The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Children, Youth &
Education  (CY&E) Ad Hoc Committee is seeking community support to create a local
Skatepark. According to the
RIRA petition:

SUPPORT A SKATEPARK ON ROOSEVELT ISLAND 

There are so many people on Roosevelt Island who love to skateboard and ride
on scooters but they lack a dedicated park. RIRA’s Children, Youth &
Education Committee needs your support in asking RIOC to create a safe place
for teens and young adults. The lack of a cohesive and inclusive program for
them on Roosevelt Island calls for concrete solutions island-wide that
involve them with positive engagement for a flourishing future. Roosevelt
Island has seen an increase number of skateboarders ranging from 8 to 25
years old, both males and females. A dedicated Skate Park for the youth will
ensure their safety and offer them a physical and mental outlet, a place to
meet and be active vs “isolated on screens”.  

The benefits to Skateboarding goes beyond the health and body fitness, it
relieves stress, builds self-esteem, and creates an unprecedented Community
Building between the young adults and the rest of the island.
Skateboarding
can build bridges between generations and different social backgrounds,
ultimately bringing people together and offering a great outlet to meet new
people.

Skateboarding has become so popular it was featured as a new sport in the
2021 Olympics in Japan.  

Please sign this survey
and help us materialize this project!

RIRA CY&E Chair Adib Mansour adds:

The lack of a cohesive and inclusive program for the late teens and young
adults on Roosevelt Island requires concrete solutions island-wide with
positive engagement for a flourishing future. Roosevelt Island has seen an
increase number of skateboarders 

of all ages and genders. 

A dedicated Skate Park will ensure their safety and offer them a physical and
mental outlet.

In 2015, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) introduced a
skateboarding program at the Youth Center

for middle and high school students. 

The response was overwhelming; students that were always reluctant to
participate in activities were flocking by the dozens. In its third week,
students showed commitment to the program and previously unseen
eagerness. 

The most common injuries in skateboarding occurs outside of skate parks. Due
to surface irregularities and collisions with cars. The best way to keep them
safe is to provide them a space, a Roosevelt Island Skate Park.When parks are
built right –with local skaters input and involvement throughout the process–
those youngsters develop a sense of ownership and pride.  

Here are some ideas for the Skatepark and the suggested location. However, none of these are final as we would be working with professionals that would make a design unique to our island, I would suggest using elements from Roosevelt Island such as the old Trams. It would be simple and will include essential elements for a street park. I will also make sure that a team of youth and young adults from the island be part of that process. 

The suggested location would by the bike rack near the glass extension of the MotorGate (street level).

This would be ideal because it is away from apartment buildings, in a safe place. It is covered which would allow the youth and young adults to skate all year long. 

Through the years, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has built more than 20 official skateparks for communities across the five boroughs, including the recently opened park in the Upper West Side by Riverside Drive. There are three main categories of skatepark design: bowl, street plaza and flow parks. We suggest a Street plaza park; it is the favorite of the vast majority of skaters and they are designed to emulate and improve upon the street skating experience. Obstacles in a street plaza are styled to look like natural street terrain such as stairs, railings, planters and benches.

Finally, we would adopt the safety precautions the city dictates in all its skateparks including signing the Skate Park Participants Agreement form.

Here’s a review of NYC Skateparks.

RIRA Roosevelt Island Skateboard Petition is here.