Oct 2, 2024
Guidance from a similar community effort.
The AV Service Learning traveled to Monte Rio in west Sonoma County to learn from the architects and administrator who developed the Monte Rio Community Park and Skatepark. It was incredibly helpful to learn from the example of a small, unincorporated community, similar to Anderson Valley, with a park also managed by a Special District!
Some major takeaways from the visit were:
Students loved the community art wall. The park features a large wall created by park developers to welcome open community art. The wall is constantly evolving (undirected by park managers), with community artists renewing images as they desire. The park manager told us she believed the opportunity for free expression in this space has contributed to a feeling of community pride and ownership, and discouraged unwanted grafitti in other areas of the park.
The architects strongly encouraged us to craft the public bidding process in a way that qualifies only experienced skatepark builders for the job.
They were able to use an permeable surfacing for ADA paths. It's a material called Red-Brown Fines. But skaters there report it gets on the skatepark.
Monte Rio Recreation District's insurance costs did not go up when they installed the skatepark. They are immune from liability under the "hazardous activity" clause.
The park has a nice water bottle filling station. We all felt this would be a good addition to our park design.
Some people in the community worried that a skatepark would bring the "wrong crowd." They have avoided this by developing other park features (notably the community garden and a busy cafe) to bring a wide range of ages and backgrounds to the park.
We are so grateful to architects Brian Grant and Stephanie Felch and Monte Rio Recreation District administrator Marina McTaggart for taking the time to meet with us, and generously offering to provide ongoing consultation.