Pelham Skate Park Committee 2005

Our Mission Statement: 

To build a Pelham skate park that:

•  provides a community accepted and approved skate area
•  is in a centralized location that will provide maximum accessibility
•  encourages a safe skater environment
•  is designed for multi-aged / various skilled skaters
•  incorporates component flexibility that can be periodically rearranged
•  encourages community pride

Who We Are

We are an organized group of about 30-35 PHS, Memorial and Private School Students who are engaged in the planning, design, fund raising, and build out of a proposed municipal skate park planned for spring of 2005.

Organizational / Meeting Information

No further meetings are planned.

Meeting Dates: 10/6/03, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10

Meeting Location: Pelham Police Station Community Room

Meeting Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Open to: Any registered PHS, Memorial or Private School Student. 

Non-Student Participation: Yes, tentatively starting in Week 5.  We will likely need help with fund raising, signage, resident awareness campaigns, etc.  Any and all help will be welcomed. 

Presentation at 11/4/03 Board of Selectmen Meeting

•  Presentation

Why does our town need a skate park?

•  Skate parks: #1 choice of teens
•  14+ million teenage skaters in US
•  3rd largest sport for kids 8-18
•  Involves large percentage of students who are not involved in main stream organized sports, ie football, baseball, track, etc.
•  Bringing organization to an unorganized extreme physical sport
•  1.2+ million skateboards made per year
•  More skate parks built in last 3 years than last 20 years
•  Skater safety - skating in facilities designed for skaters
•  Multi-purpose: skate boards, inline skates, BMX bikes
•  Ride in a community approved and safe place
•  Reduce damage to public and private places
•  High interest in extreme sports: The X Games & Gravity Games
•  Tony Hawke video game: Top selling title
•  Participation in summer skate clinics and competitions

Skate parks solve problems!

•  Contain the activity: Facilitate monitoring
•  Reduce property damage and crime
•  Increase public safety & skater safety
•  Give kids a safe place to skate
•  Build stronger communities
•  Catch kids being good!

How we plan to get there

•  Organize interested students

•  Develop mission statement, design, and self-governing rules

•  Determine desired component list of equipment

•  Determine size of park: 100' x 100'

•  Develop RFP for site work and skate park components

•  Obtain quotes from leading insurance approved manufacturers

•  Secure a location via Board of Selectmen approval

•  Develop a fund raising plan: fund-raisers, donations, grants, possible 2004 warrant

•  Gain BOS support via student presentations

•  Ground breaking / construction phase

•  Ribbon cutting spring 2005

We Anticipate we will need additional help with...

•  Developing safety and usage rules and regulations.  Would like to work with Park and Recreation Board of Advisors

•  Ensuring for voters that any legal or liability concerns are addressed prior to March Town Meeting

•  Assistance from Highway Department to help with site work to help offset construction costs

•  Fund raising activities

•  Community publicity

Involved Community Leaders to Date

Contributions of support, information, direct help, involvement, etc:

•  Selectmen Victor Danevich, Committee Chair

•  Officer Ann Perriello, Community Officer, Committee Vice-Chair

•  Superman Mike LaForge

•  Pelham Park & Rec Director Darren McCarthy

•  Town Treasurer Charlene Takesian 

•  PHS Counselor Cheryl Bissaillon

•  Police Chief Evan Haglund

•  Sergeant Gary Fisher

•  Town Administrator Tom Gaydos

•  Nashua Regional Planning Commission

•  New Hampshire Municipal Association

Submitted Links

(unrelated to our project but good info)

Skateboard Parks

Skateboard Parks in NH