatepark. It’s going to be in Portrero Hill, right by the regular park that’s been there for years. As for why it’s taken the city 30 years to get off its ass and build one, well, that has to do with red tape, real estate, government corruption, lack of interest, and a whole lot of other bullshit, mostly money related.
SFBG: Well okay, I understand it’s difficult to get licenses and land and all that, but why haven’t all the huge skateboard companies, especially the ones that capitalize on their SF roots, why haven’t they gotten together and just fucking done the thing? It seems like they have enough money to at least fund a DIY project if not something as amazing as Rob Dyrdek’s deal in Kettering, Ohio.
Dinardo: First of all, I think you’re overestimating how much money these companies are making. These parks cost millions and millions of dollars, and that’s in places like Scott’s Valley where there is still open space for building. Land prices in SF are out of this fucking world. Whatever those companies chose to donate would be a drop in the bucket in a situation like this.
Also… I don’t think the companies you mentioned are very community oriented. I mean, this is capitalism we’re talking about, and they’re trying to make money, not sustain a community. I don’t think they care as much about supporting skateboarding in SF as they do about making the sport popular across the globe.
SFBG: Well that makes sense, I guess. It still seems like they could do something. And what about the skaters themselves? Why doesn’t SF have a situation like Burnside in Oregon or FDR in Philly?
Dinardo: That’s a good question. I think it has to do with the fact that many older skaters simply don’t have the time to put energy into something like that when they know very well that the city will probably come in and take it away before anything real gets accomplished. Look at what they’re doing in Oakland. Those guys are hardcore, and very dedicated to skateboarding, but Cal-Trans almost ripped it out, and they still could if they wanted to. It’s such a gamble that most people would rather take their chances in the streets. I mean, it sounds like a good idea, but it’s only really worked once or twice in large cities (Portland and Philadelphia). You can’t blame SF skaters for not wanting to waste their time. And there’s also the whole street vs. tranny thing. SF skaters like their street spots, and once you build a park, it’s like – the magic’s gone, you know.
SFBG: Good Point.
Dinardo: Yeah. Things are changing though. I mean, we’re going to have 11 satellite skate parks and one huge regional park here in San Jose, by the year 2010. I think SF will eventually catch on and see that having skate parks can really benefit the community and even tourism to an extent. I mean, skate tourism in the early nineties, when the Justin Herman Plaza was like the skateboard Mecca, was phenomenal. If SF had a really good park they’d see that money again. And skate parks definitely do their part to keep kids off the streets. I don’t think anyone can deny that.
SFBG: Well, for the record, my idea is that we tear out the tennis courts at Dolores Park and replace them with a skate plaza. What do you think about that?
Dinardo: That’s something I could definitely get behind, but good luck making it happen, man. I’ve been doing this for over ten years, and I’m only now seeing some changes.
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Comments (1)
IM down for the cause i want something done about a skatepark in sf so i for one will get off my as and shuffle dirt or pour concrete if need b e just PLEASE PLEASE contact me if i can be any assistance my name is jesse just contact me at my email thanx.
Posted by jesse goyette | March 5, 2008 05:40 PM