EDITOR,
I couldn't make it to the meeting about the skatebowl that's under construction. I am directly involved as our property, with three others, are adjacent to the area under the Quest Bridge. This location is not something new in respect of concern. For a few years now, we have had to supervise, unplanned, this new addition to the Highlands. In most cases it has been related to local teens using the secretive, out-of-view location for partying. It is by no means a safe area given the cliffs and steep terrain. There has been many a night we have been woken in the early hours to screams. Usually it has only taken listening to determine that the screams were of a horsing-around nature and not for alarm purposes. We respect the kids in our community and give them the credit they deserve. Not once have we reacted with calls to the police. It is a local issue and in all respects should be of concern only to local parents. The Highlands is an isolated area in Squamish, and as such, we are lucky that the ills of the downtown rarely make it up the hill. I was a policeman and for most parts I have believed that assholes don't walk uphill. The proponents of this new facility are not of our local area and I see no benefit to the Squamish experience. I doubt one of them pays taxes into our system of support. Check their past location in Britannia: It was not an open park, but much the opposite. I doubt the local teens outside the group were very welcome. These men chose the Quest Bridge out of secrecy and remoteness. They thought the park could be completed without discovery. Skateboarding is similar to surfing in that it is a society: protective and isolated, spending more time socializing than skating; the environment is selective and a closed shop.
This is not something being built for a community but only for a select gathering. I have told my wife not to worry as it would be moronic for any council to support such a park. Just ask your local police for a threat risk assessment of such a venture. It will not be positive. If council has any interest in developing a covered facility, look to an alternative location.
I like my community in the Highlands. The local kids deserve better. They will always seek secluded spots for their expressions, but we should not force them to areas that aren't safe. Let the kids party under the bridge and I will gladly wake in the early hours to assess whether the screams are that of alarm or joviality. There are a million reasons that this should not go ahead, even if the liability and logistical criteria could be met. It is still a bad decision for us and our kids in the Highlands. Where is any benefit except to a very few selfish outsiders?
Randy Peterson Garibaldi Highlands
