Downtown Jacksonville and skateboarding have gone hand in hand since the 1970’s. Able Skate Mag has reached out to you guys and we appreciate the feedback to our SkatePark Article and Poll (106 responses!). Here are some pie charts displaying the great feedback that we have collected.

In addition to our multiple choice questions we received a lot of written responses. Here are some handpicked responses from the poll.

“Keep perusing this with the city. I have 2 step sons that stake everyday. I’m a big supporter of skating & providing areas for kids to skate. We live in Kauai where there’s 2 mini ramps & that’s pretty much it. My family lives in Jacksonville & we visit in the spring. We make a huge skate trip out of it- the boys are so grateful to skate anything since we’re so limited here. We’re struggling with our own city counsel to build more parks for these kids.” -Angela

“Thanks for being pro active and developing this form to help bring the skateboard community in Jacksonville together. My recommendation would be to establish project leads for each location. One person could not over see multiple parks being constructed, therefore I would recommend developing a committee possibly labeled “Jacksonville Skateboard Development Committee.” Have all the skateboarders in the area show up to this event and vote for candidates who will lead each project location. Once the project managers are established, it’s their goal to come up with the idea for the park with people under them who want to develop a particular park. Most likely the skateboarders helping out on multiple locations, but the responsibility of development will fall under the project manager. I would also recommend voting for a treasury and president who will oversee the committee. No one person can hold multiple positions, therefore everyone gets an equal say. I would recommend a person who is voted for as treasury be savy on business as you can start a 401(c) non profit. Please feel free to reach out and contact me at any time.”         – Don Maloy

“I think we should start do all 4. More skate parks means less kids on the street getting into trouble.”-Spencer Sadler

“DIY and a downtown team pain park”-David Peters

“Build a park under the I-95 bridge close to where they do the Riverside arts market“-Jimmy Love

“In my opinion, a DIY spot that we know won’t get torn down will get done sooner than a professionally built park that takes a lot planning and fund raising. The process of building a DIY spot provides more than just a place to skate. It creates a stronger community with the opportunity for skaters to learn skills that are useful outside of the realm of just skateboarding.”-Jim Stracke

“It’s a great idea to accommodate those who want to skate. In the day and age where life is very sedentary we can help by making Jacksonville a little more healthy and user friendly for all. Skate parks attract not only skaters and anything that is a public park only makes the city a better place.”-XX

“I do not skate, but I see absolute value in skate parks. Make as many as you can!!!”-Sara

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew with several parks. Keep it small and simple, so you can really solidify the plans for a sure-to-be tough approval process.“-Mark Judson

“I think asking for a lot then negotiating down is the best approach. I am also a huge proponent of putting the park in a highly visible area which why I believe the Main Street Pocket Park is the best choice if we are limited to just one park.”-William Duke

“Focus on building and completing one at a time.”-Pat Lally – Nicotine

“Build as much as possible! Been waiting too long for this to happen! STOKED!!!”-Dan Austin

“One big, covered plaza built by Team Pain under the Fuller Warren overpass next to Park Street.“-annonymous

“street skate” -annonymous

“I love the idea for the Main St spot. Make it “monumental” so it’s both attractive for the area, but functional for the skaters. It would help downtown multifold (businesses, bringing people to the area, and give us something to be proud of)”-Jackie

Again, thanks to everyone who took the time to respond! We really appreciate your input. Let’s all continue to work together to make Jacksonville skateboarding the absolute best it can possible be. Together we can keep the progress growing- able