Jun 2, 2013 | Activism, CASE News, Skateboarding
CASE recognizes that the St. Jude/Woodcreek Recreation Area school playground and “skate park” will be enjoyed by many kids and will be a welcome addition to their community. This park is on its way to becoming reality through the hard work of well-intentioned volunteers. But the St. Jude/Woodcreek Recreation Area plans do not meet any of the criteria for a quality skateboard park as outlined in the Skateboard Amenities Strategy and therefore CASE does not support it.
The planned “skate park” is a series of modular, steel/composite ramps and obstacles set on a flat slab. According to the Skateboard Amenities Strategy, modular skateparks deteriorate quickly and create safety concerns. They are also more expensive in the long run due to wear and tear*. In fact, the largest funder of municipal skateparks in the world — the Tony Hawk Foundation — does not recommend modular skateparks**.
Unfortunately (and against the wishes of CASE) this park will influence the City’s evaluation of the Woodcreek area as a viable candidate for a quality skateboard park.
CASE has worked very hard over the past years to gather feedback from skateboarders on what makes a quality skateboard park. We took this information and worked with the city to help create the Skateboard Amenities Strategy. The strategy outlines what constitutes a quality skateboard park. Future skatepark development in Calgary must be:
-made out of site-built, poured custom concrete
-designed and built by experienced, qualified skatepark planners, designers and builders
-have CASE, the skateboard community, and other stakeholders involved throughout the process
We hope the members of St. Jude/Woodcreek Recreation Area will consider waiting until later this year when the Skateboard Amenities Strategy will be implemented. Calgary will see several new concrete skateparks planned in 2013 and with the momentum St. Jude/Woodcreek has they are surely looked upon favourably as a frontrunner for modern skatepark development.
*”In addition to driving up costs, deterioration of modular units creates safety problems: sharp edges, loose screws, and widening lips and joints. In a pitch for a quality concrete park to his city hall in Arlington, Washington, Chris Raezer of Skateboard Alliance, an advocacy group for quality skate parks, referred city officials to two local modular parks, Bothell and Mount Vernon. Both parks were less than three years old and had already suffered significant wear and tear. His presentation included photographs of loose screws with kneepad plastic wedged underneath. And, he noted, not everyone wears kneepads.” From SAS (7.3)
**”Upon review of this documents and several others on both Skaters for Public Skateparks and The Tony Hawk Foundation it is recommended that only integrated, site specific, concrete skateparks be considered for the Skateboard Amenity Strategy.” From SAS (7.3)
May 2, 2013 | Activism, By-laws, CASE News, History, Indoor, Photos, Skateboarding, Skateparks
Thanks to everyone who came out to our AGM on May 1st. We reviewed our year and talked about what we plan on doing in the coming year.
High Ollie contest at Go Skate Day 2012
The 2012 fiscal year was a good one for CASE and Calgary skateboarding. Here are some of the things we accomplished:
-consulted with City officials on Skateboard Amenities Strategy
-raised funds through benefit rock show at The Palomino
-increased web traffic and Facebook reach
-met with several communities who have an interest in skateparks
-worked with the City to find a work around for the ramp by-law
-conducted interviews with several media outlets including TV, print, and radio
-held Go Skateboarding Day events/contests
-cleaned up Millennium Park in our annual Spring Clean Up
-sponsored/helped out with contests at Millennium, Westside, and McKenzie Towne parks
-helped out with Boarding 4 ‘Betes event at Millennium park.
-skate art auction to raise funds
As a result of the hard work of city administration, officials, and CASE, an RFP (request for proposals) was issued by the city. The RFP asked for firms to submit proposals to implement the Skateboard Amenities Strategy.
“Scope of requirements for this project includes communication, site selection, concept planning, construction drawings, and construction tendering.”
The RFP closed on April 30th, 2013 and promises a pretty aggressive timeline:
-Selection of highest rated proponent: two (2) to three (3) weeks after close of RFP
-Kick off meeting: 2013 June
-Finalize Project Scope with project Team: 2013 June
-Site Selection for all sites: 2013 end of July
-Participatory Design Process: 2013 end of November
-Construction Drawings: 2014 January
*The City reserves the right to modify any of the dates noted above.
Ringing the bell – Go Skate Day 2012
“The Skateboarding Amenities Strategy envisions the development of a network of fifty (50) outdoor skate parks across the city over the next ten (10) years. The total City of Calgary planning, design, development and construction budget for the first two (2) years of the Strategy is two million dollars ($2,000,000) in 2013 and two million dollars ($2,000,000) in 2014.”
Keep in mind that “fifty skateparks” is their vision. It may be more, it may be less. A more accurate figure to look at is the skatepark terrain square footage the Skateboard Amenities Strategy says Calgary is currently lacking by — 243,860 (P.70). The bottom line is we’ll have new skateparks by next year. Multiple parks. In different locations with varied terrain.
The City of Calgary has planned skateparks at these sites:
-Seton Regional Recreation Centre 18150 56 St SE (Neighbourhood Skatepark)
-North West Regional Recreation Centre 11300 Rocky Ridge Road NW (Community Skatepark)
The communities shown in the table below have expressed interest in having a skatepark in their area:
Another action item that has come up for CASE is the possibility of an indoor park. The City has put out an Expression of Interest for “DEVELOPING, PROMOTING AND OPERATING, AN ARTS, CULTURE AND/OR HERITAGE FACILITY”.
There is a city-owned building that will be usable by non-profit groups who are in line with the statement above. We’re hoping we’ll be able to convince the decision makers responsible that skateboarding is an arts/culture activity that would be suitable for use of this building.
Other stipulations include:
-Building would be leased from City at a nominal fee
-Operator will be responsible for all maintenance, taxes, and utilities
-Proposal due on June 4th
-Building has a large warehouse-type room with high ceilings, minimal support pillars
-Measures nearly 8,000 sqft
-Heated, well-lit, with washroom facilities
-Very close to Millennium Park
-LRT accessible
As you can see by the photo, a lot of people are looking to get in on this space. CASE is committed to submitting a full-detailed proposal for why this location would make an excellent indoor skatepark, which is badly needed in Calgary.
Apr 9, 2013 | CASE News
Notice of Annual General Meeting
7 PM, Wednesday May 1, 2013
Community Room
Eau Claire Market
200 Barclay Parade SW
Every year CASE invites all of our members, as well as everyone else in the Calgary skateboarding community and those who support skateboarding, to our Annual General Meeting (AGM). Our AGM is an opportunity for CASE to share what we have accomplished, what we are working on, and what we have planned. It will also be a chance for us to answer your questions, and hear your ideas and suggestions about what we can do for skateboarding in Calgary.
The City recently sent out a request for proposals, the first step in putting the Skatepark Strategy into action so clearly, more skateparks are finally coming to Calgary in the next few years! CASE needs more people to get involved in a variety of roles, so this will also be an opportunity to find out how you can help if you are interested. Whatever help you can give, a little or a lot, will help push skateboarding forward in Calgary
If you have questions, comments, or need more information before the meeting please reply to this email or contact CASE through our website at Calgaryskateboarding.com.
See YOU May 1st!
Mar 8, 2013 | Art, CASE News, Skateboarding, Skateparks
All Facebook Skate Art auctions close this Monday March 11th at Midnight! All proceeds go to a great cause, so show some support; get a bid in and share it on Facebook!
The auctions can be seen on http://www.facebook.com/calgaryskateboarding
We wanted to keep the auction process as simple as possible, while ensuring as many people got a chance to view and bid on these items. So we are hosting the auction on our Facebook page, to bid go to www.facebook.com/calgaryskateboarding. There you will find detailed pictures of each board and artist bios.
The rules of the auction are simple all boards start with a bidding price of $40 & bid prices need to be made in a minimum of $5 increments. This means the first bidder can bid $40, then the 2nd bidder would bid $45 or higher & the next bidder needs to be $5 higher than the last bid. Bids will be made in the comment fields so please check the most recent bid before bidding and make sure you outbid it by $5 as a bid not $5 higher than the last bid will be disregarded. All auctions close Monday March 11th at Midnight. As comments are time stamped only bids made before the end of the auction will be accepted.
Please help support Calgary skateboarding by bidding on these items and/or sharing these items on your Facebook page for more potential bidders can view them.
All winners will receive as an added bonus a free CASE T-shirt. Winners will be contacted by CASE and can pay for their item via PayPal or with cash. Thanks for participating and happy bidding.
If you would like to view the boards in person Mission Skate & Snow has generously donated wall space in their downtown location at (616 17 Ave SW). Boards will be on display for the length of the auction so please go there to check them out as well as all the other great items Mission has to offer.
Mar 1, 2013 | CASE News
So that CASE can apply for Casino funding to help raise money for future skateparks in Calgary, we must change our bylaws. We currently do not have a clause that requires CASE funds to be donated to a charity should the association be dissolved. We are taking this opportunity to clean up and reorganize our bylaws, and to make some changes that clarify board membership and operations. For this reason a Special General Meeting has been called to vote on a Special Resolution as described below:
Special Resolution:
Moved by the Chair, Seconded by the Co-Chair that the current bylaws of the Association by replaced in their entirety by the Proposed 2013 revision of CASE Bylaws
Proposed 2013 revision of CASE Bylaws
CASE bylaws Revised 2011
Special General Meeting:
7pm, Monday March 11th
Bankers Hall East, 855 2nd Street SW
(Due to the after hours time of our meeting and the location in Bankers Hall, all those attending the meeting must be escorted to the appropriate floor. Please contact CASE for details if you plan to attend)
