A sense of community ownership is a key success ingredient in a skatepark. There are many kinds of formal and informal skatepark steward groups throughout North America. Some are officially registered volunteers with their city recreation departments, others are more like unofficial 'eyes and ears'. They are not security guards and they are not supervisors - their task is to monitor, communicate and lend a hand. Members can be skaters, area residents or, optimally, a combination of the two. There is some good information about stewardship at Skaters for Public Skate Parks
The care and maintenance of a skatepark and its surrounding area is very important to skaters and other park users. While city crews have their job to do, they may not have the time or knowledge to inspect the skate surfaces closely or communicate with the skaters on a regular basis.
Stewards look out for both physical and social problems. On the physical side, for example, a small chip in the skate surface can present a hazard to skaters and quickly develop into a bigger chip. Skaters may notice the chip, but they might not know who to report it to, or they might feel too shy to call the city. A friendly adult who they see on a regular basis can help in these cases. On the social side, skaters may experience bullying, or unwanted attention from a threatening stranger, or they may have a conflict with an area resident. In these cases, a steward can assess the situation and connect with the people or institutions that need to be part of the response. Not all communications should be problem-generated, though. For example, stewards can keep skaters informed about opportunities and activities in the community that may interest them, or help skaters publicize their skating events and activities.
An ideal steward is someone who lives near the park and visits regularly anyway, and who has a sense of community responsiblity. A steward will:
In response to questions from residents near Les Sherman Park about how they can help out the skatepark process, Communities 4 Sk8rs suggested they could volunteer for a Skatepark Stewards Network. As a result, 14 people living in close proximity to the park have asked to have their names placed on a steward list.
When it becomes clear where and when a park will be built, Communities 4 Sk8rs will help the volunteers come together and work out a method for stewarding the facility, with city representatives and skateboarders as part of the process. Possibilities include a simple clipboard system for noting problems and the development of a list of contacts for things like garbage removal, surface repairs, etc. The group may also want to procure some simple tools, like a broom, gloves and garbage bags, to keep in an accessible location like the Balkwill Centre.
It should be noted that the volunteers who have come forward are location-specific. If a location in another part of the city is chosen, a different set of volunteers will have to emerge from the surrounding community. So far we haven't received calls from people in other neighbourhoods who want to kno how they can volunteer.