CORRESPONDENCE - 75C (OPPOSED) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Good evening City Council, my name is lvette Aguilar. I'm here with my family, and next door neighbor to represent our concerns as well as the concerns of an additional 30 other neighbors, who participated in the Community Petition we submitted to PlaceWorks and Santa Ana Recreation & Community Service Agency on September 19, 2019 - opposing the skating area, proposed on the Raitt Site: Rancho Santiago College Replacement Park Project. We oppose having a skating area residing near our homes, due to the reputation the skating culture carries and lack of police patrolling; our neighborhood is not suited for young children/adolescents' safety. They would be exposed to potential vandalism, crime, and acts of violence. Local news reported a violent crime where a Santa Ana resident was brutally beaten with a hammer and skateboard at the Santa Ana Centennial Skatepark in 2017. A skateboard was used as a weapon (copy of news report attached for your view), additionally, skateboards have been known to be used as weapons within the skating culture to settle quarrels. We worry that such behavior and ambience will potentially occur at the Raitt Site if a skating area were erected. We would like to prevent similar incidents to occur in our neighborhood for the safety of all residents, seniors and children, by holding off the skate area at the proposed project. The Community Service Supervisor and his team that coordinated the community meetings regarding this project made poor effort in keeping us all well informed. Most of the residents I spoke with were not aware of the project and are not in favor of adding the skate area. The neighbors I spoke with regarding the project are apprehensive about having a skating area so near their homes. Fear the overall outcome of the park, due to creating an area (skate area) that may be used by unsupervised adolescents and children along with a higher rate of homeless population that has increased since the Santa Ana River Trails were cleared. We do not understand why the skate area was proposed after the majority of the residents are not in favor of it, nor were aware of it, or asked for opinion. PlaceWorks stated that "the neighborhood is pedestrian park intended to serve the area residents", which at this moment, they and the Santa Ana Recreation Community Service Agency are failing us to do so. Another concern, is loud noise due to the wheels of skateboards on pavement. Per the study report provided, PlaceWorks measurements are not valid due to inadequate city comparison. They measure noise and collected data at Harvard Statepark located at the city of Irvine. We are all well aware that both cities differ: economically, population, culturally, and educationally. Santa Ana population surpasses Irvine's population at 334,000 residents, while Irvine populates stands at 266,000. We do not accept PlaceWorks noise measurement data as accurate or reliable data, nor a fair comparison. Santa Ana Centennial Skate Park is still open to the public, PlaceWorks could have collected data from that location or other similar nearby cities with skateparks (such as Costa Mesa or Fullerton). An alternative skatepark location is, Vans Skatepark in Orange, CA. This site is well established, large and open to the public for FREE, and is located only three (3) miles away from the Raitt Site. Along with my research I came across a news article (from 2010 - same initial time of Raitt Site project conception) about potentially building a skatepark and a BMX field at the Santa Ana Lawn Bowling Center. That site would be an ideal location for skate area. Therefore, there are larger and better, and safer locations suited for the skateboarding community. We leave a copy of all our concerns (petition) along with local news reports and crime stats for review and recordings. We, as a neighborhood and community, ask for City Council to please serve interest of area residents and consider our concerns. Refrain from adding the skate area at the proposed Raitt Site. Extend the garden area instead, to have an area where our residents of all ages (seniors, children, adolescents, and adults) may enjoy a restful place near their homes with their families. Thank you for your time.