Currently we have other parks designated as active spaces with bike lanes, bike trails, paddling trails, tennis courts, basketball courts, ball fields and tot lots sprinkled throughout town. We even have an active space for canines, Pawmosa Park.
Great!
Now, let’s include skateboarding on our list of attractive amenities for families, students, residents and tourists.
Skateboarding is a $29 billion business.
A skatepark would be a destination for skateboarders from across Florida and worldwide.
A skatepark would serve to attract visitors and tourists adding to the local economy while providing safe and legal recreational skateboarding for Casselberry kids and adults.
Skateboarding is healthy for kids’ bodies and healthy for the local economy.
The revitalization of Casselberry should include new things that are working in other cities by including them in our community.
Let’s be smart and follow other successful models of city funded/constructed skateparks like Lakeland, Bradenton, Branford, Gainesville and Zephyrhills among others.
By doing that, residents will spend money at local businesses here in Casselberry, as opposed to driving and spending elsewhere in order to enjoy a skatepark.
In recent years the City of Casselberry has spent over $350K to purchase a residential property adjacent to Lake Concord Park, near the Art House in hopes of expanding another passive use park further. Even more money will be need to be spent on demolition of the vacant homes located there before it can transition to its new purpose.
By the time these parcels are ready to become a passive space, the same investment of $300,000 to $500,000 could have provided a skatepark for residents and visitors in an existing active use park.
The call for a skatepark in Casselberry has seen steadily growing community support over the past several months. From a front page story in the Orlando Sentinel, to yard signs declaring support for a skatepark throughout our neighborhoods, petitions are growing and a recent public meeting to educate residents on how the skatepark design process works filled a meeting room to capacity at the Casselberry Police Department; the need has been demonstrated in every way imaginable.
The new “downtown” passive use park’s cost of improvement likely exceeds the per square foot price to build a skatepark by nearly three times.
 |
| The Casselberry Skatepark will become a destination that draws visitors to our city. |
A skatepark costs approximately $30 per square foot to construct and a skatepark is for recreational use, which provides an active, placemaking, community venue and encourages visitors to come to Casselberry.
The “downtown” park is passive use.
Both good.
One is better for bodies. Recreation is healthier for kids than sitting.
We like what we see happening in Casselberry! The “downtown” park is cool. The fountain and sculpture features will be delightful.
Now, end the delays and please build the skatepark so that our residents have a place they can safely enjoy themselves and the skateboarding tourism other cities enjoy will come to Casselberry.
Its a win – win, with a skatepark, visitors looking for an amazing skatepark experience will include Casselberry in their travel plans and the children and residents of Casselberry will be free to skate safely and legally in their own community, something they can’t do currently.
Please share this update & encourage family and friends to sign the petition. PETITION
Public workshops hosted by the City of Casselberry will be scheduled soon, once they are, we will be asking everyone to fill them to capacity to make sure our voices are heard: Build A Skatepark Now, we're ready for Concrete Change in Casselberry.
