EDITORIAL

A vacant lot -- isolated and without park amenities -- is not the best

place for a skateboard facility that will no doubt attract thousands of

kids and their families.

The idea behind modern skate parks is for them to be a part of existing

community parks, so that the teenagers of the family can skate while the

little ones play on the jungle gym and mom and dad watch on the

sidelines.

This way, parents are more likely to be involved in their kids’

recreational activity of choice, as opposed to just dropping them off in

an industrial complex for a few hours.

Costa Mesa officials this week agreed to begin planning a skateboarding

facility on Charle and Hamilton streets after several months of delays.

The park was initially slated for Lions Park, but lobbying from nearby

homeowners caused that plan to be scrapped earlier this year.

Plans for a skate park in the city have been circulating for more than

eight years, but officials have never been able to find a place accepted

by both the skateboarding community and residents who would live near the

park.

Although there are homes near the Charle Street site, none of the

residents have opposed the skate park’s construction.

We are glad the City Council gave its OK to the park on Charle Street

instead of continuing to put the project on hold. However, we agree with

Mayor Gary Monahan, who pushed for the facility at Lions Park.

City officials plan to install improvements -- most importantly,

restrooms -- to the Charle Street site. But the location still lacks the

comfortable, community feeling that Lions Park offers.

Monahan said it well: “Skaters are isolated, it’s not as safe, not as

open, and there’s not much else there.”

But even though we don’t think the council’s choice of locations was the

best one, we hope the Charle Street site will serve as an example to

other cities that skate parks in residential communities aren’t all bad.

If the park proves itself compatible with surrounding neighborhoods,

perhaps other jurisdictions will be less timid when it comes to approving

these much-needed facilities.

In the meantime, let’s get rolling. Our kids have been waiting too long.