Getting What You Give

The last of the three skate park community forums takes place on Saturday at CV Park at 10 a.m. It’s an opportunity for the public to voice their concerns and support for this kid-driven venue.

I have to say right up front that I don’t have a dog in this fight; that is, none of my boys is an avid skater. But I’ve watched with fascination and admiration for what these kids have done.

Like many projects here in the foothills, including this newspaper, the skate park was born out of the desire to meet a need. In this case, these kids were tired of being harassed about where they practiced their skating. When the idea was suggested of approaching the L.A. County Parks & Recreation Dept., they didn’t think they could. After all, they were just kids – small fry compared to the L.A. County Parks & Recreation Dept. But with encouragement, they decided to go for it. There was no need to host opinion polls; after all, they live up here and knew what was wanted, what was needed.

They toiled over possible plans, met with organizers and petitioned for community support. And though some naysayers said that they couldn’t – perhaps even shouldn’t – attempt to attain such a lofty goal, they gave it a shot. They knew it would take hard work – heck, anything worth anything takes hard work – but if it actually happened, now that would be something. After all, they felt their community deserved it.

Well, it’s now more than two years later and the final steps are being taken for a skate park to be built at CV Park. Unlike many other large entities that don’t know or care about the Crescenta Valley, it turns out the L.A. County Parks & Recreation Dept. is connected to the community and wants to truly enhance it, not just pay lip service.

As for the kids, they learned a valuable lesson: you get what you give. They gave their time to dedicate themselves to achieve something that was important to them. They didn’t give up or shy away when rumors were heard that opposition might disrupt their plans; they just kept moving toward their goal.     Now it appears that the skate park is about to become a reality and I congratulate those who buckled down and put forth an effort that will benefit many.

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For those who have called the CV Weekly office over the last two years, you’ve had the pleasure of talking to Lisa Mitchell, our office manager. But life has moved on for Lisa and her husband Tim and Lisa is no longer working our front desk.

It is my pleasure to introduce Glendale-native Erika Bishop to CV Weekly. Erika brings a wealth of knowledge to the front desk and will continue the legacy of excellence that Lisa left us.

  Robin GOLSWORTHY