goodbye China Creek

[skategeezer]

My son and I skated this park this July...

Boarders want bowl to stay

But city planner sees playground in China Creek park

Glenda Luymes, The Province


Published: Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Vancouver skaters are hoping to save the city's oldest skateboard bowl.

Park planner Michel Desrochers is urging the city's park board to replace China Creek South Park skateboard bowl with a playground.

"It's frustrating," Vancouver Skateboard Coalition vice-president Jeff Chan said yesterday.
"They didn't take our opinion seriously. We acknowledged there are problems with noise at the park, but there should be a solution that doesn't mean digging out the bowl."
Skater Kim Glennie said the park's users asked the planner to consider building a berm to block noise.
"Only a handful of neighbours were worried about noise," she said. "More neighbours supported keeping the park active. The skateboarders actually police the park and keep addicts away."
Skater Derek DeLand agreed: "The bowl is the heart of the park. We can't keep pushing teenagers out of the parks."
The bowl, at the corner of Broadway and Clark Drive, was built in the late 1970s.
Last year, the parks board designated $350,000 for upgrades to China Creek South Park.
Desrochers has been consulting with the park's neighbours and users to get input on two improvement options -- one that includes the bowl and one that doesn't.
On Dec. 5, he will recommend the removal and eventual relocation of the bowl.
The parks board will likely vote on the plan early next year. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposal then.
"We support skateboarding," said Desrochers. "But we have other principles that we need to follow as well. The residents within earshot of this park are saying the noise is not acceptable any more."
Desrochers said the lack of public washrooms has also become a problem.
"We've done some research to see if there's a better place for the [skateboard] park somewhere close by," he said.
Parks staff are currently considering Trout Lake Park as an option.
Cate Atkinson lives about a block away from the park. She supports improvements that would leave the bowl untouched.
"The skateboarders keep the really bad elements away," she said. "The skaters are a really great bunch. The park is usually quiet as soon as it gets dark."

[Slob-air]

That's truly sad news. That park was there before most of those complaining residents were.

[worldwide]

i think they should save it, even though i dont like skating it, just cause its a park that other people like. the real story is saving new west park, that place is epic and is also scheduled for demolition.