COLUMBIA SKATE PARK A MODEL

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After the City of Columbia passed a law banning skateboarders and in-line skaters from downtown sidewalks and the University of Missouri kicked them off the grounds as well, youths went before the City Council to ask for a place to ride their boards.

"They stood up and they made very good presentations," said Mike Hood, the city's director of parks and recreation. "They did not just come in screaming, 'We want a skateboard place.'"

After some study, the city appropriated $39,000, which turned out not to be enough money to pay for the innovative design the skaters helped the city develop. The Columbia Cosmopolitan Luncheon Club donated another $25,000 toward the project, and city workers did the construction.

The 175-foot-by-160-foot park which opened a year ago is considered the standard for Missouri communities interested in building skate parks and has been well reviewed by skateboarding magazines and online sites.

"It includes every basic skatepark obstacle and then some," says Skateboarding.com. "Monster banks, rails, hips, quarters, gaps, ledges, transitions, and soon to be a concrete 10 1/2-foot half pipe for the vert dogs."

Vert dogs are skateboarders who ride up vertical obstacles.

A roller hockey rink has been built adjacent to the skate park.

The city's first choice for a location was a park with old tennis courts that weren't being used. But neighbors said they wanted the tennis courts restored and didn't want the skate park nearby. The city finally chose to build the facility in the 520-acre Cosmo Park, the city's largest park and the site of a former airport. The slab of concrete the park is on is a former runway.

The park is open from 6 a.m. to dusk and closes only due to snow or ice.

Hood says the issue of liability was always a concern in building the park and continues to be one. "But we talked to communities that had skate parks. They had minimal if any problems. Yes, there were injuries but their skateboard parks were no more of a problem than any other park."

Parks and rec departments across the nation have two different philosophies toward skateboard parks, Hood says. The swimming pool philosophy is to fence the park, put staff on the grounds to enforce the rules and charge admission. The atmosphere is very controlled.

The other philosophy is to treat the park like a playground where rules are posted but there is no staff and no admission fee. "It's a playground for kids that use skateboards," Hood said.

Columbia chose the playground approach.

Wearing safety equipment also is an issue. Some parks require it, some don't At Columbia, the equipment is strongly recommended but not required.

The city concluded that requiring safety equipment but not having someone there to enforce the rules could put the city at more risk in a lawsuit.

While the project was being considered, Hood was skeptical about how much use the park would get, thinking skateboarders might come for awhile and then lose interest.

That turned out to be wrong. "The amount of use has amazed me," he said. "There are skaters out there all the time."