Superior Skatepark Coalition

Waterfront Skatepark Proposal

www.SuperiorSkatepark.com
 Who Are We?
We are a coalition of skateboarders, bikers, parents, and friends in
partnership with the City of Thunder Bay who have come together to
encourage active and safe participation in alternative sports.
 Who Are We?
Since we began almost two years ago, our focus has been:
1. Positive participation in alternative sports through mutual support and
respect.
2. Planning, fundraising and building a new, all-concrete, professionally-
designed and built skate/BMX park for everyone.

Coalition Halloween Bash

 Our Activities:
¾Biweekly planning meetings
¾Skatepark design sessions
¾Proposal writing
¾Meeting with stakeholders
¾Skateboarding Days
¾Yard Sales
¾BBQs
¾Fun Skateboarding Competitions
¾Skateboarding video nights
¾Halloween Party
¾T-shirt sales
¾Video games competitions Park Design Meeting
¾Skatepark clean-ups
¾Road trips to visit other parks (Fort Frances, Kenora,
Winnipeg, Dryden, Superior, Duluth, Terrace Bay)
 Why We Need a New Park
1. Our current parks don’t support the demand.
2. Our current parks don’t support the skill level of our skateboarders
and BMXers
3. Our current parks are on the fringes of our community.
4. Our current parks don’t capitalize on what a modern skatepark can
do for a community.
5. Our current parks aren’t appealing enough to draw skateboarders
away from skating the streets.
6. Our current parks aren’t as safe as modern ones.
7. We can learn from the experience of other cities.

Winnipeg Forks
 The Old
Old Design: Linear flow, asphalt, small, placed on unwanted property,
bleak, unwelcoming, single use (designed only for skateboarders).

West Thunder Skatepark

 The New
New Design: Plaza style, larger, multiple use, blends with setting,
thematic, open flow, smooth concrete, central, space for spectators,
welcoming, a gathering place, landscaped, clean and bright.

Kettering, Ohio
 The New
The new “plaza” design parks are among the centrepieces of
modern public spaces where everyone is welcome. Below is the
new Winnipeg Forks Skatepark:

Winnipeg Forks Skatepark

 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
1. Skateboarding is the fastest growing sport in North
America.
• Skateboarding has become more popular than basketball, baseball and
even hockey in North America.
• There are over 1000 active skateboarders in Thunder Bay.
• Skateboarding clothing and shoes top all clothing sales.
• Skateboarding videos games are among the bestsellers of all time.
• Skateboarding is no longer a fad, it is the single fastest growing athletic
activity on the continent and shows no sign of slowing down.

Burnaby, BC
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
2. Skateboarding is also the most popular activity
among kids who aren’t in mainstream sports.
• Not only has skateboarding surpassed mainstream sports, it is also the
sport of choice for non-mainstream athletes.
• Youth who might not otherwise play organized sports (or exercise at all)
get involved in skateboarding.
• Skateboarding breaks down barriers between sports and encourages
youth of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to participate on their own
terms.

Winnipeg Forks
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
3. Skateboarding is inexpensive, non-competitive and
teaches skills for life.
• Skateboarding requires inexpensive equipment and emphasizes personal
creativity and development, rather than “beating the other team”.
• Skateboarding also requires extraordinary dedication and tenacity.
• Youth learn to compete against themselves instead of others, and focus
on building personal skills rather than winning at all costs.
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
4. Skateboarding is not dangerous when done properly.
• Contrary to its reputation as being an “extreme sport”, the rate of injury
is well below other mainstream sports.
• When injuries do occur in skateboarding, it’s usually a result of
skateboarding at a poorly designed park or on private property.
• Skateboarding injuries are especially rare in well-designed, supervised
skateparks.

Vancouver Skateplaza
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
5. If the city doesn’t have a skatepark, then it will
become a skatepark.
• The growth in popularity of skating has led to a growth in skating
everywhere including on private property.
• The only way to draw skaters away from turning Thunder Bay’s private
and business property into skate spots is to give them a better
alternative.

Winnipeg Forks
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
6. It’s not just a skatepark, it’s an accessible, supervised
and safe outdoor youth centre for all.
• Unlike our current small skateparks that are exclusively for skaters and
built on the fringes of the community, today’s new skateparks are open
and welcoming recreation centres for all youth and are easily accessible
and situated in highly visible locations.
• They are built to rigorous safety standards and are usually supervised by
a staff of volunteers.
• Thunder Bay’s youth deserve a safe and accessible place to be.

Squamish, BC
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
7. Today’s skateparks support urban renewal.
• The new skateparks are professionally designed to be aesthetically
pleasing and complimentary to the surrounding landscape.
• They quickly become the centrepiece of a recreation area and draw
skaters as well as many spectators.
• A new park will revitalize an underused part of Thunder Bay’s
community.

Winnipeg Forks
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
8. Today’s destination skateparks create tourism.
• Skateboarding is a multi-million dollar industry and skateboarders are a
dedicated group.
• They travel hundreds of kilometres just to skate a park.
• Thunder Bay’s skateboarders regularly travel four hours to Superior,
Wisconsin just to skateboard the park there.
• More parents are planning their family vacations around visiting popular
skateparks.
• Also, families who are considering moving to a new city are increasingly
investigating the availability of skateparks in the area.
• If you build it, they will come. If you don’t, they won’t!
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community

9. The park planning and organization process teaches

kids to be leaders in their community.
• The skatepark planning, designing and building process helps to teach
Thunder Bay’s youth the skills associated with project management,
budgeting, fundraising, dealing with municipal government, grant
proposal writing, public presentations, and working together to make
our community stronger.
 Why a Park is Good for the Whole Community
10.Invest in our youth to keep our youth in the
community.
• Youth out-migration is at a critical level in Thunder Bay.
• If we want to keep our youth here, we need to show them that we are
willing to invest in them and provide them with facilities that will make our
city attractive to them.
 How the Park Will Fit With the Waterfront
Development Plan
The Highest and Best Use Study states:
“The City of Thunder Bay Parks Division indicated that teenagers have expressed an
interest in developing a skateboard / bmx facility of sufficient scale to host
competitions and events, act as an attraction to youth in the region, and provide
economic spinoffs in the park. Other municipalities (e.g. Markham, Kitchener,
Mississauga and Richmond Hill) have recently developed skateboard parks to
concentrate this activity within new special purpose, professionally designed
facilities. Development of park amenities which target youth as well as families also
sends a signal that Marina Park is intended to be an inclusive public space for
residents and visitors of all ages. The existence of the public transit terminal on the
west side of Water Street is a bonus in that it provides convenient access for
teenaged transit riders to the proposed skate park facility.”
 FAQs
1. What about supervision?
• Many parks have teen volunteer who supervise during peak hours.
2. Won’t it become a hangout?
• It will become a highly public, highly visible and central gathering place
for teens and families.
3. What about graffiti and garbage?
• Most parks have a zero tolerance policy with an on-the spot fine.
4. What will happen to our small neighborhood parks?
• These are still very valuable as accessible, neighborhood “beginner”
parks. The waterfront park doesn’t replace them – it is something entirely
new.
5. Will the skateboarders stop skating on private and business
property?
• This kind of practice should dramatically decrease when the new park is
built. And for the first time, there will be a place for the skaters to go if
they do get kicked out.
 Our Recommendations
• View it as a youth (and
family) outdoor
recreation plaza.
• View it as a tourist
attraction.
• Pro-designed and pro-
built.
• Break ground in the
Fall of 2006.
• Do it right: Budget of
around $400,000.
• We will continue to
fundraise (and build
public support) and
help in whatever way
we can! Winnipeg Skatepark
Opening Day (10,000 people showed up!)
The End
Waterfront Site

Ideal Location
for Skatepark