The skateboarders themselves will help to design the park, he says. One, they need to own it, and two, they need to get involved in the process. But neither councilman expects to see any concrete poured sooner than a year or two from now. If San Jose says skateboarding is a crime, than the city needs to offer an alternative, many argue. Most councilmembers say they support the idea of a free, citywide skate park, but money stands in the way.
Parks are expensive to build, and more expensive when people get hurt.
But we haven't been able to work out the insurance issues. Otherwise I would be plugging for one. State lawmakers in 1997 declared skateboarding a hazardous activity, like rock climbing, which means cities cannot be sued for injuries sustained by people 14 and over who skateboard on city property. But according to city attorney Joan Gallo, the law has too many loopholes. Fortunately, it doesn't say exactly what color T-shirts they have to be wearing.