Flow Skate Park Association

The following is the text of a presentation given by our very own president, Carmen M. Hernandez, that helped persuade state legislators to provide grant funding for the Flow Skate Park.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today.

We'll begin with explaining our sport. There are some large annual events you may have heard of, such as, X Games and Gravity Games. Our sport is about friendly competition with extreme athletic abilities. Like all sports, our kids have to practice to excel. Despite the fact that we are the minority in the world of "Bikes, boards and blades", this is a rapidly growing sport and it's clearly more popular than other sports that already have public facilities.

You may not understand this sport or the way these kids dress, but make no mistake they are athletes, and they are passionate about their sport. They will keep riding and skating. It benefits you to provide safe places for them to practice their sport.

This is an investment in their future. When children are looked after and cared for by adults, they grow up into responsible, caring adults. That's a known fact and that is why we have parks and recreation programs. As responsible adults, we cannot turn our backs on these kids.

According to a Rand Youth Poll, there are:

• 7 - 10 million skateboarders
• 4 million aggressive inline skaters
• 1 million freestyle bikers

There are over 300 skate parks in the USA now, and according to the International Association of Skateboard Companies another 300 are currently under development and construction. Skate parks with smooth, well built surfaces, and protective gear have a very low injury rate.

We are the Flow Skate Park Association; here is a little information about us.

• We began in the fall of 2001, after a trespassing complaint occurred at a local bank. Officer Carmen M. Hernandex responded to the call. At that time Officer Hernandez came in contact with a group of kids who complained that they had no where locally to go and practice their sport. After Officer Hernandez encountered the youths again, she decided to do something about it herself. She realized the young people of the community need a place to go. Although there are skate parks in New Jersey, the youths complained that their parents were not able to get them there regularly. At that point Officer Hernandez decided to form this Association with their parents' support.
• We have completed fundraisers and have gotten donations from numerous small businesses and private citizens. That included a grant in the amount of $1000 from the Tony Hawk Foundations, for communities that are providing free skate parks for the young people. A private citizen donated some property on East Line Street where we hope to build the park. [Note: Since the time of this presentation, the Borough of Penns Grove has designated a section of public property for locating the skate park.]
• We have been able to help change Penns Grove Borough's local ordinance 180 after an incident with a police officer. This allowed for open communications between township officials, parents, and the youth.
• We have had several town meetings and have gained support from both Penns Grove's Mayor Washington and Carneys Point's Mayor Lake. Numerous private citizens have also shown support.

After several meetings with both mayors, Penns Grove Mayor Washington has agreed to help maintain the grounds of the park. Carneys Point Mayor Lake has agreed to insure the park through JIFF, once the land is turned over to the township. The Association will continue to do fundraisers to maintain the park while members will handle daily operations such as opening and closing the park. We will try to organize friendly competitions to keep the youth encouraged about their love for the sport.

But even with all of our efforts over the past four years, we have not yet been able to build the park. Last year, we applied for a grant with the assistance of Senator Sweeney and his staff, but unfortunately we were not granted the funds. We now have a second opportunity with the help of Senator Sweeney and the support of our Mayors.

We hope you can understand our passion and efforts to build this park. Our association, youths, parents, private citizens, small businesses, homeowners, and law enforcement have come together to try to resolve a community concern. With your continuous support and efforts, we believe this park can be built.

Thank you.