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The skateboard park at Kofu

Let's shoot the white elephant before it devours more time, money


Monday, June 9, 2008 6:35 AM PDT

Comments (24 comment(s))

The White Elephant! We all have them in one form or another. You know, that valuable thing that we just cannot get rid of yet whose cost, particularly for upkeep, probably exceeds its usefulness.

For some, it might be an old car that we just cannot part with but requires constant upkeep. For others, it might be an ugly expensive piece of art that you received from a family member that you must keep or even worse actually hang on your wall.

For Lodi, the white elephant must be the skate park at Kofu Park.

To understand why I think the skate park is Lodi's white elephant, you only need to drive by the park. It sets there and has sat there for months with no use. Kids are out of school and need something to do yet the park is closed. The park is closed because of damage to the structures that make it unsafe. Some of this damage was caused by vandalism but most was caused by use. Regardless of the reasons, it sits.

Now before you say the skate park was just a bad decision by the City Council or the Parks and Recreation Department, you need to look at the history. In the summer of 2000, a committee appointed by Lodi's mayor did research into the type of park and the location. They also held at least one public meeting where 112 people voiced opinions.

At the end of this, the committee concluded on the park that we have.

So, with these recommendations, the Lodi City Council took action in the summer of 2001 when they approved the building of the skate park at a cost of $540,522.19. (Yes, it took them a year to act and they got it down to the penny.) The City Council also entered into an agreement with a group, Spohn Ranch, to build and operate the park.

According to a memorandum from the Parks and Recreation Department, "Spohn Ranch builds the best equipment, designs safe and exciting facilities and has a successful record as an operator of skate parks."

Well, Spohn Ranch is long gone and all I can say is that I would hate to see a bad design.

While I am no skate park expert, I cannot believe that we continue to spend money to try to make it work. There is a time to cut your losses and move on and in my opinion that time was a long time ago for Lodi's skate park.

Over the last several years, I have visited several skate parks because that is what my kids and their friends like to do. Except for one indoor park, all of the parks that we have visited are made of concrete and include bowl elements. One of the parks, in the Santa Cruz area, was built in 1979 and is still operational and appears to get very little maintenance. In Lodi we get high-tech stuff and it doesn't even last a decade.

In the discussions regarding Lodi's budget, the Budget and Finance Committee recommended to the City Council that they investigate closing the current park in order to build a new concrete park. While the City Council ignored this idea, I voted for it because the current park is a waste of money and our kids deserve better.

I would like to see a new park added to the always-under construction DeBenedetti Park. I think an argument could be made that a portion of the over $2 million that is in the Parks and Recreation Developer Impact Fee account could be used for the construction. (Yes, there is that amount of money there and it isn't being used for anything else.)

Another source of revenue could be the savings on the upkeep at the current park.

Skateboarding is here to stay but Lodi's white elephant needs to be disposed of.

John Johnson, CFA is a Lodi-based business appraiser. You can reach Mr. Johnson at john@johnejohnson.com or at (209) 369-1451.

Reader Feedback

Brian wrote on Jun 16, 2008 9:44 AM:

" http://www.spohnranch.com/skateparksplash.htm

This site shows many skate parks that aren't made entirely of concrete.

What other kind of excuses will the city of Lodi come up with to keep the park closed I am anxious to hear. "

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dogbark wrote on Jun 11, 2008 9:34 PM:

" Papercut, thanks for reminding me about Blakely Pool.
And across the street- what a stupid place to put theIslam Mosque. Those young boys aren't supposed to see that much flesh ever, and there's all the bikini's right across the street.
Or maybe thats the Babylon field trip for them. "

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dogbark wrote on Jun 11, 2008 9:31 PM:

" When they started building the ramps I assumed they were the concrete forms for the gunite type of parks built everywhere else.
What we ended up with is a White Elephant all right, one with a golden parachute for the contractor. "

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Scrutiny wrote on Jun 11, 2008 10:00 AM:

" Last I heard, fron his brother Jay, John is now a surfer dude in Hawaii. "

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Brian wrote on Jun 10, 2008 9:45 PM:

" Metric Time System wrote on Jun 9, 2008 8:41 AM:

" Brian, good name dropping, JD was a friend and was a phenom even before skateboarding become so popular. "

MTC, I lived on Rutledge Dr from the mid 70's to the early 80's. I once saw John do at least 3 360's. He could do great daffy's too. I wonder where he is now?

Remember banana boards? Most of the novices and the wannabes had this board.
The better skateboarders had much better boards and tracker trucks with urethane wheels and sealed precision bearings. "

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Brian wrote on Jun 10, 2008 9:34 PM:

" Papercut, Yes, the parks that I have seen are well kept. The one east of 59th Ave and Union Hills Dr. is especially nice. This is the one near my mother-in-laws house. There is also an inside aquatic park there. The whole area is budding with new development. The crown jewel of the area is Midwestern University. A medical school. "

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s & W 500 wrote on Jun 10, 2008 9:19 PM:

" Papercut: your last comment made you look a smidge like a racist! You might want to think before you bite the hand that feeds our GREAT COUNTRY/CITY!

If you don't love it, leave it! "

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s & W 500 wrote on Jun 10, 2008 9:16 PM:

" Papercut: Maybe we should start by penalizing vandals, removing welfare, removing WIC, removing AFDC, and all other programs THAT ENABLE people who CAN WORK, but prefer NOT TO because the "WELL TO DO" pay for it! Do you have a job? Are you voting for Obama or Hillary? Just curious!

Guys like me are tired of being broke because we have to pay for health care for "baby factories" & "leeches", yet I afford MY OWN HEALTH INSURANCE because I am self-employed!

I say fix the park, put LPD in place, and fine the offenders, and IF their parents get state or federal aid, it is revoked permanently! "

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papercut wrote on Jun 10, 2008 8:48 PM:

" You've already got an aquatic center at Blakely park. With room for expansion. Or are you too afraid to take your little white kids to the wrong part of town? Remodel Blakesly and enlarge the pools for all Lodians to enjoy. "

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jay dubb wrote on Jun 10, 2008 4:00 PM:

" I was one of the 112 people at the planning meeting and I BEGGED them not to use wood and to make the skate park concrete. All over the state the concrete parks will last for decades with little or no maintenence. Wood was a terrible decision.

We need to remove the existing "White Elephant" and get a local construction company to replace it with a great concrete layout. It is the least we can do for our kids.

I voted for the 1/2 cent tax for the Aquatic Center as well. We need that too. Plus a sports complex. Go to any other valley city and see what they have for the children. Lodi is far behind. "

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marie wrote on Jun 10, 2008 3:48 PM:

" We need things for kids to do. Keep the skateboard park. Too bad the bowling alley and skating rink are gone. What can kids do here besides go to the movies? "

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midtowner wrote on Jun 10, 2008 6:28 AM:

" papercut: sounds like your jealous of the "well to do" in our town. Although my children do not go to 'Camp Hutchins' I thought you could come up with a better example of "unneeded programs." You know those "well to do" families pay a lot of taxes and they should be entitled to dictate where their money is spent. We need an aquatic center for our community not a skate park. A pool will serve all the citizens of Lodi not just a select few youth! "

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papercut wrote on Jun 9, 2008 5:33 PM:

" Maybe start with Camp Hutchins and the well to do parents that use this service and don't pay anything for use of the facilities to keep the costs down for those with those beautiful cars that come pick them up every day. The city needs to charge these programs the going rate for usage of the rooms and personnel and not just peanuts. Why do you think Hutchins is 10 million plus in debt to the city and continually loses about one and a half million per year? These are where the services and budget cuts should be considered before cutting any other needed services. Some Hutchins programs are duplicated at Loel center and this double dipping needs to stop. Why is Hutchins allowed to lose the same amount of money year after year? Poor management and no accountability on the programs and funds spent administering and overspending on them. "

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s & W 500 wrote on Jun 9, 2008 12:57 PM:

" Papercut: What "free services" and to whom?

MTS: JD was a phenomenal skater, taught a lot of kids to do small tricks, and to respect people, all people. Too bad doesn't have influence over "today's skaters"! He was a cool dude. I wonder what ever happened to him? "

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Metric Time System wrote on Jun 9, 2008 8:41 AM:

" Brian, good name dropping, JD was a friend and was a phenom even before skateboarding become so popular. "

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papercut wrote on Jun 9, 2008 8:21 AM:

" Dump those many useless and unneeded programs for the wealthy and well connected at Hutchins and there'll be plenty of money for the parks and rec. The city was well aware of the cheap construction and the inferior materials they built the ramps out of and they got exactly what they paid for, another cheap inferior job and saved a few bucks. Don't you just love these big spenders from your city spending your money on junk? "

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papercut wrote on Jun 9, 2008 8:11 AM:

" Brian, you're right about Phoenix. My wife has a friend whose son goes there twice a year to visit his friend and they call it their skateboard week. Tony says they're the nicest kept, well operated enterprises he's ever been to and can't understand why Lodi has such a bunch of old fogies that are so against these parks and skateboarders and bikers, yet they spend money pandering to the pakistanis for their cricket and soccer and the Hispanics for their soccer fields. Why? Maybe pandering for those votes for redevelopment? "

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papercut wrote on Jun 9, 2008 8:03 AM:

" Well, John, beating the city drums again? You're talking about dumping the skate park while Hutchins Street Square and its building sit there providing literally free services to the wealthy and well connected that loses one and a half milion dollars each and every year and has since its inception, and still owes the city well over ten million from the original construction. Now you're crying about spending a few thousand dollars for one of the few things for our youths to do here? And have the guts to talk about a new aquatic center and sports venue? Wow! And just where do you think this bankrupt city is going to get the funds? Maybe the wealthy who have profited from all these city ventures? How about these local realtors who shared in the pyramid housing profits? Let them build their own aquatic center. "

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Brian wrote on Jun 9, 2008 7:47 AM:

" midtowner, What does building a new pool
have anything to do with getting rid of the skate park? Just build a new pool and keep the skate park. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to maintain a skate park.

There's a really nice park with a skate park near my in-laws house. I'l have to contact the parks dept. and find out what it takes to maintain that skate park. Perhaps I'll pass the info on to the parks dept. in Lodi. "

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Brian wrote on Jun 9, 2008 7:40 AM:

" It's probably all the people who could never figure out how to ride a skateboard the ones who have the most opposition to the skate park.

When I was growing up in the 70's and 80's it was John Deanda who ruled the streets on his skateboard in my neighborhood. I bet he isn't opposed to the skate park. "

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Brian wrote on Jun 9, 2008 7:35 AM:

" KenH, They used to have an arcade center in Lodi at Lakewood Mall in the late 70's and 80's. Rick's Pizza occupies the space now the last time I heard. The arcade was always full after school and on the weekends. "

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Brian wrote on Jun 9, 2008 7:30 AM:

" Only in Lodi would there be such a fuss over a skateboard park. I find it hard to believe how a stucture consisting of ramps and jumps could be such a bother to maintain. We have skateboard parks throughout the valley here in Phoenix.

What is so different about Lodi, other than a bunch of busy bodies, that it makes it so difficult to provide and maintain a skate park? "

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midtowner wrote on Jun 9, 2008 6:55 AM:

" Get rid of the skate park and build a new pool. "

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KenH wrote on Jun 9, 2008 6:13 AM:

" O_o just an idea, City of Lodi needs to stop investing in "high tech" stuff and invest in stuff that is going to last a longer time, this requires research too. All you have to do is go to towns to physically research what you're looking into...I wouldn't be surprised if Lodi wasn't the only one duped by the people who make the skate equipment. The cement bowls go a long way *nods*

Honestly, I would like to see an arcade center brought into Lodi, it would be great for the kids and the city's economy. Have the city of Lodi officials look into an Arcade Entertainment center, in Boise, Idaho called Pojos...if you had something exactly like Pojos in Lodi, the kids would be able to have something positive to do. "

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