Skate park soon to stir

It was the kind of hazy, lazy summer day that might have clamored for heelflips off the ramps and ollieing over obstacles at Hanford's skate park for a little excitement. A breeze rolled through the 10-year-old ramps on a warm Thursday, but the park sat empty and unusually quiet.

Just a block away, a few young men rolled past the park doing flips on the sidewalk.

It's not that skaters have disappeared in Hanford. The park has been closed for several weeks now, because of a familiar problem: vandalism and tagging.

The skate park in Hanford has been under a major overhaul, and it could remain closed for at least another week until repairs and renovation are complete, city officials said.

Graffiti-infested ramps have been pressure washed. Landscaping has been done. A wrought iron fence is being repaired and repainted. New lights have been installed.

But among the most significant changes already in place for a few weeks now: surveillance cameras in and around the skate park used by police to monitor and record real-time activities at the facility 24 hours a day.

"We have similar problems that most communities have with skate parks, "said City Recreation Director Scott Yeager. "A small percentage of kids are destructive, and it makes it difficult for us to keep a facility open for everybody. There's no final solution, but cameras are becoming a common approach in a lot of communities as a deterrent."

There are four overhead cameras installed at the park and six at the old firehouse on Kaweah Street. The cameras transmit their feeds wirelessly to the police dispatch, and they are hooked up with the police face recognition system.

For the city, the whole renovation project is a $55,000 investment, which is paid for by a state grant, Yeager said.

The skate park still awaits the installation of a new self-locking entry gate, a fence repair and a new sign that says the city can close the park at any time, especially if rules were broken.

The park remains closed to the public. But city crews are working toward the goal of reopening the park by the Fourth of July weekend, Yeager said. "In order to get everything right, we have to keep it closed a little longer," he said.

But even as the park closure continue. The problem appears to persist. The concrete base of the newly renovated lamp post already bears a dash of spray paint depicting a profanity.

A turbulent history

Hanford's only skate park, tucked behind The Plunge downtown pool facility, is a hugely popular venue among trend-seeking teenagers in town. But the city has been stymied by ongoing vandalism, graffiti, trespassing, public intoxication and drug use at the facility.

Designed to reduce skateboarding at public places such as Civic Auditorium, the city's free park is seen by some as a valuable community resource. But for others, it's a nuisance.

The park, with metal rails and cement hills and curves, cost $136,000 to build. It opened on April 4, 1998.

"It was such a personal project. We walked around town and talked to businesses and citizens," recalled Corey Hoover, owner of Boo Boo's Board Shop in Hanford and an outspoken advocate for skaters. Hoover was among a few individuals instrumental in getting the park built. "It was such a pipe dream, but when it was finally built, it felt like such an accomplishment for the city.

"To see it from being a crown jewel to being so neglected is very hard for anybody who was personally involved in getting it built," Hoover said.

A situation became tense in January 2007, when police -- hoping to send a message to park users -- began locking down the park at dusk after seeing a new surge in vandalism.

Since then, there have been sporadic dialogues among city officials and skaters and their advocates. But apparently, that didn't do enough to halt the problem.

The Hanford Police Department says it had responded to some 87 calls between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008, regarding criminal activities at the skate park, ranging from vandalism to robbery.

"That's not the image we want to have about the skate park," said Lt. Parker Sever with the Hanford Police Department.

Damage control

Crime surveillance cameras now hang over every lamppost at the park and the old city fire station across the parking lot to crack down on young vandals and law breakers around the park.

Inside the police station several blocks away, Sever pulls up the real-time split screen image on his computer screen with just a few clicks. With a few more clicks, he gains the control of one camera, which allows him to pan around 360 degrees and zoom in and out to capture a view as wide as the park or focus on a target as small as a license plate.

"All these pictures are being saved as well. If somebody wrote a graffiti a week ago, I can pull up the recording and review it all," Sever said.

In other words, the skate park is wired like a Las Vegas Casino.

"It was important for us to keep the skate park open, but the way it was going, that wasn't going to happen because it's constantly getting vandalized or kids are out there drinking or doing drugs," Sever said. "So working with the Rec Department, we came up with the solution to install the cameras. At least, that way we can have some monitoring of it."

The skate park is out of the public's eye, making it a haven for criminal activity, Sever said.

As a way to control trespassing, the recreation department is installing a new entrance which automatically unlocks at dawn and locks at dusk, Yeager said. The city wants a safe recreation facility, but it's looking at its bottomline as well.

"Our whole purpose is to make sure the park is more secure and clean for the kids and bring a wider variety of kids to the park," Yeager said. "Second to that is to save the city money on repairs and staff time in opening and closing gates and covering graffiti."

Hoover is giving a thumbs up to the city's recent improvements of the park.

"I feel it's something that was definitely necessary," Hoover said. "Of course, I wish, it was a self-regulated park. But unfortunately, a certain negative element has caused it to become unsafe and unsuitable for everyone else."

What's next?

Last Saturday, when Hoover held a barbecue for skaters and families in partnership with the city, which agreed to open up the park just for three hours. Nearly some 200 youngsters showed up for the event -- a sure indication of the high demand for the park.

"It's just a fraction of the kids who skate in town," Hoover said.

Yeager is aware of the growing anticipation by the youth.

"There are kids hanging out there everyday wondering when it will open," Yeager said. "We're anxious to get this place open again."

The city is hoping to do more than just the security improvements.

Yeager speaks of working with Hoover to bring an artist to do a mural on the park wall as a way to deter graffiti and continue having more family-oriented events.

Hoover continues to lobby for a larger skate park in a better location. He says the number of skaters in town has far outgrown the small park.

For now, Hoover says, he is grateful for the improvements being made to the existing park.

"I think they are on the right track and making a positive step to make sure it's a success," Hoover said.

Meanwhile, the effectiveness of the cameras remains to be seen.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.

(June 27, 2008)