Millennium Park Clean Up Photos

Apr 12, 2011 | Activism, Events, Photos, Skateboarding, Skateparks

Thanks to everyone who came out to help pick up garbage, chip ice, and shovel snow at Millennium Park on Saturday. We managed to clear the clover bowl and got the ice out of most of the intermediate section. The warm weather should take care of the rest. Here are some photos from the event:

Here’s a chance to make a difference THIS WEEK

Apr 3, 2011 | Activism

This week, YOU have a chance to help bring more skateparks to Calgary.  Can we count on YOU to step up and make a difference in our city?

Here’s how the opportunity presented it’s self, check out this article from Friday’s Calgary Sun by Renato Gandia

Calgarians will get the chance to voice their opinion how the city should spend a $42-million tax break from the province.

The Community and Protective Services committee will discuss how the cash should be spent and the public is invited to say their bit next Wednesday.

Read full article

What YOU can do:

If possible, attend the Community and Protective Services meeting and speak (maximum 1-2 minutes) to let the City know you want some of the money to be spent on new skateparks

  • Meeting Time: 9:30AM, Wednesday April 6th
  • Location: Engineering Traditions Committee Room, First Floor, City Hall

You can email or call your Alderman and the Mayor to let them know you want some of the money to be spent on new skateparks

Be clear about what you are asking for, be respectful, and offer some reasons which can include:

  • There are plenty of skateboarders in Calgary (over 40 000) but only 1 City skatepark, which restricts how active they can be and forces skaters into less safe and less desirable places to skateboard.
  • For years, Calgary skateboarders  have been under served and Calgary needs to catch up with other similar size cities in promoting active lifestyles through skateboarding.   There is no good reason why Edmonton has so many more skateparks than Calgary does
  • Calgary needs an indoor skatepark for next winter and several outdoor skateparks to meet the needs of Calgary skaters
  • Compared to other recreational facilities, skateparks are far less expensive to build, and they are very well used, giving excellent value for the money spent on them.
  • CASE is ready and willing to work with the City to plan, design, construct, and help fund raise so skateboarders can also help make these  skateparks a reality

This week, YOU have a chance to help bring more skateparks to Calgary.  Can we count on YOU to step up and make a difference in our city?

What have YOU done?

Mar 28, 2011 | Activism, By-laws, Politics, Skateboarding, Skateparks

A lot of people ask, “What can I do to help get a new skatepark?”
Well, the short answer is, “Lots.”

First of all, register on www.calgaryskateboarding.com
The statistics tell of an estimated 40,000 – 60,000 skateboarders in Calgary. Sure, maybe not all of them check out this site (we hope most of them are out skating) but we hope the ones that do are registered. If we had even half of that registered to our site, we’d have a lot more pull in the eyes of some politicians. The old saying, “power in numbers” holds true when lobbying government.

Email your alderman. Email the Mayor. These people were elected by the citizens of Calgary, the citizens who pay taxes for services. When it comes to recreation, citizens decide what services they require. It would be great if the mayor said, “Millz is gettin’ kinda beat, dudes. We should build a few skate plazas, along with some bowls, and maybe a couple of snake runs too,” but that’s probably not going to happen. We need to tell our city’s leaders what we need.

Obey the Like us on Facebook. This goes back to the first point about quantifying our membership. At the end of the day, the people involved with CASE are volunteers. We meet regularly and invest a lot of time into trying to do what’s best for skateboarding in Calgary. Email us if you have any suggestions or comments. If you can donate, that helps us a lot. Being a non-profit society, we rely on donations to throw events and fund things like this site as well as insurance so we don’t get sued personally.

Come to our benefit show on April 15th. We’re ramping up for a big Summer of events and talks with the City about skateparks. We could use your help.