Its been a rewarding journey so far. The level of community support continues to grow daily as folks recognize the benefits of how a skatepark will create a place to further revitalize Casselberry's image in a positive way, provide a safe place for our youth, build a sense of community and attract visitors from around the state and nation.
After originally sending an email to all of the Casselberry City Commissioners asking for their consideration for a skatepark, we attended the very next Commission Meeting and asked again in person.
Though we got silence from some, a couple of the Commissioners voiced an interest, if there was community support.
That meeting marked the beginning of our journey. SKATE 32707 was immediately born to develop a grassroots campaign to empower our elected officials to dedicate a site and funding to get our community a skatepark.
Soon after starting our grassroots advocacy efforts, Brighthouse News Channel 13 covered our story on TV.
Not long after that first City Commission Meeting, we were told "the wheels are turning" as the upcoming 2016 Budget Workshop was approaching and the Casselberry Skatepark would be discussed as part of it.
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| The Omnipresent Casselberry Skatepark Support Yard Sign |
When we asked about the Workshop and how discussions relating to the Casselberry Skatepark had gone, we didn't get an answer from our City Commission. Rather, the City Manager addressed the question and let us know that he had discouraged its discussion due to the absence of a skatepark in the City of Casselberry Parks Master Plan.
In the following days, we learned that there was no Parks Master Plan, only a draft document that was created in 2005 and never acted upon by the City Commission.
Despite the disappointing news, we simply redoubled our efforts and remained focused on building additional support within the community as well as reaching out individually to our City Commissioners to let them know we were counting on them to be our voice.
"Support A Skatepark In Casselberry" yard signs sprang up in front of residences all over the city as well as nearby neighborhoods, petitions were signed and emails continued to pour in letting our representatives on the Casselberry City Commission know we want them to take action by studying and ultimately approving a skatepark site and funding.
In light of the absence of the Parks Master Plan, plans were laid to create one. The process was said to be set to start in October 2015 with the arrival of the new fiscal year. October came and went with no action. We continued to attend City Commission Meetings to update our representatives on the growing support we had documented.
In late 2015, in response to a request from Mayor Glancy, SKATE 32707 developed a Skatepark Master Plan for Casselberry and presented it to her, as well as the balance of the City Commission in order to catalyze the Casselberry Skatepark from simply being a discussion, to get it moving as a project.
In December 2015 a Commission Workshop was held to discuss plans for 2016 and to set priorities for projects. Mayor Glancy and Commissioner Meadows acknowledged the support for the Casselberry Skatepark, pointing out the vast support that was easily seen by all of the signs in our neighborhoods, as well as the swelling petition numbers. With the Skatepark Master Plan Proposal in hand they proposed city staff study the issue and report back on feasibility. The City Manager again interjected himself and steered the issue back inside the Parks Master Plan process, stating that it would be starting in February 2016. The balance of the City Commission went along with the City Manager delaying progress on the Casselberry Skatepark.
Despite the setback, we simply resolved to work harder to deliver the Casselberry Skatepark to our community.
In late January SKATE 32707 hosted a Skatepark Informational Meeting at the Casselberry Police Department. Three weeks prior to the meeting we invited the entire City Commission to attend. The purpose of the meeting was to inform everyone how the process of designing and building a skatepark works in a community once approval has been given. Commissioner Meadows responded to the invitation letting us know he would be unable to attend due to being out of town on vacation. On the Monday prior to the meeting, Commissioner Hufford expressed concern about possible "Sunshine Law" violations if the Commission attended while attending the City Commission Meeting. The City Attorney rendered an opinion regarding attendance that lead to her choosing to not attend.
The following day, the Orlando Sentinel ran a front page story covering the efforts that have been made to bring a skatepark to Casselberry.
The meeting was a huge success. Attendance was such that we ran out of seating, with many standing, lining the room, to listen to the presentation from Team Pain Skateparks.
During the presentation we examined a lot of possible locations within Casselberry's existing parks that could easily accommodate a skatepark.
Galactic G Skate Shop, Plus Skate Shop, Catalyst and Domain Premium Apparel helped support SKATE 32707 by donating a lot of awesome product that was given away as part of a door prize raffle at the end of the evening.
At the first February City Commission Meeting, the City Manager acknowledged the Parks Master Plan had not started, citing contract problems.
A request for proposals to conduct a process to develop a Casselberry Parks Master Plan was posted in Mid-February.
The consultant for the Parks Master Plan wont be selected until late April or May. The process will then take 6 months to complete.
The consequences that have arisen from the delay in the Parks Master Plan process now directly affects the Casselberry Skatepark.
1. The Casselberry Skatepark will miss the Budget Planning Workshop for 2017
2. The Casselberry Skatepark would begin planning after the Parks Master Plan is adopted, (earliest is late 2016) likely leaving too little time to effectively do so prior to the Budget Planning Workshop for 2018.
All of this could change with a simple vote by the Casselberry City Commission. They know the Casselberry Skatepark is a popular project with wide support. Its time for them to make it happen sooner by directing the City Manager to have staff conduct a skatepark feasibility study while the Parks Master Plan is being completed.
As we watch the Casselberry City Commission conduct the business of the People of Casselberry, we'll be noting who has been listening.
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