The skatepark in Watts is just a few hundred dollars from being completely funded! You can help make this project a reality for the youth of South Los Angeles by making a donation in any amount. Your contributions make a difference now more than ever.
This project started just over a year ago, and has come a long way. The youth of Watts will see this great new facility built for them, thanks to your help and the contributions of hundreds of donors like you.
This skatepark will give kids in Watts a place to go, skate, and be active--outside of the area's notorious gang territories, and on one of the only neutral safe zones in South LA. So thanks for your support, and for helping make this dream a reality for this community!
The Watts Skatepark project will be presented in detail to the entire community on Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 5 PM at the Watts Towers Arts Center: 1761-1765 East 107th ST, Los Angeles California.
The event will include background of the project, current plans, and opportunities for community input, including an chance for local skaters to meet the skatepark design team and offer suggestions.
The event is presented by the City of Los Angeles, the Watts Community Redevelopment Agency, Los Angeles Police Department, LA Recreation And Parks, the Tony Hawk Foundation, and other entities.
This project represents the first major community-wide skatepark in Watts, and will provide local youth a safe place to practice their sport and develop healthy lifestyles.
The Watts Towers Skatepark was designed by world-renowned California Skateparks with input from several professional skaters. Its street-plaza layout is intended to blend with and complement the adjacent Watts Towers landmark. The skatepark can also serve as a general public space--a versatility that will be important for hosting festivals and public events at the Watts Towers site.
At the July 15 meeting, local skaters will have the opportunity to meet the California Skateparks design team and give them input as they begin making final changes to the layout. The skatepark should be completed in Fall 2010.
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A detailed overview of the Watts Skatepark project will be presented to the entire community in June. The date of the presentation is currently being scheduled, but the event will include background, current plans, and opportunities for community input, and be presented by the City of Los Angeles, the Watts Community Redevelopment Agency, Los Angeles Police Department, LA Recreation And Parks, the Tony Hawk Foundation, and other entities. As soon as the details have been determined, we will update this post.
Donate TODAY (Tuesday, January 12) to the Watts Skatepark and help us earn an additional $1,000 by winning today's Bonus Challenge. And please spread the word through your facebook and other networks to encourage your friends and family to get involved!
At a meeting of Watts community leaders and local agencies last week, the enthusiasm and excitement over the skatepark plan was overwhelming.
Representatives from the Los Angeles Mayor's office, local Council Member Janice Hahn's staff, the Community Redevelopment Agency, and other local organizations discussed the impact of the skatepark on the site of the historic Watts Towers landmark, and the general consensus was that the skatepark at the Watts Towers will benefit the community in several ways:
• Skateboarding, an inherently creative activity, will give local skaters a "canvas" to express their style and technique in the heart of Watts' "Cultural Crescent," a redevelopment district designated around the Watts Towers that includes community arts centers and cultural facilities.
• The attraction of the skatepark will bring local youth to the site to experience the Watts Towers landmark and learn to appreciate their own local history.
• The Street Plaza design of the skatepark will blend with the aesthetics of the Towers and the existing amphitheater at the site, and will also accommodate multiple uses--festivals and other public gatherings.
• The design will be refined with additional input from top-professional skateboarders and local youth, who would be the park's primary users.
• The skatepark isn't only for the youth who will finally have a safe, sanctioned place to ride, but will allow non-skating community members the opportunity to see what these young athletes can do--the skatepark will be as exciting to spectators as it will be for the youth who will get to use it.
• The skatepark construction is being funded by private donors, so there will be no fiscal impact on the community or City of Los Angeles to create the landmark skatepark.
• The Watts Towers already attract many tourists to come see the 100-foot spires, and the skatepark will show another type of local creativity that will also be an attraction to visitors.
Currently a series of public meetings is being planned to collect more community input and answer questions about the skatepark plan. But fundraising efforts are ongoing, and through this special Global Giving campaign that ends Friday, January 15 you can help make this dream a reality for Watts youth.
Donate TODAY (Tuesday, January 12) and help us earn an additional $1,000 by winning today's Bonus Challenge. And of course your donation will be matched by the Tony Hawk Foundation.
Spread the word!
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