Last week we attended the fourth and final Round 1 public input meeting for the Mud Island Land Use Study. In short, this was an everyone-is-invited gathering at the Botanic Gardens during which residents could brainstorm and vote on the amenties and activities we’d like to see on Mud Island. Although there to voice our general concerns – that the space focus on family, community, green, health – we were curious to see for ourselves the growing momentum of skaters and skatepark supporters (and sure, especially as Ian is a former skater, we absolutely fall into the latter category).

Our table added to the wish list a skatepark, a playground and/or splash pad, a community garden, gathering places, and a cafe that offers more than junk food. We also emphasized the need for environmentally conscious development, and across the board accessibility. Other tables suggested the likes of a climbing wall, zip line, artist market, grilling/picnic areas, a boardwalk and even the Zippin Pippin! Whether or not you participated in the Round 1 public input meetings, you are encouraged to fill out this online survey, and to sign up for the Riverfront Development Corporation’s enewsletter to follow the study’s progress.

But let’s return to the issue of the skatepark. The way that this group has coalesced into a movement, articulated its mission, and commanded attention is impressive to say the least. And on their side is the fact that skateboarding is one of the top 4 sports among U.S. youth according to a survey by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers of America. So I asked skater and Memphian Kris Gurley (via Aaron Shafer) to share his own perspective. Below is the first of a two part response:

Hello, my name is Kris Gurley and I just did something that not a lot of my peers seem to do: I helped make this city a better place. I didn’t start a recycling program or volunteer to pick up roadside litter (though both are really good ideas). No, what I did was add my voice to the overwhelming majority that voted to build the nation’s largest skate park on Mud Island.

There have been a lot of studies and letters written on how this will better the community. Skateboarding is the third most popular outdoor activity in the nation. Memphis has not one single park for the thousands of skateboarders that call this city home. A world-class skate park would help fill that void while transforming Mud Island into a thriving, bustling place that Memphians and others from across the U.S. will want to visit week after week. Until now, skaters here seemed to live in a state of resignation regarding getting our own quality skate park. There was little hope or optimism. Our options were slim: stay here and skate the streets with its associated risks or drive an hour or so to skate parks in Oxford, MS or Jonesboro, AR. Then in 2008 there were the stirrings of change.

Aaron Shafer of Skatelife Memphis has been striving to better the Memphis skate scene since he arrived here in 2006. In April 2008 he helped coordinate a demonstration held by the Memphis Parks and Recreation Dept. to gauge the number of skaters in Memphis. This event was literally plagued with problems from the start. In addition to holding the demo in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, there was a short lead time to get the word out. The wrong date was published in the paper. There was a last minute venue change and rainy weather on the date of the event.

These factors would have ensured disaster for any event. But thanks to Aaron’s tireless emails and myspace updates, 450 skateboarders showed up from every corner of the city to represent our demand for a skate park. There were skaters from every race and demographic. The Parks and Recreation Dept. was floored! They had anticipated maybe a hundred or so to show as a high estimate.

It was at this demo where I realized that we could change our situation-and Memphis– for the better.

Mud Island Skate park, public input meeting, riverfront, skateboarding, Skatelife Memphis Getting Involved, Parks & Outdoors