An alternative outlet that supports healthy lifestyle choices for our youth, was the call. I am proud to announce that in a collaborative effort and in a showing of community solidarity Linda Vista answered the call in a very big way.
The Linda Vista Rec. Council voted in February 10-2 in favor of amending the general development plan to include the 38,000+sq. ft. state of the art skate park. Once the City Park and Rec Board gives the design its final nod around May, the City will begin accepting Request For Qualifications from various construction firms interested in the project.
I’m confident the design will hang on SITE Design Group Inc. and Schmidt Design Groups wall of great accomplishments for many years to come, as well it should. The two companies lived up to every expectation the community had and further, even taking the time to schedule a conference call one afternoon to make certain the design and community expectations were in line. It was very important the skate park cater to the beginning skater up to the super advanced regardless of your preferred style of skating.
The Linda Vista Skate Park will have it all. It’s signature element will be a Full Pipe with a 19ft diameter. It will be one of two you can find in California of that size. Also included will be a 50ft. World class skateboarding pool with a depth of 10.5ft. Other notable features will be a handicap accessible pedestrian bridge which spans the length of the park, coliseum style seating for spectators to take in the action. Included in the budget are upgrades to the current bathrooms and lighting which will add to overall security to the Rec. Center. Roughly 50 additional trees will be added with a drainage tube built into the design to recycle the water runoff and redistribute to the surrounding greenery.
I am very proud of this community, proud of our City officials, proud that I was able to see first hand individuals and groups working together. All involved helping to break the stigma behind the sport of skateboarding, long thought to be misfits and vandals with a sole purpose to destroy public property and create chaos. It’s not that way anymore, it’s my kid, it’s your kid, not in some back alley somewhere engaging in activities that require a cloak of darkness. Rather, they are at the local rec center engaging in sport, exercising and forming bonds with other healthy like minded individuals their own age.
The LVSP is a huge milestone for Linda Vista and the City of San Diego. It represents an advancement in understanding and accepting what is a positive choice by our youth, even if that is different than our own.
At the March Linda Vista Rec. Council meeting an action item for naming the skate park will be voted on honoring the parents of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. After receiving the blessing from Tony Hawk and his Foundation, the “Frank and Nancy Hawk Skatepark of Linda Vista” I felt was a name that would really memorialize the spirit of our skate park.
The Hawks were very instrumental early on with their service to the local communities of Linda Vista and Kearny Mesa. After retiring from the Navy and his service in WWII, Frank Hawk became active in local youth sports by securing donated land and materials to build local ball fields and then became president of the local Little League. Frank also established a youth basketball program here in LV and Serra Mesa. Nancy worked at Kearny High School starting in 1965. She was the librarian and worked in the counseling office before becoming secretary to the principal.
Frank later established the National Skateboarding Association, which went on to being the first governing body in skateboarding before his retirement. Its successor organization went on to produce events like the X Games and Dew Tour. Tony Hawk and his foundation donated $40,000 to the Linda Vista Skatepark project and have continued the legacy of service started by his father. It would truly be an honor to have LVSP commemorate the legacies of a husband and wife from our community who have done so much for so many with such integrity.
Stay tuned for more details on the Linda Vista Skate Park in future editions.
To view renderings of the skate park visit:
http://www.sitedesigngroup.com/
Login: lindavista
Password: skate
