City of Olney might see new addition to youth recreation
On any given pleasant day when the Olney Schools’ parking lots are vacant, you will likely see a few children gathering to skateboard through the parking lot. If you’re not paying attention while driving, you could easily hit a child with your car. Two things come to mind when I see children in the parking lots with their skate gear. First, it is sad that they don’t have an enclosed space to skate, and second, a careless driver could kill or injure a child. So, when I heard about the Olney Skatepark Advocacy Group (OSAG), I beamed with excitement about improving our children’s lives and growing our economy.
OSAG comprises a group of parents, grandparents, citizens and youth in Olney “passionate about providing a safe location to skateboard”. The committee members are Dustin and Shanda Hope and their son, Collin; Chris Garcia and his son, James; Todd and Ashley Phillips and their son, Logan; Nick Tellez, Michelle Welsh and son, Richard Elizondo; and Laci Tate.
“There are countless friends, family and supporters behind the scenes sharing information. I am passionate about this skatepark project. I originally started bringing it up in 2016 but stalled. My family and I visited Mineral Wells Skatepark, and that visit is what fueled our desire to have one in Olney,” Shanda Hope said.
More than four years later, a team was formed and Chris Garcia led the group by appearing before Olney City Council on behalf of OSAG. The group has decided with Keep Olney Beautiful (K.O.B.) that the best location would be at Tom Griffin Park—north of the pool/east of the basketball-tennis court. Garcia told the Council that OSAG is not asking the City to allocate funds for the project.
“What we need is permission to use an open area in one of the city parks. The advocacy group will fund the skatepark with grants and donations. To do so, we need to form a partnership with the City,” Garcia said to the Council. “The skatepark should be recognized as an ordinary recreational facility, and there should not be an additional insurance burden on the City.”
OSAG encourages the town to embrace the skatepark project for various reasons, such as providing a positive outlet for youth, combating childhood obesity through exercising on wheels, helping with the prevention of teen depression and drug use by introducing them to a fun hobby.
The community may also show support by donating money to fund the estimated $130,000 and $350,000, depending on the selected option.
“The first option is a concrete slab with metal fabricated ramps on the slab with the addition of a pump track. The second option is mostly concrete,” Hope said.