By SHAELI KERSEE
shaeli@du2.byu.edu
It all started with James Rail, a guy with an Eagle Scout project idea.Eagle projects are suppose to be service oriented, but Rail has gone much further.
Rail, a Provo resident, introduced the idea for his Eagle project to the board of review two years ago and has yet to finish his project. It has taken a lot longer than he expected, 'a few months was all I thought,' Rail said.
Rail's plans are to build a skatepark. This plan is not only an Eagle project, but a possible beginning to a new trend in Provo. It will be an escape for skateboarders where they will no longer have to worry about being asked to leave a certain location. Rail used to skateboard so he thought it would be a good project.
'It is something that was really needed,' Rail said. 'Most skateboarders go to churches and schools, but that is illegal'.
In November, Provo City Council tried to pass an ordinance that would make it possible for property owners to ban skateboarding on their land, making skateboarding on banned land a misdemeanor with a $500 fine.
'This is an issue that has been talked about for years,' said Clark Barron, a principal at Provo High. Around 250 skateboarders and parents showed up at the meeting to protest.
'They all represented themselves well,' said Roger Thomas, director of Parks and recreation in Provo. The City Council listened to their comments and decided to redraft the law and vote again in January. At the last meeting, the vote was postponed until later this month.
'What it tells me is that we don't want our young kids in our community. They are trying to hit a happy medium of the skateboarders and the private owners,' said Steve Rail, James' father and a City Council member.
Whether the skatepark will affect the decision of the City Council is unknown. Rail did not mention feeling threatened by the ordinance. His project continued.
Eagle projects are not easy tasks, let alone the task Rail was attempting to accomplish. There are several steps and requirements while doing an Eagle project. Rail needed to locate the site, do all the plans and raise the money.
There are many key players in Rail's crusade. Thomas aided from step one in Rail's efforts to build the skatepark. Thomas had worked on a skatepark in Washington so he was willing to help. The project began with only the two of them -- Thomas and Rail. They decided to bring others from the community to form a skateboard committee.
The committee was made up of a representative from the Police Department, Roger Thomas, Provo school district, parents of skaters,, park representatives and representatives from the Parks and Urban Forestry Board.
The city and the school district have worked closely together. Both have been very supportive during the project, said Rail. It has been a challenge for the public schools in the area in that they have one of the largest concrete areas, Barron said.
Much damage was being done to steps and rails, also elementary kids were getting hit. 'They are good kids just looking for a place to skate,' Barron said.
Barron has worked closely with the skaters in Provo High and has sympathized with their situation but never knew what to do. He was excited to hear of Rail's project.
'It is in the best interest to the kids in the community,' Barron said. 'As a school district we want to support the kids and find a place for them to practice their sport.'
The city has chosen to provide all kinds of recreational activities. There are golf courses, tennis courts and even shooting ranges, why not a skatepark, Barron said.
Figuring out exactly what they wanted in the skatepark was the next task for the committee. Rail had little experience with architecture but he took drafting classes all through high school. None of the people in the committee knew anything about architecture, but the skaters did.
They brought in their skating magazines and showed the committee all the 'trick elements' they wanted in the building. A private architect was hired and took the design they came up with, continually working directly with the committee.
Once the plans were drawn up the committee searched for someone willing to build the place. This was harder than they thought, no one wanted to build it due to the complexity.
'It is like building a swimming pool, all the edges are curved,' Thomas said.
However, someone was eventually found. BYU's construction management department offered, looked over the plans and said they could do it. The cement work for the building has been donated by the students of the department with professors supervision. They do cement work quite often, said Jay Newett, Construction Management professor. BYU received an upstanding citizen award by the mayor for their efforts.
Another task that took up much of Rail's time was choosing the location. There were 20 park sites from which he had to choose. He was looking for a location with easy access, not too close to neighborhoods and near a park facility.
'It has good accessibility and visibility,' Barron said.
Raising the money for the project was a difficult task. Rail managed to raise around $40,000. He accomplished this by visiting several local businesses presenting his plans and the benefits of the park to the community. The city has been concerned with the problem and has contributed much to the effort.
'They recognize the need,' Thomas said.
Thomas proposed the budget to build the skatepark to past Provo's Mayor Stewart, he approved it. They contributed $20,000, half of what was raised. Thomas also went to the Provo Foundation and received an extra $5,000.
Provo school district felt the need and donated $5,000 for the project. Other private businesses have also contributed money toward the effort.
The legal side of the project took a long time to complete. Getting the insurance on the building by Provo city was definitely not a one-day event. Skating is not the safest sport as none are, but Rail says that most skaters will take responsibility for their accidents. A list of rules and regulations, like the wearing of protective material, will be outside of the facility, Thomas said.
The benefits of the skatepark are not temporary, this is where the trend kicks in. The city is taking it on as an experiment, if this one becomes overcrowded they'll add more, said Rail's father.
'This will have a very long-term benefit to the community.'
The facility is going to be medium size--5,000 to 6,000 square feet. If this one is successful then hopefully a bigger one will be built, said Thomas.
The skatepark is going to have a casual setting.
'It will be like another item in the park,' Thomas said. There will not be someone there supervising and there will be no charge to use the facility. People can come and go as they choose, Rail said.
Two years later the most exciting part of the project for Rails is that the facility is finally being built. Despite all the hard work Rail says it has been fun.
'More people we hear each day are excited,' Thomas said.
The park is expected to be finished by the end of May. The location is on Geneva Road at 300 North next to the Koa Kampground, at Fort Utah Park.