The following open letter is from Skater Mom, whose real identity I know. Give it a read, and please contribute to the Skate Park discussion.
Dear School Board Members,
It is hard to express my disappointment and dismay at the group of adults that are supposed to be leading and protecting our children’s education. What kind of example are you setting for these future adults?
I don’t know if the community realizes the political garbage that is going on behind the scenes at the expense of our children. I repeatedly find my jaw dropping aghast at the actions and statements by our (former) Superintendent Tim Baird and various School Board Members. (Minus Paulene Mercado, who is the only School Board Member at the public meeting last month who stated that they had an obligation to the children and the community to fulfill their obligation on the lease.)

1) The Ventura [County] Star broke the news last week that our School Board has filed a complaint trying to stop the building of the new skate park. I find it hard to believe that first of all, you could even contemplate trying to break the lease on the skate park. The original intention for the wooden skate park was that it was TEMPORARY. You, the school district and the city signed the lease document. It references both a temporary and permanent park. The plan has always been to build a permanent skate park in that exact spot. This is not a surprise.
2) Mr. Baird then tried to claim that they have not been included or invited to attend meetings. That is ridiculous. No one has been hiding information from you. The city has a lease that basically says they can do just about anything they want on/in that space until the year 2025. The plans were made public via the newspaper, the internet and many, many City Council meetings. Oh yes, and there is a thermometer in your parking lot that you drive by EVERY DAY that announces that the money has been raised to go ahead with this long standing plan. There have been at least 25 articles and letters in our local OV News discussing the progress and inviting the public to attend City Council meetings. Don’t feign ignorance. Don’t tell the public you have not been included. You sat in skate park committee meetings at City Hall over a year ago. You have received timelines. But most importantly, there is a legal document that you signed that says you are obligated to 16 more years on that lease.
3) I truly took offense when you released false stories, innuendos and shadowed insinuations that led readers to believe that skaters are a degenerate crowd of hoodlums and are responsible for the high number of crimes on the school property. On the contrary, several times over the last few years the Chief(s) of Police have come to City Council meetings to purposely dispel those false impressions. They stated publicly that the number of crimes reported at the skate park is far less than those reported at Libbey Park. In addition, the crimes that have been investigated (such as tagging, urinating in the park, sleeping under the half pipe and drug busts) in almost every case, involved other citizen groups such as gang members, homeless visitors and day laborers.
4) I am not claiming that every kid who skates is an angel. I am only stating that the teenage crimes occurring in Ojai are an issue across the board and could be helped by more safe places to gather and have fun. The skate park is a needed outlet for healthy teens. You should all be flying a flag above that skate park with a proud announcement. Do you realize that Ojai’s senior high school boys, all 5 from YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT by the way, learned to skate in that dilapidated park and have placed 2nd – two years in a row in Southern California? Ojai has three boys who have qualified for the X-Games in August, which is like the Olympics of extreme sports. These are serious athletes who practice every day. Currently the skate teams have to drive at least 40 minutes to a decent skate park to practice.
5) Here’s the real kicker. The most appalling part of the School Board’s recent behavior is the outright deception to the community in regards to their real reason for not wanting the skate park. It doesn’t seem to be widely known that the School Board has been drawing up plans, putting out to bid and soliciting funding for a large development on the very property they have leased to the city. Did you know that they are planning a 75,000 sq. ft. development with business offices, a three screen movie theatre, a hotel and low income housing for that block? Was that mentioned in any of the letters in the paper or interviews with reporters by our trusted Superintendent? Or more recently by Ms. Taylor when interviewed by the Ventura Star? No. They cited vandalism and teen drug use as their reasons for not wanting the park there. They used our kids as scapegoats for their monetary greed. They tainted innocent kid’s reputations and basically labeled a group of kids with derogatory names to serve their purpose. SCARY!
6) Now they say it is about a drinking fountain and a bathroom. Obviously everyone wants a bathroom and a drinking fountain. That is not a reason to try to stop the skate park. That is a timeline issue.
Well, Skate Ojai has agreed to move the building and funding of the bathroom and the drinking fountain from Phase II of the project to the front lines of Phase I. Consider it DONE.
Now, be honest School Board members. Talk to the community. Go to the next City Council meeting. Show up at the ad hoc committee meetings you have been invited to attend. You were invited and the committee was created for this purpose. Come and play fair.
There is a 4 Way Test that all Rotarians, which some of you are, pledge to abide by.
It asks Rotarians to conduct their business and lives by the following criteria:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS and
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
I am asking everyone involved in this dilemma, to step back, to reassess our priorities and to work together with integrity, respect for the kids and for the good of all involved. Let us show these future adults how we can work together to resolve issues by communicating, by sharing our goals and working together to accomplish them. Leave the name calling in the school yard.
If the community supports a development on the property, integrate the skate park into it. Make the skate park the central entertainment, like Rockefeller Center where the skate rink is the central focus.
Create a picnic area and extend the bike path through your development. Be creative and be honest. Keep your promises and legal obligations. You were elected to represent our community and our children. Please do so.